Garrard Turntable on The Repair Shop

[mbic]

Hi All
Did any one see the Garrard 4HF, I think, on The Repair Shop?
It was left with Mark Stucky for sorting out.

[walpurgis]

Nope.

Wouldn't have minded seeing it, not that I intend to get a 4HF though :).

[WullieD20]

Hi All
Did any one see the Garrard 4HF, I think, on The Repair Shop?
It was left with Mark Stucky for sorting out.

Yep, watched that.

I always think that some stuff is done (or missed) specifically for the sake of television, but in this case he smacks the platter with a hard faced hammed (:doh:), already stating that it's fitted on a 'spline' (?) and subsequently makes no mention whatsoever about the centre spindle and its support casting or the associated lubrication or thrust bearing.....

Don't think I'd want him maintaining my 401 . . . .:lol:

[Pigmy Pony]

I saw it too. I could see it said Garrard, but no idea which model. But it did look ancient. It clearly held some sentimental value, and looked ok when finished, but would I have that to play my records on? Not really.

Owner was pleased that it still had its original "tone", so that's the main thing :)

[mbic]

I wouldn’t let him near my 401 either!

[disarmamant]

Yep, watched that.

I always think that some stuff is done (or missed) specifically for the sake of television, but in this case he smacks the platter with a hard faced hammed (:doh:), already stating that it's fitted on a 'spline' (?) and subsequently makes no mention whatsoever about the centre spindle and its support casting or the associated lubrication or thrust bearing.....

Don't think I'd want him maintaining my 401 . . . .:lol:

Yes, and his treatment of the seized speed selector mechanism. Instead of dismantling it and inspecting it he just tried oiling it and working it side to side until it freed up. Bodger, I’d not let him near anything of mine.

[Barry]

He smacked the spindle with a hammer, whilst pulling the platter up with a 'claw' he had made out of an old coathanger. That is what you have to do with a splined fit; especially if the two parts have not been separated for a long time. AFAIK the 'thrust bearing' on a 4HF is like that on the SP25: the platter runs on a washer supported by ball bearings in a well in the chassis.

Regarding the stiff/seized speed change mechanism, again the lubricant was years old and all it needed was some fresh lubricant and a bit of working to free it up.

It was a Garrard 4HF fitted with a ceramic cartridge after all - not a 401 fitted with a Koetsu. :doh: What he did was quite sufficient and the results obviously delighted the owner.

[WullieD20]

He smacked the spindle with a hammer, whilst pulling the platter up with a 'claw' he had made out of an old coathanger. That is what you have to do with a splined fit; especially if the two parts have not been separated for a long time. AFAIK the 'thrust bearing' on a 4HF is like that on the SP25: the platter runs on a washer supported by ball bearings in a well in the chassis.
Regarding the stiff/seized speed change mechanism, again the lubricant was years old and all it needed was some fresh lubricant and a bit of working to free it up.
It was a Garrard 4HF fitted with a ceramic cartridge after all - not a 401 fitted with a Koetsu. :doh: What he did was quite sufficient and the results obviously delighted the owner..

I agree to an extent..... My apologies for a slight misleading error by saying he 'smacked' the platter. However, he still used a steel hammer on the spindle! There didn't appear to be a spline and what was visible above the chassis was a tapered collar to the spindle, as with most Garrards of the era, which of course made no difference to the 'method' of removal (but a steel hammer?).

When the chassis was turned over there was a visible housing similar to that of a 301 / 401, so not quite the same as an SP25!

And with due respect to the owner, he wouldn't have known the difference between '3in1' or 20/50, or anything else when the TT was presented rotating and a sound was being produced.

I know I must sound pretty pedantic, but I wouldn't let that guy near an SP25 (far less a 301 or 401) in the condition that was seen in the program, even with a ceramic cartridge. It just didn't look impressive from someone who is considered to be an 'expert'.....

[Barry]

Yes, you are correct - my mistake!

https://www.vintageshifi.com/repertoire-pdf/pdf/telecharge.php?pdf=Garrard-4HF-Owners-Manual.pdf The housing for the turntable spindle (shown on page 10) does look very similar to that used on the 301.

But to declare my interest - I'm a great admirer of the "The Repair Shop" and of the skill of the restorers. I try to watch all the episodes. Mark Stuckey is their resident radio and electronics expert, so repairing a turntable is on the periphery of his skills. The owner, no doubt had tried to get the TT fixed elsewhere but without success. The Repair Shop did fix it for him to his great delight.

