Hi Jeff,

Yes, always ship the platter separate from the Beogram. Wrap the platter in bubblewrap plastic and place it under the Beogram.

Dismount the cartridge.

Cut a piece of foam to fit under and above the tonearms so that it is slightly
squeezed when the lid is closed. This will secure the arms during transport.

Close the lid.
Wrap the Beogram in bubblewrap plastic. First one round that goes pretty tight
around the machine to make sure the lid stays completely closed.
Then a couple more rounds of bubblewrap.

A strong box with loads of chips, foam or bubblewrap. Glue the box's flaps
to make it all stronger.

In case you ship it to me, don't ship the platter and cartridge, I have both
but do mark the box as either "for repair" or as a gift or I will have to pay
import customs.

Martin

Hi Martin,

Yes, I would like to have you repair this 4000.

Not shipping the platter will save a good bit of weight and the cartridge goes without saying that it could easily be damaged in shipment.

One MAJOR concern  is what to do about the tonearm assembly. In the 4002/4004 series, the arms are attached to the rod and are basically secure. Not so with the 4000, or at least my 4000, which rides on the rod, but is held in place by gravity.

Turn the box upside down and disaster strikes. A good deal of my shipping damage occurred when the box was upside down and the arms were loose and thrashing about.

It was so bad that the wheel at the end of the arm drive spindle was missing (Found under the motherboard) and the bearing that held the spindle secure, broken in half.

This is why I feel that some sort of internal (under the aluminum panel) padding is needed to keep the arm assembly reasonably in place. Are you saying that foam around the arms with the cover shut tightly is sufficient to keep everything under the aluminum panel in place? If so, I trust your expertise.

And not to worry, I have a good deal of international shipping experience and know to state that the 4000 is being sent for repair. The same must be done when it is returned.

Please let me know how you would protect the arms and associated parts.

The remainder of the 4000 is not problem as long as the package is well packed, and it WILL be.

Jeff

Jeff,

You can squeeze in a block of foam over the arms rear housing and you can also tie down the assembly using some masking tape or similar. The more the better.

Martin

Thanks Martin,

Please send me a PM with your mailing address for this package. Some shippers require a telephone number, so kindly provide your business phone number as well.

If you have a preference for shippers please let me know.

I have had good results and catastrophic results with both Canada Post/USPS and UPS.

A recent purchase of a Beogram 8002 arrived at the seller’s insistence FedExpress and the box looked untouched. Of course the next one might be a disaster, you really never know.

I will ship the 4000 as “for repair” so there should be no problem with customs. Having said this, it still depends on the mood of the customs agent when the package arrives.

I will make ever effort to package the 4000 like it was the Crown Jewels of England. I truly love this turntable and want it to arrive in your hands in one piece.

Thanks for everything.

Jeff

PM sent.

Martin

Hi Martin,

The Beogram 4000 is on its way to you. The packaging is not entirely everything that it should be, but I believe it to be adequate to get the 4000 to you in one piece.

Sorry I missed your communication regarding the Beogram 8000 motherboard. However, perhaps it is best as I don’t want to overwhelm you with work.

Truth be known, I have had this 8000 since new and like it very much, but I LOVE the Beogram 4000 and I really want it repaired….. yesterday.

Unrealistic impatience notwithstanding, the important thing is to get this 4000 with its questionable background back to be where it should be. That is to say that the switches and lamps should work as well the turntable plays music.

I have worked on virtually everything in this turntable, but alas, I am only an amateur. I am sure that my “pride and joy” will benefit greatly from your professional touch.

Jeff

It's great to hear that you are finally doing it. Whatever it needs Dillen is the right guy to rebuild it. My B&O collection would back me up on this.

I had the same feeling about my Beogram 8002 that you have with the 4000 and I finally took it to Dillen. I got it back in January and it still perfoms perfectly along with the rest of my systems.

Yes, it has taken me a long time simply because I was so intimidated about shipping the Beogram 4000, however I followed Martin’s directions to the letter vis a vis packing, so I am hopeful that it will arrive in good shape.

I understand your fondness for your Beogram 8002. I recently acquired mine and am completely delighted with it. My 8002 was completely restored by a well known B&O “guru” in St. Louis. Compared to any of my other Beograms (I have 6) it feels “new.” Everything is very tight, with instantaneous response to any selection of the buttons.

I really look forward to Martin’s “magic” touch being applied to the 4000.

Although I can not begin to explain it, prior to the 4000 developing its “problem” it had, by far, the best sound reproduction of any of my turntables. Specifically I am comparing it to my ever dependable 4004 with it NOS MMC 20CL cartridge which produces spectacular sound. However, with them sitting side by side, using the same amplifier and the same record, the 4000 sound is…. well more realistic.

I assume that this difference has more to do with the cartridge than the turntable, but we ARE comparing a very used MMC 20CL (one of my old stylus’ that I had saved when I felt it time to replace it) and a NOS 20CL from a sealed box.

In any case, for shipping I cut pieces of foam to completely cover the entire turntable, making cut-outs around the tonearm and sensor arm. I also used a B&O retainer clip for the arms and with it in place, those arms do NOT move.

Naturally I removed the platter and the cartridge… plus the control panel, as mine easily comes lose and can do horrific damage in shipment. Of course with all that foam, it was unlikely to come lose, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

I also placed a strip of foam on top of the tonearm cover as the back so that it can not lift up in transit. Unlike the 4002/4004 series, the 4000 arm assembly is held in place by gravity alone.

When my 4000 was initially shipped to me the seller had failed to put any padding under the dust cover, so the arms were thrashed about mercilessly arriving at a 45º angle. And as mentioned before, the control panel came loose and did an awful job on the dustcover.

So I packed it solid under the dustcover with the padding, closed the lid, and used the Styrofoam end pads from my 8002 and placed the 4000 in the 8002 box.

Then I put the packed 8002 box in a larger one and filled the void with bubble wrap. If the 4000 arrives in one piece, then I was successful. If not, I’ll find out where I failed to protect my pride and joy.

Jeff

Hi Martin,

The Beogram 4000 has arrived in Denmark.😁

Let us hope that Danish Customs are nicer in regard to these Beograms  than is Customs Canada.

Please let me know when you receive the 4000 and the condition in which it arrived. My goodness, I am more nervous than a new father with his first born child!

Jeff