The Turntable Shoppe

So it’s not the most inviting presentation, and it’s easy to fly right past the storefront while driving (or walking). And yes, the door is likely to be locked when you get there; it is, after all, historically one of the roughest neighborhoods in all of Indy.
But The Turntable Shoppe still seems like the real deal to me, and Roy (the owner of the one-​man operation) is undoubtedly candid, which means he won’t necessarily tickle your ears and tell you what you want to hear about that great-​looking made-​in-​China wannabe vintage turntable you bought at Target two years ago that’s already broken. But he’ll do his best to find you what you’re looking for when you establish your expectations. And he’ll be equally frank about what he can realistically buy and repair to a condition that is re-​sellable.
My only suggestion would be that, yes, since he IS the Turntable Shoppe and, inevitably, he will have to step outside the office from time to time, that he should probably always make himself available for people who might come along way for this hard-​to-​find service. Which means answering all the phone calls. But perhaps he has started doing this by now??? I certainly had no problem.
I’m not well-​versed on the subject of old turntables and told Roy this outright, and I didn’t get any patronizing responses from him. He recognizes that people who come to The Turntable Shoppe are either serious about vinyl or hope to become so. And he responds accordingly. He might even throw a cookie or two into your purchase if there’s a cable you’re missing. And some of the vintage items look great! But no, they don’t come from Target.

A Tale of Two Turntable Shops
In order to start enjoying my old vinyl albums, I had to visit two shops. In order to review the Turntable Shoppe, it is necessary to share the entire story.
Stop One:
I really wanted to like the Turntable Shoppe. I started here to shop for a vintage turntable, only to find a single vintage model and one newer DJ-​style model for sale. Roy, the owner, said the holidays had cleared his inventory and I should try back later. New to the hobby, I asked him about a certain Pioneer model that I had read about and he agreed it was a solid unit. I told him I was also shopping online and I would like to email questions to him if I found anything. He agreed, gave me his card and I left quite happy.
Not long after, I found the model in question for sale online and sent Roy a list of its needs. He generously responded, explaining which items he could help with and which he could not. He would probably be able to find a replacement dustcover, but it would be expensive. He also might have replacement feet (Pioneer rubber feet were notoriously rot-​prone). He said not to worry much about the tonearm clasp, as these break regularly. Finally, he could provide a new cartridge and do a full set-​up of the turntable.
Emboldened by his confidence, I snapped up the turntable, but when I tried to drop it off, Roy looked at it and said, «That’s really rough.» Thinking he was joking, I laughed and said I thought it was gorgeous. Without smiling, he snarked, «Oh yeah, which part?» I didn’t know it yet, but things were about to get weird.
As he looked it over, he seemed to forget his earlier offer of help. He said my dustcover and feet were nearly impossible to find. He pointed out damage to the audio cables and said it «probably doesn’t work.» I told him the mechanicals seemed to work when I had plugged it in, but I agreed that I didn’t have a way to test audio. At this point, he announced the turntable was simply too far gone and he was not interested in working on it. Just like that. I asked what he meant, but he only shrugged and said he didn’t know; he would not or could not offer any details. When I asked if there were any online resources he could recommend, he said he didn’t know and proceeded to stare at me for several seconds. He obviously wanted me to leave, so I left.
Stop Two:
Panicked, I called a well-​known vinyl shop in Broad Ripple and asked if they could help. They didn’t do the work I needed, but suggested two places: the Turntable Shoppe; and «that new place, Affordable Hi Fi.» I immediately called Affordable Hi Fi and spoke to the owner, John. He said he absolutely could help and I drove straight there. John talked me through the whole process and provided a ballpark estimate. As promised, he took about two weeks to complete the work, but it was worth it and here is why.
First, John knew his stuff. He was familiar with the Pioneer disintegrating feet syndrome and knew that a certain Music Hall model had similarly tall feet that could be substituted (and they looked great). Not even Google knew this. Next, he installed a new tonearm rest — complete with clasp, re-​damped the tonearm lift, replaced the broken headshell with a matching one and aligned it. He also pointed out that my old Shure cartridge was still alive; it just needed a new stylus. Most importantly, he was able to upgrade the damaged audio cables with customized jacks. This allows me use my own high-​end phono cables instead of the hardwired ‘70s era factory cables. All this work for less than $ 100, plus my old parts were returned nicely wrapped up. A new dustcover ($ 100 online) will have to wait until Father’s Day. When I got it home, it sounded great, of course. My family and I spent the week rocking out to vinyl, old and new.
To this day, I am not sure why the first shop couldn’t or wouldn’t help me. Maybe Roy didn’t like the way I looked or the car I drove, or maybe he just wasn’t sure how to affordably repair my audio cables. Regardless, he did me a favor by refusing my business. My big takeaway from this ordeal was John’s Zen-​like attitude and his outlook on the turntable scene. In addition to being fully capable of passing a Turing test, he emphasized that researching turntables, parts, techniques, etc., was well and good, but that it was important to spend more time listening to music than trying to make it sound a little bit better. He seems like a very wise man and I am happy to have met him.

