Thorens TP11 MKI or TP16 MKI Rewiring

by Dimitris Lamprou

Starring: spare tp16mkI as TP11 MKI
(I’ve already rewired my TP11 and I could only use my spare TP16 as a demonstration model but the procedure is exactly the same)

The whole procedure is easy (giving the necessary attention) so don’t be afraid to try it. There is always the risk of breaking the plastic adaptors but you can easily rewire it so don’t be afraid that you’ll loose your tonearm’s functionality. On the other hand, if you like original vintage items then you should avoid rewiring because I find it very difficult to restore it to its original condition.

I hope that my photos are helpful enough for anyone trying to rewire the TP16 mkI or the TP11 mkI. I’m sorry for any mistakes in my text but English is not my native language.

Step 01: Remove the arm wand. You should first cut or unsolder the tonearm cables from the base side. Remove all weights. Pull the wand free and pull the cables out of the base.

Step 02: Remove the shaft which is holding the nut. Remove the nut holster. At this point you might find some glue making it hard to pull out. Persist carefully and it will come out.

Step 03: You should now remove the plastic shell containing the wire leads. It will also have some glue. If you try to keep it intact, be very careful, if you don’t care about it then use extra force.

Step 04: Now you should have something like this. You can see that the tonearm cables are free to come out.

Step 05: Close up. Not really a step, just have a cup of coffee and proceed with step 06.

Step 06: Remove the old wires from the wand. You can throw it away or if it is still intact keep it, you’ll never know….

Step 07: Twist the new cables together and push them gently into the wand. Push them all the way through until you can reach them from the other side.

Step 08: Don’t forget to get them through the tightening nut as well. Put the nut back in place and secure it with its metal shaft. At this point you might have some trouble keeping it tight because the plastic shell was doing a great job holding everything in place. I used a hot glue gun to secure in place. Perhaps there are other ways too.

Step 09: Check the cable at the exit point. They must move freely.

Step 10: Headshell time! Remove the shaft that’s holding the plastic adaptor in place. Don’t worry it’s easier than the wand side. The adaptor will come off and the way will be free to pass through the new cables.

Step 11: That’s the plastic adaptor coming out of the headshell. My exhibit headshell is from another TT so I couldn’t give you more photos.

Step 12: Comparison between my spare TP16 mkI modelling for this guide and the actually rewired TP11mkI. At this point you have the opportunity to solder and terminate the phono leads without stressing the cables. When you’ll pass the cables through the base (on the balance weight side of the arm) it would be difficult to handle them during soldering.

Photo 13: Close up view of the completed terminated phono leads. You can see the cable passage through the headshell.

Photo 14: Another view of the terminated phono leads

Step 15: The arm-exit / shaft-entry point just underneath the bearing point. REMEMBER to connect the grounding wire on the armwand. I used the old wire for this as it was already terminated with an o-ring.

Step 16: Connect the tonearm cable to the base. You can see some of my other mods, external power cord connector and new coaxial stereo cable for chassis female RCA’s.

For the rewiring I used Cardas 33 AWG Tonearm Wire and Cardas PCC E Cartridge Clips. The wire is TINY but it’s easier to handle than I thought.

I hope this information to be useful to any Thorens fan.

Dimitris