Interesting set-up, a Unitrac, AC2, and original Sota Sapphire. Is that 1980 or '80s? It could be series 2. One normally wouldn't think of pairing an AC2 LOMC with a 7g arm, but the AC2 weighs in at 9.5g and it probably works out well.
What to look out for - The arm should come with an extra headshell, paper mounting locater, 3 plastic discs and 6 little rubber rings to hold the discs in place. They go on a stub on the left side of the counterweight housing for azimuth adjustment. The anti-skate bucket on the other side is for lead shot. You might need as many as 30 or more pieces. I never did, but that's what the manual says.
That's a nice cartridge with a line contact tip and I believe a boron cantilever. It was designed by Nakatsuka, now of ZYX fame. It has a very low output, 0.18mV and you'll need some gain.
Does the Sota have a Delrin mat attached to the platter? It looks like dull black acrylic. That's essential IMO. It makes a big difference and you'll need some kind of clamp. Maybe a Michell clamp for $40. The big Sota reflex clamp goes for $240 new, and if it has no Supermat as they called it, much of it's value is gone. One of those Boston carbon mats is $200.
Everything depends on condition and how much further investment you're going to have to make. You're looking at a 30 year old table. Is that the original stylus? If you have all the parts for the arm you should be okay even without an extra headshell or the paper locator. The table is another story. It could probably use refurbishing and Sota charges a lot of money. Do the springs sag? Have you seen or heard this table? Maybe it's okay and you just need a clamp. Does it have to be shipped? There are special procedures for shipping. Unless the seller knows what he's doing or has original packing, you should forget about it. It won't arrive in one piece.
The arm is worth around $300 - 350 in good shape. The cart w/orig needle - $200? I don't know about the table it depends. The thing is, this is going to take much further investment. If the cart had a new needle and the table was refurbished by Sota and had the clamp, and the seller has original boxes, it would go for $1500 give or take?
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