I can’t remember why my friend had the 2000s and then moved on to the 3000s after selling them to me. The Technics 1210s were the gold standard and the club default back then, just as Pioneer is today.

Personally, I always preferred the handling. I often said at the time that the Vestax was more forgiving and you didn’t have to be quite as precise. The Technics were a bit too sensitive for me, so I often turned the platter a bit too far.

The PDXs are not only more robust in terms of handling, but also in terms of durability. Mine are now a good 20 years old and give very few problems. But what bothered me for a long time was that there were no covers for them.

Well, there were some, but they weren’t included and they were hideous. So I was chuffed when Decksaver stepped in last year and added Vestax PDX 2000 covers to their range.

That solved one problem. The next was the target light, which plugs into the front of the turntable via RCA. Of course, these get lost on club nights and although I never really needed them, I missed having the light.

Last year I found a supplier in the UK who had built very robust replacement target lights. Coincidentally, you can spot one of them on the Decksaver website on the PDX 2000 pictured there. Apparently, this person no longer makes them or sells them on eBay. Which is a shame, as the quality is superb.

However, someone in Poland has taken over the mantle and is making simpler target lights for the Vestax and other turntables. So that might help you out too.

With the two new accessories, I took the opportunity to finally give the players a proper clean after what felt like decades. I reckon there was still some club dirt in there.

This post is part of my tutorials.