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Thread: Garrard 401 now completed! ... and most of the bits for it off the forum :)

  1. #11
    montesquieu Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ali Tait View Post
    Good to hear Tom, would have been surprised if there was a problem with the unit, it's never given me any problems.
    Been delighted with it Ali, quick rub with a damp cloth you'd never imagine it was 40+ years old. Sounding fab earlier on as well.

  2. #12
    Join Date: Mar 2008

    Location: Galashiels

    Posts: 13,664
    I'm inthescottishmafia.

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    Yeah, never would have sold it if I didn't have a NOS one.
    “Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel. I have always needed fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio”

    Hunter S Thompson

  3. #13
    Bigman80 Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by montesquieu View Post
    Genius - yes it was a fuse - there was one fitted in the plinth IEC socket. Huge thanks.

    Why it blew I don't know but at least I can watch out for any issues now.

    Cheers Oliver!
    😀

    Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

  4. #14
    Bigman80 Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by montesquieu View Post
    Genius - yes it was a fuse - there was one fitted in the plinth IEC socket. Huge thanks.

    Why it blew I don't know but at least I can watch out for any issues now.

    Cheers Oliver!
    I had the same issue. Absolutely no reason to blow at all

    Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

  5. #15
    Join Date: Oct 2011

    Location: London Town

    Posts: 2,441
    I'm Julian.

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    I think the whole combo of deck, plinth and arm looks very handsome indeed ...

    How would you describe the difference in presentation between that and the 124?
    Sonore Rendu - Cambridge Audio Edge W - Sonus Faber Venere 2.5

  6. #16
    montesquieu Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by julesd68 View Post
    I think the whole combo of deck, plinth and arm looks very handsome indeed ...

    How would you describe the difference in presentation between that and the 124?
    The difference is less than I expected from memory but I haven't owned a Garrard since about 2009 and I'm probably a lot better at setup and matching these days.. Both have that marvellous sense of drive and rhythm you get with an idler ... at the absolute margins the Thorens is a shade more articulated in the bass, the Garrard fuller and more robust, but really what they have in common is far more than divides.

    That AT tonearm is doing fabulously well with my stable of low compliance MC cartridges, SPU Royal N is very happy on this deck (with Angus's sleeve on the counterweight), the Miyajima Madake likewise.

  7. #17
    Join Date: Nov 2008

    Location: North Down /Northern Ireland/ UK

    Posts: 19,484
    I'm Neil.

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    Quote Originally Posted by montesquieu View Post
    Got a Garrard 401 motor unit from Ali Tait a few weeks back .. finally as of today it's now in its plinth

    Arm is an AT-1010 sourced from Jerry (originally from phonomac I believe), with an AT-7V cartridge (superb low compliance MM) from mad-moon. Fitted in the original heavy AT headshell this is an utterly perfect match for this arm - synergy indeed. Tonearm cable is one I had kicking around from Audio Origami. The plinth came from Austria/eBay, very modestly priced for the quality.

    Motor unit needs a bit of TLC, it lost some bearing oil on the way down from the Auld Country, I've topped it up but will give it all a good clean out when a new gasket arrives in a day or so - I think it needs a good bit of running, the wheel is a bit noisy/uneven but I suspect that will settle down with a bit of play as the rubber seems OK (not hardened or anything) - maybe just needs to spin for a while after a period of not being used.

    The sound has been getting better and better even in the couple of hours of play that it's had - reminds me of everything I like about Garrards, full in the bass, very musical, enjoyable. The big surprise has been the arm. It never seemed that happy on the Technics it arrived on but it's just right here, it's a really lovely, high quality thing, beautifully made and engineered. A real sleeper I think - at 16g mass it must have been a bit of an anomaly in its era, coming out just as super-lightweight arms and high compliance cartridges were all the rage, it must have been hard at the time to partner it optimally as all the big name 'favourites' were high compliance, this needs something in the medium-low compliance area.

    Garrard bolts came from eBay, and from the local hardware store a hole cutter to do the armboard, and a tubular spanner to do up the nuts ... I don't know if this minimal bit of effort really qualifies it as a DIY project as all I've done is assemble it, wire it up, and set it up. Nice bit of fun though and an interesting contrast to the TD124 MkII.





    Is that a DAS Acoustics plinth ?
    Regards Neil

  8. #18
    montesquieu Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dalek Supreme D L View Post
    Is that a DAS Acoustics plinth ?
    Yup. Superb VFM.

    I asked for one of the armboards to be SME-cut but forgot to tell them that the AT arm is 225 mounting distance, not 214 of a regular SME ... so I had to go cut a hole myself in one of the spare ones. Remarkably I didn't bugger it up not my strong suit it has to be said. Was well chuffed with myself.

    If I were to have any criticism, it's that the paint is a bit soft and marks easily if you aren't careful. But you can't fault the value at all.

  9. #19
    Join Date: Nov 2008

    Location: North Down /Northern Ireland/ UK

    Posts: 19,484
    I'm Neil.

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    Quote Originally Posted by montesquieu View Post
    Yup. Superb VFM.

    I asked for one of the armboards to be SME-cut but forgot to tell them that the AT arm is 225 mounting distance, not 214 of a regular SME ... so I had to go cut a hole myself in one of the spare ones. Remarkably I didn't bugger it up not my strong suit it has to be said. Was well chuffed with myself.

    If I were to have any criticism, it's that the paint is a bit soft and marks easily if you aren't careful. But you can't fault the value at all.
    Useful to know regarding the softness of the paint finish.
    Regards Neil

  10. #20
    Join Date: Jan 2013

    Location: Bristol

    Posts: 6,843
    I'm Justin.

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    My god Tom you have achieved the impossible!

    I usually look at 401s in various plinths and the mismatch between the plinth styling and the deck makes them look goddam awful. However, piano black actually looks great Well discovered.

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