Garrard 301 restoration project

A "non improved" version of the SME 3009/II would be in keeping with the use of an SPU. The only worry is that with time the rubber decoupling bush of the counterweight stub can perish (not helped by the offset balance arrangement of the VTF adjustment yard-arm, used to equalise the pressure on the knife edge bearings). Also the knife edge bearings and yoke is made of steel, not the less desirable plastic offering of the "Improved" version and its successive variants.

You can use an improved version of the SME with an SPU if you use the heaviest after-market counterweight offered by SME, but they are rare.

If you can put up with a 4g VTF for the SPU, then the cartridge can be counterbalanced using the standard counterweight.

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Originally Posted by Barry

. Also the knife edge bearings and yoke is made of steel, not the less desirable plastic offering of the "Improved" version and its successive variants.
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I never knew the "improved" variant had plastic bearings. I'll speak to J7 at Audio Origami to see if these can be replaced, he know's more than most about SME arms. I already have a supersized counter weight to balance the SPU and have also just ordered a super sized weight for tracking force. Next step is to make my RCA conversion mod and then send the whole thing upto J7 for a silver rewire and re-assembly.

The early samples of the 'Improved' arms were fitted with steel knife edge bearings so as to use up existing stock.

Later versions, which still retained the separate arm-mounted metal arm-lift arc, did use plastic bearings, but the bearing yoke was the same shape as that of the original metal version.

Later still, the counterweight decoupling mechanism was redesigned meaning the rear of the bearing yoke was shortened.

Finally, the separate arm-mounted metal arm-lift arc was replaced with a plastic one, integral with the bearing yoke.

Which version do you have?

I have no idea! I will post some pics tomorrow :scratch:

The Garrard 301 Restoration Project PT LXX - Coming together nicely.

Another week and another update. The 301 will be a slightly more versatile beast when the SME 3009 is fully modded. I shall have something very nice to play around with over the Xmas period. Presently, my custom made slider weight from Magna Audio is being made and should enable a very cosmetically enhanced experience versus a massive piece of bluetack giving extra mass. I have now found a light weight headshell for vintage MM's, it's not the one that I want but it's ok at the moment, it's the relevant mass and should enable for very good compatability for my Grace F9E which is currently on it's way as we speak from the land of Oz. I managed to find some silver cartridge leads and have also finished making my RCA conversion for the SME 3009, yep, Heath Robinson, it cost nothing and I already had the WBT silver RCA's in my spares box.

https://i.ibb.co/KKv4hZ9/IMG-1532.jpg

I will never sell my 301 and no-one is going to see this bit of the tonearm, so I'm happy with the cosmetics. I have a pair of Yannis Tome silver IC's that I shall borrow from another system and this completes all the bits I need. The 3009 will be sent to J7 at Audio Origami for a silver re-wire and I can also install the newly made IPE tonearm mount. That should be all the upgrades the 3009 needs. I'm on the lookout for a Magnesium head shell for the Grace MM but that's something that I can stalk on ebay or maybe buy one from a forum member.

Now finally one more update. I have ditched the Stack Audio footers that I had installed in my system. The footers did a great job of adding a little extra vim and loudness to the system, but I had to ask if that's what I really wanted. I have a technics 1210 if I want drama and forensic levels of detail. I mainly use my 301 as a tool of relaxation on an evening, jazz and whiskey are usually involved and it makes for a nice evening before the drudge of worklife. So, my Townshend products went back in the system and my preferred slightly darker, relaxed, detailed, wide soundstage with excellent instrument seperation came back into my life. I think my 3009 will provide my more vim and vigour than the Stack Audio products when fully modded and will also be considerably more flexiblility for vinyl replay.

As ever, stay tuned.....

Always suspected that footers of any type simply " tune" the speakers frequency response and shift then up or down? One thing to remember is that no speakers are ever designed with footers at all as they are developed for a very wide range of applications/situations.

I get why folk use them when they want to control certain issues they have and indeed the outcome may be preferential...fair enough but it was certainly not what the speaker designer had in mind.

A bit like using cables to tune preferred or none preferred aspects of your system by attenuating impedance and resistance.


Much harder but better to tune the room acoustics to allow you speakers to work at their optimum?

The footers lived under my amps not my speakers!!!!!!

The Garrard 301 Restoration Project PT LXXI - New idler wheel.

The 301 project is stuck in limbo but plenty of progress has been made. The biggest problem has been finding the bits and pieces needed for the vision that I had for the 301. I will post some pictures tomorrow with some cool new bits and bobs. Presently my SME 3009 is having a holiday up in Glasgow and is been rewired with silver, having new uprated bearings fitted and, a RCA conversion and a lovely new tonearm ground wire made up. I can't reall do much more now until this arrives. I do have a modifcation to make to the plinth to accomodate the newly modded 3009 but that can wait until I get the arm back. My new slider counterweight has arrived from Steve, THANKS STEVE! Finally, this things crops up from Bulgaria.

https://i.ibb.co/fFd75cW/idler.jpg
A new idler wheel! I have an after market AudioSilente idler wheel fitted to my 401. I have tried the AudioSilente idler wheel in my 301 and it didn't sound as good as the original so out it came. Now, do I purchase this as a thing to play around with over Xmas? I'm not really sure. I will have a think about this over the weekend.

As ever stay tuned...

Where are the "uprated" bearings fitted on your SME arm: are they those for the vertical or horizontal plane?

Regarding replacement idler wheels for TTs, based on my experience with the Thorens TD124 and EMT 930 decks, I've never found any to better the original manufacturer's design. Even genuine items have to be 'run in'.

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Originally Posted by Barry

Where are the "uprated" bearings fitted on your SME arm: are they those for the vertical or horizontal plane?

Regarding replacement idler wheels for TTs, based on my experience with the Thorens TD124 and EMT 930 decks, I've never found any to better the original manufacturer's design. Even genuine items have to be 'run in'.

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Barry, the 3009 is at Audio Origami. I asked John to simply make the 3009 as good as he could. So, anything which can be uprated will be uprated. I also agree with you about the Idler wheel, Garrard's original has always trumped anything that I've tried in the past. The 301 has had an Audiosilente and a replacement from either Peak HiFi or Perfect sound, I can't remember which. Suffice to say the original is still in the 301.