Nottingham Analogue Studios Mentor Turntable

For sale is a one-owner Nottingham Mentor Turntable that I have enjoyed in my system. The Mentor is equipped with a Benz Micro Ruby cartridge and is included in the price along with a Nottingham 12" mechanically damped uni-pivot tonearm. Nottingham Phono cables are also included with the Mentor. This system has not seen any use in the last five years, including the cartridge. Everything works flawlessly and the Mentor has a new belt as well as a new supply of oil. In over thirty years of designing and building turntables in the heart of Sherwood Forest, Nottingham Analogue has followed a unique path based upon common sense and careful listening to create a timeless and musical product. All Nottingham tables, parts, and assembly are done on a one to one basis by skilled craftsmen. Nothing is outsourced or left in the hands of others. Everything from the size and shape of the parts, to the materials selected purely decided on how they sound and play back music is done for a reason. Every last detail from the type of rubber used for the dampening rings, to the type of platter material is examined for resonance properties and quite simply how they sound. Nothing is left to chance. The key to turntable design is the marriage of materials. While each material may not be exotic in its own right, all are chosen to maintain a coherency and naturalness of sound throughout the entire frequency range. At the time of its inception, the Mentor was second in line only to the limited edition Nottingham Analogue Turntable. The Mentor's 60 pound two piece platter rotates in an oil bath bearing that provides a continuous oil coating along the entire bearing and thrust pad by pulling a thin coat of oil between the spindle bearing as the platter rotates. The Mentor can accommodate up to two tonearms between 9"to 12" in length. The fitted tonearm on the Mentor is 12" in length. Because of the weight of the platter, the user "jump starts" the table by manually spinning the platter with one rotation. Within two or three revolutions, the motor maintains a constant 33 1/3 or 45 rpm depending on the positioning of the bottom belt. It takes approximately five seconds to change speed. From the time it takes to turn the platter, the table is up to speed prior to the record stylus hitting its groove. Turning the Mentor off is achieved by placing your hand on the side of the platter. In other words, rotate the platter to bring it up to speed, leaving it on during a listening session, and then turn off with a simple little hand jive. The proprietary rubber belts on the platter ease in the mechanical on/off operation. According to the instructions, the top piece is made of carbon. Their apparently was a black LP size dust cover which can't be located. I have always used an old LP as the dust cover without any issues. The motor is not attached to the plinth and can be located anywhere the user feels necessary.