Bumping this back up to the top as it seems I'm just that kind of fool who can't take their own advice...
but it's kind of the realization of what Jaako was talking about in his first post ->
So - just bought a Fairchild 523 lathe. I'm not sure of the age (I believe late 50's or early 60's) and in fact have never seen another one like this - but it's a precursor to their more commonly found 740. It's definitely not as capable as a Neumann - with manual pitch (but with a decent range of 80 - 400lpi) but has a number of "pro" features such as vacuum lock down on the platter, chip pickup, 16" platter, 3 speed, and what looks to me like a decently designed overhead carriage system.
Right now I'm just coordinating getting it moved in the next couple weeks from Windsor Ontario to my digs here in Brooklyn. If anyone wants to do a road trip in about a week or two let me know!
After that - I need to either source a Gotham amp to get the Grampian mono cutterhead it comes with working - or find a stereo cutterhead/amps/RIAA encoder/feedback controller and then get a suspension/mount or adapter machined for this. Anyone with a Westrex 3D or Haeco SC-2 (or similar) and or Westrex 1700 or 1574 for sale please contact me! Also anyone with any form of documentation for any of the Fairchild lathes please contact me as well!!
Some pics below:
Best regards,
Steve Berson