While DJWORX might be all about delivering a daily dose of all that is new and shiny in the world of… ummm new DJ shiny, it is important to recognise where all this stuff has come from. So I’m making it my mission to introduce you to the roots of DJ gear, and from time to time, show you the path your new gear has walked to get to your DJ cave. But first, a story.
Last year, I accompanied Mrs DJWORX down south for a training course in the sleepy village of Alfriston. Nestling at one end is a bookshop — an inspiring haven called Much Ado Books. Having an intimate relationship with fine leather-bound editions (the olds are craftsman bookbinders), I was immediately inspired by this cornucopia of printed works, both old and new, to the point were I almost immediately decided that once I’d got too old to be taken seriously as a technology hack, and thus slipping into irrelevance, I would open a shop that sold quality books and rare vinyl, while I sat curmudgeonly behind the counter restoring classic DJ gear. Hell it sounds like an amazing thing to do now… buys lottery ticket…
So I’m combining my desire to restore, repair and otherwise tastefully pimp classic lumps of DJ gear with my actual need for more setups in the worxlab. Now when I talk of classics, I generally keep coming back to Vestax. I have a lot of love for them, because they have always dared to be different and not always played it safe. They’ve made mistakes of course, but it’s only through trying and failing that you develop and grow. And one area they really made an impact in was turntables.
So I scoured eBay and Gumtree for “vestax” and after missing a few pairs, I stumbled across a single Vestax PDX d3s for £60. But the real score was a pair in allegedly good order with flight cases that I managed to snag for just £93. Now comparing the eBay picture to the actual reality of the condition of the decks is chalk and cheese, but nothing a little soap and water won’t initially fix.
The first deck is in better overall condition, but is missing a foot and only puts audio out through one channel. The pair of decks are in perfect working order, but have clearly been heavily gigged with, and been the victim of more than a few sweet sticky drinks. A little TLC on one of them showed me that it’s purely cosmetic and both could be in great condition in no time.
But then I wondered about doing a proper restoration job, stripping everything off, replacing more or less every piece of metal, respraying the case and getting decals from the Vestax vault in Japan. Or perhaps a little more of a pimp job, where I did the case in gloss black, and made new custom plates in the Fab Lab next door. I still don’t know if I want to keep the essence of what I love about Vestax, or inject the DJWORX branding into them.
So I ask you this — what would you do? Restoration or tasteful deck pimping?
Vestax PDX d3s Gallery
you have 3,restore 1for the vaults/museum,pimp 2….but in good taste.
I’d pimp them. I’ve actually done just that to my Technics, though only the usual changing of LED colours and replacing the popup light with an ultra bright white LED.
Oh, and I’ve modded away the ground wire as well.
I’d probably just restore with an initial tear down to get comfortable with where everything is and the tools you need. Give it a solid cleaning, restore the PCB’s, check for any loose electrical connections, etc. Also, this will give you a first opportunity to get all the cleaning supplies, lubricants, and tools for later. The last thing you want is to be working on it and realize that you don’t have something that you absolutely need.
I have to say, this is kind of inspiring me to try and reverse engineer the technics 1200 integrated circuit so that we could turn it into a digital system. I’m currently flummoxed with my 1200’s because I can’t calibrate it. I can dial in +0% and +6%, but +3% and -3% are always off.
I got 2 of these and it would be interesting to see them pimped
I’ve got one of these Vestax decks in a flightcase in my garage.
I brought it to archive my vinyl, then once i’d done that, it got packed away.
…..what are they worth, if in “as new” condition?
A good pair can fetch £200-250, so £100-125 especially if in a case.
matte black corpus with orange plates & tonearm…over the top? yes. but might look really good…
Whatever you do, please do document pitch calibration should you come accross this.
I’ve had my Vestax PDX A1 mk2s for over two years, they’re quite similar to these (s tonearm, no fancy buttons and probably a weaker motor) but the supposedly +-10% pitch range has slowly crept up to +12/-14% or thereabouts… that doesn’t help with precision on loooooooong blends. So far, the internets have been pretty tight lipped on any details regarding that kind of operation.
How about a “Night Rider” edition? Black matte finish with a deep red pin stripe around the top of the deck with a balck/red tone arm. Now that would look real nice.
Whatever you decide to do with them and other DJ gear, I’d be interested to know the people and places you find along the way to source parts, customise things, etc. Sometimes it’s as easy as a quick google or phonecall, but not always in my experience.
i think that djworx needs a mascot, pimp out a pair of turntables and a mixer!
Restore! Restore! Restore!
Just as a tip on the subject; Get a foam cleaner called AFC from ElectroLube. I use this daily (broadcast tech) to clean all sorts of gunk off kit. I’ve had stunning results with it.
If you do pimp, please, for the love of god, no blue LEDs.
Restore, no doubt. In case of pimpin’ – only with original Vestax parts (different colors, etc.).
Ahhh, d3s… The decks that Sasha had such a bad gig on when he had to use them at Homelands, he got home and threw the pair Vestax had sent him in the pond.
