Pro-Ject Artist Series Turntables

You can find turntable from many brands, across a broad range of price point, but there’s nothing like one that screams vinyl rules than one that has the era-appropriate artist on it. Yes. You heard that right. Artists-branded turntable is a thing and it may very be the best thing to ever happen to turntable since, well, the invention of modern day turntable. Folks, meet the Artist Collection Turntables from Pro-Ject. Also meet the latest, the ‘Guns N’ Roses Record Player’.

Pro-Ject Guns N’ Roses Record Player

The Guns N’ Roses Record Player features the famous 90s rock band’s iconic branding on the platter, as well as a smaller version of the logo, underneath the tonearm’s rest position, on the gloss black MDF plinth. It is essentially Pro-Ject’s Essential III A turntable, but with the graphic printed directly on a “superior acrylic Acryl-IT E platter” – first for Pro-Ject.

Beyond that, you’d expect the Essential III features, including an Ortofon OM 10 elliptical cartridge, a belt drive system with a precision diamond-cut aluminum pulley, and a 8.6-inch tonearm, also in aluminum. It is worthy to note that this record spinner does not have a built-in phono stage and therefore, you do need to hook it up to a system that has a phono stage connection. I am a fan of GN’R and so, it is no surprise this appeals to me, but it will be a turntable that I will not want a vinyl on.

Pro-Ject The Beatles Yellow Submarine Turntable

However, if given the choice, I would rather opt to go with my favorite 60s band, Beatles. Pro-Ject has a bunch of Beatles-themed turntables too, but nothing demands for more attention than The Beatles Yellow Submarine Turntable. One look at it and you immediately know why. In place of the usual rectangular plinth, it has submarine-shaped plinth. Now, tell me that is not dope.

The Pro-Ject The Beatles Yellow Submarine turnable was released last year May to mark the release of the Yellow Submarine in 4K for the film’s 50th anniversary. Aside from the unique plinth, it also gets a specially created yellow Concorde cartridge by Ortofon, called Sonar, which is attached to an S-shaped aluminum tonearm. Other features include a MDF chassis, decoupled feet, a glass platter and two speeds of spin, namely 33 and 45 rpm, which are changed manually.

Pro-Ject The Beatles Yellow Submarine Turntable costs £389 (around US$509), not including the dust cover, while the Guns N’ Roses Turntable will cost £429 (about US$561) when it becomes available in the UK starting April 2019. There are other models too, including 4 other Beatles-themed turntables, a Ring Starr Peace & Love model, a George Harrison model, a Rolling Stones model, and one paying tribute to Hard Rock Cafe – just to name a few.

We just found out that GN’R official merch store, Canada, is selling the GN’R turnable with Appetite For Destruction – Lock N’ Loaded Edition for a cool 849.99 CAD (about US$636). If you want that, be sure to act on it fast because, firstly, it apparently has been discounted from 1,299.99 CAD and secondly, there are 100 turntables available worldwide. Don’t say we did not tell you so.

Images: Pro-Ject.

Source: What HiFi?