If I felt like spending extra money on a player, I'd order something from one of the technicians who hang out around here.

But what I'd suggest actually doing is just enjoying the V2800 while keeping an eye out for a fancier player locally. The other two players won't give you a better picture or dual-side play anyhow.

Everyone has their own idea about what is the best way to pack and ship. But the fact is that no matter how much you properly pack the outside of the player, if you ship by ground service, USPS or UPS or Fedex, then you are sending your player off to the roller derby conveyor system where all the boxes bang into each other and roll end-over-end. The outside may be just fine, but all this banging and jarring around is not always going to leave things internally in one piece. Once again, we aren't dealing with a factory delivery truck and person who will properly handle things, but we have folks who think nothing of dropping a box from 3 ft up and having it fall flat so the box isn't damaged but everything inside is crap.

I think this is an obvious statement considering the number of posts that have been made over and over about the optics arriving broken, among other internal pieces and issues. Let me set straight one thing, there is no willy-nilly stuffing of padding internally in the players I ship, and the way that this is being portrayed for whatever humorous intent is a total misconception. I merely secure the optics in such a way that they will take the upside down treatment these packages get, and leave the optics in proper condition to work. I give complete instructions on how to remove the securing material and everyone I sent players to with such has had no problem doing this. They aren't the typical ignoramus who sometimes buys on ebay, and they are smart enough to understand what to do.

No offense meant to those from here who buy on ebay, but I don't sell on ebay. Some might make a joke out of this, but I have not had an issue since the last optic broke on a player I sent and caused me to rethink how to pack. And on the 703/704, you actually cannot roll the optics into the turn holder as they are blocked from this when the player is powered down so, of course, I would not do it on these models anyway.

But everyone can do as they see fit, and continue to either pay out for broken players or receive broken players, and add to the growing pile of LD players on the "scrap heap of history" (thank you, GW Bush)

Tasuke, do you have many spare parts for 3030s?

not much yet, since i just recently started actually seriously thinking about stocking up,
after my player's original VSOP video processing/output board got messed up and all.

let's see, i have a 1030's transport mecha in my main 3030 chassis, works beautifully, that same 1030's VSOP installed,
allowing me basic LD playback functions, less any of the DIGITAL trick-play FX, which is why i have been in need of a good 3030 VSOP.

i've a spare 3030 audio output stage board, one spare FL display, JOG/SHUTTLE annuciator assembly,
and probably one of just about everything needed to assemble a functional 3030 in your choice of chassis,
less the aforementioned 3030 video board.

i'm basically alright for starters, save for the VSOP video board issue, i should nevertheless really be concentrating now
on rat-holing as many 1030 and 3030s as i can afford, whenever opportunities present themselves...

there are lots of issues here with buying players and working when you receive them.

1
if you are paying 75 bucks for a player that originaly cost 400.00 you should be looking for a better player.
if you are paying 75 bucks for a player that originaly cost 950.00 then you did some research.

lets face it, the 301 was around 400-600 when new, the 3070 was around 900-1100
the 3030 is based on the 3070 without side change, the 3070 has side change.

on ebay now all 3 of these players are the same or similar price, all have issues that need to be fixed when you get them.
the 3070 needs all old grease cleaned off and new put on, old grease is now hard.
i don't know the issues with the 3030, but i think we all know the issues with the 301, total junk stay away, broken when new etc.

2-
if you are buying a player from someone who knows nothing about them it may be broken already.
you have to check IF its working and if they take returns.

when alecrob received a refund so fast for the one player that makes me think that the seller knew it was broken or didn't even test it.

how many of these LD players for sale are from people who even own a disc??????

i've only sold less than a handful of players, i want to say 4 LD players, no issues but also they were working before i sent them.
yes, yes, if you slam them they will break, but again and again and again i've posted before.
how did these players get from Japan to here in the USA in one piece????????

they were not carried over on a plane one at a time.

lets get with it people, you are dealing with old technology.
the 3030 is from what, 1987 ????? that's pretty old, how many times do you think it was serviced????????

my father still has sitting on a rack at home a 3070, i am trying to get it but it won't work, old grease.
that player is from 1989, never serviced, it will work once cleaned but it's 25 years old.

don't expect to get a player for 50-100-150 with shipping to work right out of the box, unless it's from someone who
knows what laserdisc is, knows how to play a disc NOT just a CD, and can pack.

and if you have to wrap things around the inside of the player to ship, or want that done to receive a 100.00 player
then you have to look into other devices for your movies, just saying.

we can't go overboard packing players that are not worth it.

________________________________
the rein-o official signature:

Players that came from Japan were handled much better than what ground shipping gives you today. They were placed into shipping crates individually and kept upright for the whole journey. Same thing for players manufactured in Long Beach. Delivery of a shipment to the store isn't like delivery to individual homes. A shipper doesn't have to slam a box to the ground for problems to happen. If you ever saw a conveyor sorting system, you'd understand what I mean. And it isn't just one hop on the system, and that's it. It's several rounds through several sorting facilities, and it only takes gravity to wreck something that slips from three feet up, no extra force required.

I don't get why people are so uptight and take such an issue with taking some extra care to see that a player and the optics can withstand the rough handling that packages get as a normal course of shipping. Nobody wants to pay the high shipping fee that careful handling costs. $100 is a good amount of money to many people. So I pack things a little beyond what a routine ebay or other seller would, big deal. I do the same thing for the CED players I send out after doing repairs. It works and I'll keep doing it, and sorry for making a suggestion of something I discovered that works. Everybody can just ignore it and keep on doing what they were doing.

Besides, three pages for an M301 is too much.

actually, several of us have been discussing the OP's far more worthy CLD-3030, and how to fix it,
at least as much as anyone has been discussing the CLD-M301.

perhaps the OP should start a new thread for the 3030?

Yes, I know, I've read the posts. It's okay, merely an attempt at some lightness, that's all. I apologize for being both too serious and not serious enough.

I have to agree, 3 pages devoted to ANY "M" series player is way too much

the CLD-M series seem all CD changer models, ala PIONEER's own PD-M 6-disc magazine CDPs.

even though i had always supposed the M denomination had always stood for "Magazine" logically enough,
i guess PIONEER gave up on making much logical sense by 1990, what with debuting their CT-M-x-R series multi-cassette changer decks and all,
which did not use a media-containing magazine of any sort, unless you want to consider the slide-out 6-cassette tray as such...