Legendary decks, for that reason if nothing else…
Restore 2 and pimp the 3rd one for fun. Maybe start with the pimp process first to see if want to do all three.
well, you already know what I’m going to say. Install a computer inside one. you can get a mini x86 board for bout $90, i think
I thought someone would say that. But it’s not really the point of the exercise. Perhaps for the future, when I have an actual idea of what I’d want from such a thing.
it would be nice to see one with a classic gibson guitars look :)
Well, if you restore them, they’re only worth £250 max apiece. If you tastefully pimp them up with that oh-so-subtle DJW flavor, they’re priceless. Actually the question isn’t what to do with TTs, but what mixer should be the heart of the new setup?
It’s not about value. I wouldn’t be selling them. As for mixer — restored, probably an 07, or maybe the 05 Pro iV I have. Pimped – white and orange 08. Would just need to track one down.
there is an orange and white Vestax Guber 180 3 channel edition going on ebay at the moment… slap an innofader in you’ll be laughing.
Restore 2 and pimp 1, or vice versa. Or even lend a couple to me until I can afford some of my own!
I always imagine Vestax as being matte black and red, might look decent.
I’m coning round to the idea of restoring a pair to their former glory, and then grabbing a second d3s and subtly pimping a pair in the full DJWORX branding.
Matt or gloss grey body, splashes of orange and replacing the Vestax logo on the body with the DJWORX one, and definitely hooked up via Orange d+ cables.
That was what I was going to suggest. Get a 4th deck and make two of them look factory new and pimp the sh*t out of the other two.
Surely the white vestax 08 would be an ideal companion sitting next to djworx d3s.
ive got a pair of the ORIGINAL D3’s (the ones pictured are 2nd generation i think), 15(ish) years ago when i bought them they was £450 each! they don’t look quite as fancy as these, the arms are S shaped, there’s a lot more dark grey and black going on. they are still in full working order (some of the feet have come off tho). i treat them like antiques, i love em!
these prob were still made in Japan
If anyone needs spares for there Vestax product please check out our new online store via http://www.vestax.co.uk
I just sold a pair of these to a homie for 400USD. They were in near-mint condition. Great decks but I wish they had a faster break like the Technics 1200s.
I’d like to see a pimped out pair with Orange LEDs and DJW screen printing.
yeah i bought them.. and they seem to have a grounding issue on one of the tables still dont know how to fix
but fucking love them.. just that issue
These TOTALLY look like the inspiration for the Numark TTX. The high platter, open top tonearm gimbal, digital pitch display, removable RCA cables, RCA connector based illuminator, etc. These are gorgeous. Would have loved to pick up a pair and restore them myself, if I only knew about them!
cannot wait to see the end result as i ahev the same pair of decks recently purchased via ebay for £180 inc a vestax mixer ..and they are good shape..but would love to know what you do with your project as i wanna learn to mod if i decide to in the near future
Pimp it, but in a way we could do it without a fabrication shop, in our own style. and make an epic lord of the rings video, or even just time lapsed would be cool.
I’ve never seen a ‘pimped’ deck I like, those blue lights and oversized, stretched technics logos leave me depressed. However, I do dream of stripping back a 1210 to it’s base metal colour and reapplying the graphics. A tasteful gun metal finish would be off the proverbial.
Im currently looking to customise (pimp is not the look im after) my PDX2300 Mk2’s, but before I begin I need to make sure I can replace the decals such as “fine pitch, ultra pitch, pitch bend” etc.
I am eagerly awaiting your progress!
do you know how to fix a grounding error on the tables i get a humm with any vibration on one of my tables.. idk abything about how to ix this kind of thing please help.. its still playable just something that takes away from the quality
Got a pair of these that I’d be willing to let go if anyone is interested. They’re great decks but no longer in use… (Bristol/UK).
i have just bought some pdx a1 mk2’s off ebay. dunno if they’re any good or not, i just like the design of them, always have done. they could do with being pimped !
I have an immaculate pair of pdx-d3 mk1’s which I’m considering selling. How much could I expect for them?
Can smeone tell me how to oil the bearings on these things? Do you have to remove the whole motor? I would be glad to hear it and thanks already.
How is your restoration coming along Gizmo?
Have you opened those bad boys up yet??? Do yours make a noise if they are powering upto speed or slowing down, basically any time the motor has to adjust itself? I can only hear it when no music is playing, but its kinda annoying now I have noticed it.
I’d be curious as to weather the arm and arm assembly off of a 2000 mk2 pro would fit directly onto these?
I know it has been a long time but how did this go?
I played on a pair of PDT5000’s back in the mid 90’s and enjoyed them with their analogue pitch needle. Another friend had a pair of A2s which I always though were cool but didn’t play much.
I recently found a cheap pair of shabby A2S but since I cleaned them up and played them, I am not relishing the idea of parting with them. My 1210s of 20 years have even been temporarily relegated to the top of the wardrobe (but will never be sold).
I’m thinking the less loved Vestax are absolute bargains. The Stanton mixer isn’t great though. :)