Would I take any of my Thorens or EMT turntables there to be fixed? No, because although they are no longer made there are specialists who can do the work. I doubt if the current Garrard company would be interested in repairing a 60 year old 4HF.

[WullieD20]

Quality post Barry......Like you, I am also an avid follower of TRS.

However, as someone who likes to do stuff as perfect as possible, whether it be repairing, general maintenance or manufacturing something, I tend to be a bit critical when I see shortcuts or plain malpractice. As I mentioned earlier, I tend to try and keep an open mind sometimes and have to say to myself..."It's just television". :D

There's never any doubt regarding those who bring stuff to The Shop that they are 'over the moon' when the object is returned and in the main the quality of work is exceptional and invariably fascinating.

[disarmamant]

This weeks episode included another of Mark Stuckys ‘repairs’ on an old Ferranti radio set. He did his usual procedure of replacing most of the capacitors, but when he powered the set up he managed to destroy , amongst other components, what he called an ‘intermediate transformer’, I’m assuming he meant an IF transformer (intermediate frequency transformer).

His next step was to declare the radio set unrepairable and produced another radio ‘a donor set’ to replace the original that he’d rendered unrepairable. He also found the original speaker, which looked like a field coil speaker, to be unrepairable and replaced that with a different speaker. The owner ended up with a radio set with only the case being the original part.

To be fair the owner was over the moon with the result, but was probably blissfully unaware of what had occurred while the radio was in the capable hands of Mr Stucky.

[Patrick Dixon]

I'm not sure he 'destroyed' the transformer. These are old sets and you can't always retain everything, may of them have already been 'bodged' in period.

Many restorers would have stuffed the old cap with the new replacements to retain the original look of the insides, but the 'customer' wouldn't really be bothered, and as in this case would be delighted just to get the radio back shiny and working.

[Oddball]

I think that sometimes they are jack of all trades to an extent although there are a few masters on there

[Barry]

Perhaps the producers of the Repair Shop should be informed that in future all repair work of vintage radios and electronics ought to be directed to an address in Northants. :rolleyes:

[Beobloke]

He smacked the spindle with a hammer, whilst pulling the platter up with a 'claw' he had made out of an old coathanger. That is what you have to do with a splined fit; especially if the two parts have not been separated for a long time. AFAIK the 'thrust bearing' on a 4HF is like that on the SP25: the platter runs on a washer supported by ball bearings in a well in the chassis.

Regarding the stiff/seized speed change mechanism, again the lubricant was years old and all it needed was some fresh lubricant and a bit of working to free it up.

It was a Garrard 4HF fitted with a ceramic cartridge after all - not a 401 fitted with a Koetsu. :doh: What he did was quite sufficient and the results obviously delighted the owner.


I finally watched this last night. As to the speed selector mechanics, it seemed clear to me that he had to lubricate it and work it purely to get it apart. When the camera came back to him later he explained that he had stripped, cleaned and re-lubricated it.

Ultimately, it ended up working and the chap who brought it in was happy, which is all that matters. I'd have done much more had it been my own (including finding an original Garrard mat!) but that's not what the show is about.

As an aside, it could be a lot worse - they could have given it to that Tim the Gramophone bloke who did one or two electrical audio jobs before Mark appeared on the show. On one of these occasions he tripped the breaker in the building after failing to make any basic electrical safety checks on a radio chassis that he then merrily plugged in and switched on! He may be good at wind-up gramophones but shouldn't be allowed anywhere near electricity in my view. It seems I wasn't alone as he hasn't been seen for a while...

[Oddball]

I finally watched this last night. As to the speed selector mechanics, it seemed clear to me that he had to lubricate it and work it purely to get it apart. When the camera came back to him later he explained that he had stripped, cleaned and re-lubricated it.

Ultimately, it ended up working and the chap who brought it in was happy, which is all that matters. I'd have done much more had it been my own (including finding an original Garrard mat!) but that's not what the show is about.

As an aside, it could be a lot worse - they could have given it to that Tim the Gramophone bloke who did one or two electrical audio jobs before Mark appeared on the show. On one of these occasions he tripped the breaker in the building after failing to make any basic electrical safety checks on a radio chassis that he then merrily plugged in and switched on! He may be good at wind-up gramophones but shouldn't be allowed anywhere near electricity in my view. It seems I wasn't alone as he hasn't been seen for a while...

Well , like a fair few of us ,I have watched it from the start and to my mind ,its less about the skills of the repair and more about finding real tearjerking stuff to show Joe Public

[Barry]

I think it is about both aspects: that of the skills displayed by the restorers/repairers, and of the delight shown, often emotional (or to be cynical "tearjerking") of those who bring in the items.