I hope to change this review from negative to positive quite soon.
The thing is, the Shoppe’s hours are very clearly printed online; 11 – 6, Mon.-Sat. I have been by the store three times in the middle of the afternoon, on lunch break, only to be met with the Closed sign. I wouldn’t have had to go by at all if, just once, someone had answered the phone. Absolutely infuriating for a small, locally-​owned business. I know there’s voicemail, but I have multiple questions, as well as equipment to bring in. Besides, a message shouldn’t have to be left during business hours (even if one employee is working and is busy with a customer, I have called at regular intervals throughout the day to no avail). I will try a few more times, but I’m sick of going out of my way for a business that doesn’t seem to want any.

Roy was incredibly helpful over at The Turntable Shoppe. I traded in my old Pioneer that needed some repairs and upgraded to a new turntable.

Very pleased with the service and the prices at The Turntable Shoppe. Roy has worked on my 1959 twice with excellent results. He completed both repairs quickly and contacted me immediately to let me know he was done. I will definitely return.

This place is amazing! Roy is the man and is about as friendly and approachable as can be. To boot, he seems to really enjoy his job and will be happy to answer any and all questions you have turntable and receiver related. I recently got my Technics Record player worked on by Roy and it was completed in only 2 days. The shop has a wealth of parts you can buy yourself as well. The interior of the building almost looks like a mad scientist got jacked up on coffee at 3 in the morning and began to fuse Turntables together at will. All in all, great place and Roy really isn’t trying to take advantage of you as far as repairs and service goes. He is very upfront about pricing. Cant say enough about how cool this place is. Go take a visit, even if you dont have a turntable. You’ll be itching for one by the time you leave.

Whomever was working at the «shoppe» tonight was a self-​righteous hipster. My boyfriend – nor I – shall never return to or recommend the Turntable Shoppe to anyone. The other reviews that claimed the employees were non-​judgmental were completely off the mark in our experience, as my boyfriend was continuously condescended during his attempt to purchase a cartridge for his record player.
First, we arrived 30 minutes before close; however, the door was locked. We innocently knocked to see if they would assist us, and were greeting with the classic «stick-​up-​butt» attitude of the most elitist retail snobs.
My boyfriend innocently requested to see the cartridge selection, but was lectured on proper turntable terminology, and was actually told to bring back a piece of his record player the next day so a perfect fit could be found. We had cash in hand, wanted to listen to records tonight, and have purchased universal cartridges in the past that worked fine.
We weren’t shown a single cartridge. Thanks for nothing, Turntable Shoppe. We really wanted to like you, too. :’(

This business is great because Roy is knowledgeable about record players, and he is interested in record players. Roy is not judgmental, which makes him easy to work with. He doesn’t make me feel like he is a salesperson because he sells only items that make or improve record players. His opinions are trustworthy.