Garrard Turntable Owner's Club

[G401fan]

Replacement screws from the same seller (Perfect Sound UK):

Perfect Sound Garrard 301 Mounting Bolts | eBay

longer ones, for a thicker plinth:

Perfect Sound 80 mm Garrard 301 Mounting Bolts | eBay

 

[reubensm]

You could make them from any sheet of thin rubber (2mm to 3mm thick, I guess), or you could buy them from here:

Garrard 301 / 401 Chassis Isolation Washers | eBay

You might also be able to find replacement screw heads on eBay.

The original set of parts for the 301 included 4 heavy duty springs and metal washers (along with a mounting diagram) to be used below the four corners of the top board where it would attach to the rest of the plinth. In other words, Garrard wanted the entire assembly to be spring mounted, for additional isolation. Now, while most modern set-ups tend to be non-isolated, on a firm chassis, one wonders whether it's been wise to second guess the original designers. The SME plinth, which was quite popular in the 60s (you see many on eBay) was also spring loaded.

Am planning a short vacation home as we near the end of the year. More than doing anything else, I am looking forward to playing my favourite records on my Garrards. I am also planning to try out a few new tricks in plinth design.

 

[reubensm]

Had these pictures of a Garrard 201B broadcast turntable, interesting ones, thought I'll share these for general interest:

 

[rpm]

The Tao of Ceramic Phonostage

Its been a while that I was thinking of sharing my experience with the ceramic phonostage built by my good friend and fellow FM Reubensm. Previously, I have posted pictures of my vintage AT60 record changer in the Garrard Owners Club. Let me also confess that I dont own a vintage amplifier with built in phonostage. Currently I own the NAD D3020 amplifier. As most of you know the D stands for the new age digital avatar of the legendary 3020. The NAD D3020 amp does not have a built-in phonostage. As a result connecting, playing and enjoying LPs and EPs in the absence of an inbuilt phonostage was impossible. I am not going to dwell on how and why low and extra low output signals from the turntables when connected to line-in /aux interconnects in an amp will produce lossy sounds (not music). I was tempted to acquire the vintage NAD 3020 to make sense of my LPs, but as those of you who have ventured on the mission of acquiring vintage equipments know that this is easier said than done. Good quality vintage equipments are hard to come by. While I havent abandoned the mission of looking for vintage amplifiers, I started to look for other alternatives of making sense of my LPs and EPs through the NAD D3020 and the Garrard AT60. Here I must bring in new information; my Garrard AT60 came with a ceramic cartridge. This only complicated the matter further. I started talking, discussing and sharing my predicaments with fellow FMs and audiophile friends outside the forum. I also started aggressively seeking information / guidance online. I received a lot of guidance from audiophiles, who I guess were only trying to help me out. The suggestions / guidance could be summarized as follows:

1. I was told that the ceramic cartridge is a piece of garbage and I must immediately replace it with a magnetic cartridge.

2. Once I have the magnetic cartridge in place I can buy off-the-shelf external phonostage/ preamplifier from Pro-Ject, NAD PP-2, Azur 651P etc

3. Some friends also suggested that CNC phonostage is way better than off-the-shelf external phonostage/ preamplifiers, so I must acquire a CNC phonostage online or build it myself or seek help from other experienced TT enthusiasts who have built CNC phonostage. Here the cost of CNC phonostage was a plus.

4. Finally a few friends sympathized with me and suggested that I must just dispose the Garrard AT60 and upgrade to a fully automatic direct-drive turntable from a brand like Technics etc

While I was grappling to come to terms with the above suggestions, help from FM Reubensm came as a blessing in disguise. I decided not to invest in any new, external device. I was open to experiment with the ceramic phonostage which was built by FM Reubensm and who willingly gave it away to me for free. Yes I am talking of ceramic phonostage especially built for TTs with ceramic cartridges. FM Reubensms brother re-soldered some wires in the inside of the cartridge. Except of this soldering of the green and red tiny wires in a professional manner, everything else remained the same. I connected the Garrard AT60 with the ceramic cartridge to the external ceramic phonostage and the ceramic phonostage to the Aux-in of the digital NAD D3020.

This ceramic phonostage turned out to be a miracle. Over the last three weeks I have randomly played from my modest collection of English/Hindi LPs and EPs of 33 , 45 and 78 RPMs. I am experiencing the sound of music. There is little or no information on the external ceramic phonostage but this little piece of marvel has done wonders to the sound, without changing the cartridge or the amplifier of the Garrard AT60.

I am attaching a few pictures here for the benefit of fellow FMs, I would be happy to send audio/video samples to those FMs who own a vintage TT with a ceramic cartridge lying in the garage !! and are willing to take the ceramic phonostage route

In conclusion, my purpose here is to share my limited experience of LP listening through ceramic cartridge and external ceramic phonostage. I must clarify that I have a listening bias towards analogue music, and I dont contest the digital experience of fellow FMs with magnetic cartridge and direct drive turntables.

Disclaimer: As I close this post, I confess that I am no expert on vintage TT/Amps etc, I am an audio enthusiast willing to learn and adapt, so that I enrich my music listening experience.

