BeoGram 3000 from 70s-80s Question!

Hi,

My family recently inherited a B&O BeoGram 3000. I know very little about vinyl, and have only recently started getting into real records and turntables. I am looking to upgrade my current table but am not sure if I should purchase a new table or try and have the BeoGram repaired. It is currently not in working condition. I have a few questions I thought I would post to the forum to see if anyone can offer any guidance.

1) Is it worth it to repair this table? Like I said, I don't know very much about tables. Is this model (from somewhere in late 70s early 80s I believe) good enough to warrant trying to repair, or am I better off investing in a brand new table (either a B&O or something else like a U-Turn or Rega, which I've also heard good things about).

2) Does anyone know the specs for the table itself? Is it a belt drive or direct drive? Whats the w&f, and will these specs change if I opt to repair it (i.e. can the repair process itself alter the table).

3) Any idea how much a repair like this would cost? Even a rough estimate would be helpful.

Again, I don't know very much about this stuff but would appreciate any and all insight!

Thanks in advance!

 

Welcome to Beoworld.

There are 4 Beogram types called Beogram 3000, one of which was made in the early 70s (see https://www.beoworld.org/prod_details.asp?pid=288.)

and one in the mid to late 80s (see https://www.beoworld.org/prod_details.asp?pid=289)

The earlier model is a good turntable, beautifully engineered and built. It is a hybrid idler/belt drive. The later, belt drive model is perhaps less well engineered but has a tangential pick-up arm which has the benefit of tracking the record groove in the same way the record was cut. Both offer very good isolation from the environment by dint of their suspension systems, something the Rega and similar decks won’t offer.

Whether either of these turntables is ‘better’ for you than a Rega or similar will depend on a number of factors such as whether the styling and design of the Beogram is important or what equipment you plan to use them with (much modern amplification doesn’t have the correct input impedance for the output of B&O moving iron cartridges).

The other major factor is repairing your turntable. If, like me, you are ‘technically challenged’ then you may find it difficult to find someone used to working on such older equipment. Depending on the problem it probably won’t be cheap. In addition, it is highly likely that the pick-up cartridge/stylus in the Beogram will probably need rebuilding or replacing. This can be quite expensive - at least 99€. Given that you can buy a perfectly good, new, entry level Pro-ject turntable with cartridge for around £200, repairing old non-working Beograms is not a particularly cheap option now. But then, cost is not always the most important factor for those of us suffering from the Beovirus!

Cleve

Hello,

Without getting into the tech stuff around cartridge rebuilds and repairs in general, i would say, that since you have arrived here at the beoworld forum, it indicates curiosity around B&O, so  you are in the right place for advice.

However, the most important thing for all beoworld members (apologies for generalising), are the love and respect for B&O products, so to ask if you should get it repaired/fixed, the answer is a definite YES!

In general, B&O products are keepers, especially if they are well kept. Get it repaired and use it and enjoy looking at it, when not in use. It is an easy sell (but not a goldmine), it if you decide you need something else.

I'm sure someone in here can be of assistance, either with a repair service or recommend someone that can - that is, if you decide not to do it yourself.

 

Depends on which 3000 really! Have had three of the 4 available and they were all great! The fourth is the tangential tracking one, which is also good but more light weight. The big advantage of something like a Rega will be cartridge choice - B&O cartridges are becoming scarce and expensive. However Beograms are very well made and can be serviced.

Peter:

Depends on which 3000 really! Have had three of the 4 available and they were all great! The fourth is the tangential tracking one, which is also good but more light weight. The big advantage of something like a Rega will be cartridge choice - B&O cartridges are becoming scarce and expensive. However Beograms are very well made and can be serviced.

You're right, the cartridge issue is certainly something to consider. One huge advantage of most B&O tables is resistance to not only acoustic feedback but also to things like footfalls on wooden floors. If you live on something other than a concrete slab, walking across the floor will not upset a Beogram whereas a Rega will have issues. Plus, most Beograms are fully automatic, I for one got tired of having to get up to pick the arm up and turn the table off when I had a VPI HW19, the Beogram is a lot easier to use. I hope I can keep my tangential BG3000 running for a long time.