Garrard 301 restoration project

[Wakefield Turntables]

Beautiful bit of engineering.

I have to agree. I've tried 3 or 4 bearings, and a couple of different Idler wheels and my 301 is still stock apart from the chassis mod.

[Wakefield Turntables]

The Garrard 301 Restoration Project PT XXXXII - Playing with my Balls (Well ball bearings)!

It's Sunday and time for another update for the 301. There has been a lack of information regarding the chassis stiffener from the US of A mainly beacuse I wanted to see if the improvements in soundstage were still apparent and not just initial installation bias. I'm happy to report that my feelings towards the soundstage are still the same. Just a smidge more cohesion, great clarity and definition of the small details, maybe a tiny bit more depth in the soundstage but overall a positive improvement.

So, this got me thinking.I've been rooting around in my spares box again and discovered an old set of turntable footers that I'd used years ago on a previous project. These footers are solid aluminium, very nicely turned that sit on a single ball bearing. mounted footer. I'm thinking on trying these on my newly made Bamboo plinth instead of the Bamboo feet that I made. I'd also get an additional level of flexibility with these new (old) footers in that I can change the height of each foot so levelling up the Garrard would be that much more easy. I'm hoping that I may introduce a greater level of Isolation for the Garrard from its external environment and maybe improve things a little further. This with the ability to produce a more accurately level 301 is tweakers heaven!

I can only try and it's a very nice easy thing to reverse. The second thing I've been looking into is the periphery ring that I use. Here's a link for those interested https://www.waynesaudio.com/product-...uter-ring-ss-2 Yes it's expensive but it's a very well made piece of kit and great for sorting out those warped 60 year old DECCA SXL's ! Heres a video that I made years ago for Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z04nC7c56g which demonstrates it's usage, this is back when I had the birch ply plinth . The periphery ring also adds additional mass and inertia to the platter as well as helping to flatten out warping in the records alongside producing a more congruent platter/vinyl interface. The platter ring gets used alongside a 1KG solid copper weight, again helping to to produce mass/inertia and further helping to reduce vinyl warp and vinyl/platter interface (this can also be seen in the videolink).

So, the first thing I'm assessing is the periphery ring/copper weight combo and then I'll start with the new plinth feet. The journey continues into it's second decade. As ever stay tuned...

[ianlenco]

Good to see you haven't wasted your money Andrew, well done for gambling on that plate. Your 301 is looking very nice indeed.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Good to see you haven't wasted your money Andrew, well done for gambling on that plate. Your 301 is looking very nice indeed.

Thanks Ian, I'll maybe do a PTP, it's one of the things that I've been promising myself as a treat but still not got around to doing!

[brian2957]

That periphery ring looks like a serious piece of kit Andrew. Not cheap, but the best isn't is it?

[Wakefield Turntables]

That periphery ring looks like a serious piece of kit Andrew. Not cheap, but the best isn't is it?

Brian, I paid nowhere near the price they are asking now.

[brian2957]

Brian, I paid nowhere near the price they are asking now.

Bit of a bargain then

[Qwin]

Nice bit of machined metal there and certainly looks promising. Is there one available for the Lenco?

The mechanism on the GL75 is on top of the top plate, so not as straight forward on a Lenco Jim.
Take a look at Lenco heaven, see if anyone has come up with something.
That's where I got the inspiration for my GL75 project seen here: https://www.jkwynn.co.uk/Lenco/Lenco_Thumbs.html

[Jimbo]

The mechanism on the GL75 is on top of the top plate, so not as straight forward on a Lenco Jim.
Take a look at Lenco heaven, see if anyone has come up with something.
That's where I got the inspiration for my GL75 project seen here: https://www.jkwynn.co.uk/Lenco/Lenco_Thumbs.html

Cheers Ken, I will take a look over there.

[Wakefield Turntables]

The Garrard 301 Restoration Project PT XXXXIII - Reflections, thoughts and a bit of waffle.

I'll probably do another update tomorrow, so it's a double bill over the weekend! I'm happy with the way the new feet are performing. The 301 certainly sounds no worse than it did whem I was using the bamboo feet. I would say that things "appear" to sound marginally better, I'm certainly not going to bother taking these feet away from the 301, I can't be bothered . Overall, I'm very very lucky I have an amazing soundstage that greets me anytime that I chose to use the 301. My 301 seems to specialise in immersive detail and a uncanny ability to accurately place people in a very defined area of the soundstage. The 301 is by no means the last word in vinyl replay, my 1210 would easily trounce this 301 for forsenic detail but the 1210 can't match the 301 for emotional connection, so I suppose it's horses for courses.

The 301 has always had modifications and the platter is no exception. I use a Tenuto platter mat which is made from Gun Metal. Gun Metal is approx 88%ish copper, copper works as a very good shield for some of the nasties that can get into the replay chain. I wonder if some of the sonic presentation I hear is due to this or maybe has no effect what's so ever, I suppose I'll never know . I also use a platter ring which adds additional mass to the outer circumference of the platter, it's also great for getting vinyl very flat and producing an improved vinyl/platter mat interface. I wonder if the platter ring works a little like the oversized platters that seem to be popular (Shindo, Audio Grail, CTC etc). I've never tried an oversized platter, cost isn't really an issue but I wonder just how much of an improvement they bring and does my current setup give me the same effects, or maybe even better? Again I suppose I'll never know unless I get to borrow one from somewhere (HINT HINT)!!

So, I've scratched one itch, and that was the chasis reinforcement board that I bought from the USA last month. Many versions of this had been proposed and designed and it seems that the people who designed these products really did have an inkling that the 301 sounded better with a stiffend chassis. The oversized platter is again an idea that's been kicking around for years and again it seems to add an improvement to the 301, I'm also emulating this with a platter ring (maybe not as effectively as a real platter but I'm happy). So, another itch sort of scratched. Lowered voltage to the motor and a super clean regulated power supply was something I did years ago alongside rock solid speed control. My plinth has been improved by upgrading to bamboo. Again two modifications which have been documented for years and yes they do work. I've dabbled with isolating the 301 with springs and ball bearings, and yes this also seems to work. I must admit that I'm running out of ideas with what to do next. Any suggestions??

OK, enough for tonight, stay tuned....