I can never thank FM Reubensm enough for being so generous and gracious; and for showing me the way to great listening experience through the ceramic phonostage.

Thank you FM Reubensm

Best regards

RPM

https://vimeo.com/135239537

 

[N_c8]

Hello,
I am new to this forum and am would like to know anyone who has restored a Garrard is based in Pune.I have my father's Turntable and am in two minds whether to sell it or restore it.For sentimental reasons can't just get rid of it.So either I use it or I give it to someone who knows how to use it and service it.
Regards Nivedita

 

[reubensm]

Hey, thanks for the kind words. I had built this phonostage many years ago for a neighbour who had an old TT. His family returned it after he passed on and it was lying around since. I am happy it was put to good use by FM RPM and also luckily my brother was at hand to dig it out and ship it to him. Bro also worked on his TT headshell which needed some reconnecting. Happy to hear the sound after all. Ceramic carts are humble pie when compared to magnetic carts but with the right phonostage, they can sound quite decent and enjoyable. When I am back for a holiday, I will share some pictures of my 301 rig. You'll be surprised to see a ceramic cartridge feature on that as well

By the way, this phonostage looks quite ugly as I did not get down to painting it. The inner shield made of tin foil can be clearly seen. May be you can work on the cosmetics a bit or just hide it behind the equipment rack Also looks like your TT ground wire is twisted to one of the metal plates of the TT's mechanism. Try bolting it to the chassis at a suitable place (not to movable parts).

All the very best to you FM RPM, happy to be of help. Enjoy the music!!

For general interest, the circuit of this phonostage is the transistorized one on the right had side of this picture:

 

[Sanjay Khanna]

Hello,
I am new to this forum and am would like to know anyone who has restored a Garrard is based in Pune.I have my father's Turntable and am in two minds whether to sell it or restore it.For sentimental reasons can't just get rid of it.So either I use it or I give it to someone who knows how to use it and service it.
Regards Nivedita

I have a Garrard Zero 100 which my Dad bought in 1972. I used it for many years flawlessly until one day while changing the cartridge on the slide mount, it broke. For the past 7 years, it's been lying unused and needs servicing and a new slide mount. If any forum members know anyone who repairs/ services Garrard turntables, I would be grateful if you would let me know. Regards,
Sanjay Khanna

 

[reubensm]

I have a Garrard Zero 100 which my Dad bought in 1972. I used it for many years flawlessly until one day while changing the cartridge on the slide mount, it broke. For the past 7 years, it's been lying unused and needs servicing and a new slide mount. If any forum members know anyone who repairs/ services Garrard turntables, I would be grateful if you would let me know. Regards,
Sanjay Khanna

If I were around, could have fixed it for you. My brother can but I would suggest you avoid shipping and look for someone local to help out.

 

[reubensm]

A splendid read for lovers of the Garrard LAB 80, considered to be the very first transcription grade record changer: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=278625

You will have to log in to view some of the pictures

 

[reubensm]

Loads of debates happen online about what lubricants to use while servicing Garrard turntables. Hence thought I'll share what I have used with fantastic results. Sometime ago, I acquired a pristine early model oil bearing Garrard 301. The turntable was in great shape but was stored away and not used for a long long time. The mechanicals were in pristine condition but required cleaning and lubricating. The motor shaft was not rotating freely. I decided to strip the deck down and give it a good clean, and oiling and greasing wherever required. I believe that superficially servicing a Garrard is not a very clever thing to do. Since these machines are very old, a strip-down service is required. Once you do this, they would run faithfully for a long long time.

I first attacked the motor. The 301's motor is quite heavy and is sturdily built. However it was extremely easy to dismantle and take out in pieces.

Here is the pic of the inside, just after dismantling it:

Just see how clogged, the motor shaft really is:

The inside of the bottom half of the motor housing:

Extremely dirty and dry, no traces of oil whatsoever in the oil well at the bottom

The outside of the bottom half of the motor housing, full of muck:

Cleaned everything using Isopropyl Alcohol, Hydrogen Peroxide. Here are all the "clean" parts:

The electromagnets mounted back:

The spindle well filled with Gulf Oil's special Typewriter machine oil (the best variety I've found which works extremely well on Garrard motors):

And now we have a sparkling clean motor shaft back in its little home:

A few drops of oil on the ball-and-socket (in gold) which auto-adjusts and holds the spindle upright and then the outer cover is returned to the motor:

The motor all bolted up and running extremely silent and smooth on the test bench:

 

[G401fan]

Great job! Many of the 301 restorers out there might have also punched out the rivets of the bottom bearing, dissembled the bearing itself(or replaced it), and put it back together with fresh rivets, but no matter - It takes mechanical confidence to do what you've done.

My own 301, which had been lying unused in its original packing in somebody's attic for 53 years had collected a bunch of insect residue within the motor, which caused a loud crackling sound when I switched it on for the first time. Not having the gumption to remove the entire motor and dissemble it (like you're done), I limited myself to opening the lower crabshell, cleaning out the entire assembly with WD40, followed by a judicious application of Singer machine oil to the motor shaft and lower bearing. It's been running silky smooth ever since.

