Missed this thread back in Nov and Dec. My guess is that countryboy has already chosen a deck for his Mom, but if not I'd probably steer away from the Pro-Ject Debut III. Yes, I own one and think it's fantastic, but unless you also purchase a Pro-Ject Speed Box device that allows you to change the speed from 33 1/3 to 45rpm by simply pressing a button, there's one small caveat: Going from LPs to 45s requires you to manually remove the Debut III's platter and do some fiddling with the belt each time. It's not a difficult operation, but if his Mom is anything like mine, it's probably a bit more challenging than she's willing to deal with. Just thought I'd share…