Rob,
Chris is spot on in regard to shipping, however I would like to add that if you really want this Beogram 8000 to arrive in one piece, and in addition to Chris’ suggestions you should insist on double-boxing, which in my opinion makes all the difference between disaster and a safe arrival.
I received three damaged Beograms (4000, 4002, and 4004) in the recent past. The 4000 being poorly packed and arriving in pieces, literally with broken internal parts. The 4002 was shipped in its original box, but slammed upside down; the platter came loose and wrecked the formally flawless dustcover.
The Beogram 4004 was double-boxed and it too was damaged…. of a sort. The 4004 would turn on the moment the electrical plug was inserted and refused to play records. A cursory inspection located the problem, a partially dislodged internal plug. Once properly plugged it, problem solved.
Dillen most definitely is the Beogram guru here and it was a great idea to upgrade to gold, giving support to this remarkable organization.
The support that is freely available is amazing.
One member went so far as to offer me a replacement dustcover for my badly damaged Beogram 4000 at no charge. I am not mentioning names as I am not certain that this member wants “public” credit, but it was a selfless act I will never forget.
Have your 8000 double-boxed along with the rest of Chris’ instructions and you will be happy when your 8000 arrives.
Jeff