 

[reubensm]

To be honest, I did not want to do that as I wanted to maintain the originality. Hence retailed the same after a good clean. My 401 is a new old stock piece but I did the same for that one too. All those pics are in my home PC and I have to get wife to share the pics with me when she gets time. I must say, these old Garrard motors are true gems. If serviced say, once every 10 years, they can end up lasting for centuries.

Great job! Many of the 301 restorers out there might have also punched out the rivets of the bottom bearing, dissembled the bearing itself(or replaced it), and put it back together with fresh rivets, but no matter - It takes mechanical confidence to do what you've done.

My own 301, which had been lying unused in its original packing in somebody's attic for 53 years had collected a bunch of insect residue within the motor, which caused a loud crackling sound when I switched it on for the first time. Not having the gumption to remove the entire motor and dissemble it (like you're done), I limited myself to opening the lower crabshell, cleaning out the entire assembly with WD40, followed by a judicious application of Singer machine oil to the motor shaft and lower bearing. It's been running silky smooth ever since.

 

[Record Player]

Great job done there Reuben. Some nerves of steel I must say. Thinking of servicing me 401 motor as well. Ive got a strange hum that I've got to fix. Just too busy these days but hope to take a few days off and spend some time with these beauties.

Thinking of using the Rega arm as well on the 401.

 

[reubensm]

Great job done there Reuben. Some nerves of steel I must say. Thinking of servicing me 401 motor as well. Ive got a strange hum that I've got to fix. Just too busy these days but hope to take a few days off and spend some time with these beauties.

Thinking of using the Rega arm as well on the 401.

Yes, opening a 301 motor is bit of a scary ride, especially when the deck costs as much as it does and even importing a replacement motor can cost upwards of 300 GBP. However, having said that, unlike any other turntable, with Garrards, you can be sure that they are built to survive any kind of holocaust, be it in transit, while in use or while on the service technician's bench. I had also worked on about a dozen Garrard motors in the past, but on the lesser models like the SP25, RC210, RC88, AT60, etc. Its just that one has to have nimble fingers and the right tools.

There are a lot of online resources that tell you what to do and what not to do, I spent 6-8 months reading up everything I could, before buying the 301 as personally I am of the opinion that the 401 is a far superior deck. After all the research, I got to understand the 301 inside-out and also appreciate it to the fullest.

My 401 is a NOS turntable which was not touched by the refurb giants. Hence I took it upon myself to service it and get it to run in stock condition. I have serviced the 401's motor as well. Shall post pics when I receive them from home. They reside in my desktop, back home.

 

[MAYHEM_METAL]

Hello Bro

The bottom of the motor spindle which rotates on the bearing does not look good.
Pls check the link below and read how I serviced my player. If anything that will assist you

Garrard 301 motor - Vinyl Engine

My player is now running good thanks to Joe

 

[reubensm]

thanks MAYHEM_METAL, that was an awesome restoration job on that motor. The pic you see of the spindle is with a thick layer of muck on it which i assume is a mixture of oil and dust. After cleaning it up, it looked shiny and sparkling new, but a little different from the one in your pictures. I did not want to go to the extent of getting to the bearing, keeping in mind the history of the deck which I have. They deck was in storage for about 60 years and almost seldom used. The original owner had this as a stand-by unit. So I went with the rank assumption that the bearing is not worn due to low-usage. I did not turn on the motor before servicing it but it is dead silent after the round of service. The motor shaft rotates so smooth that with a simple finger-aided twist, it comes to a halt after nearly 10 revolutions. The shaft is also rock steady. After mounting it up, I first tested the 301, mounted on a single 1 inch ply board which I worked on myself (swore never to let others build my plinths or service my tables, ever again). It worked flawlessly.

On another note, are you using a loricraft design plinth? Please shed some light on that aspect.

 

[reubensm]

talk about turntables, here's an example of what the guitar god himself used, the 401 of course!!

 

[vmscbe1974]

Recently added SL 55 Synchro lab series to my collection.
Regards

 

[arhantd]

Hi everyone!

Good news - I had an old Garrard Synchro Lab 55 B with me. But it needed repair.
Luckily i found someone in Jaipur who could do it and now its in working condition.
Yay! I can hopefully now play all the old records of my father and hopefully add a few of my own.

My system consists of a MyWay custom amp made by Kanwar and Blumenhofer Genuin FS 5 speakers.
The MyWay accepts line level input only hence i am in need of a Phono Preamp to successfully use the 55B as a source.
Kindly guide me as to which would be suitable for this purpose?

I am looking something inexpensive just to get started and i will post an ad in the wanted section accordingly.

But i have no idea about phono preamps so kindly give some guidance on exactly what kind of preamp is needed. Thanks

 

[Hiten]

I am looking something inexpensive just to get started and i will post an ad in the wanted section accordingly.

But i have no idea about phono preamps so kindly give some guidance on exactly what kind of preamp is needed. Thanks

Hi,
few years back I had bought few Phono Preamp modules. They require separate DC supply. i will look for them but honestly I dont remember for how much I got them. Also they are MM cartridge Phono Preamps so will not work with ceramic cartridges.
Regards.