questions are is the player worth repairing? Can I get some good ones
on the second hand market which is as good at a good price? And does
anyone know of another source for the optical pickup? Or an alternative
which could be used instead?


There's always ebay. Either a complete nice looking unit, or
a beat up one you could swap the transport out of. A problem
of what would need readjusting might come up, though. You
could transplant all the boards and transport together, or
transplant any damaged covers or trim.