All change on the TT front

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zebbo
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All change on the TT front

Unread post by zebbo »

After living very happily with my beautiful Anniversary I started to get itchy feet, (ears?).
I've always liked the Garrard 401 and thought it was about time I scratched that itch. I found a very nice, clean unit and gave it a bit of a service. I split the motor clam-shell and cleaned & lubed the bottom bearing. I didn't do the top bearing as I couldn't be arsed to strip down the eddy brake and pulleys from the top spindle, seems fine anyway. Bearing is perfectly clean with no wear or play evident. I fitted a new thrust pad and fresh oil. The idler wheel was in good nick so I just cleaned it and then left it running for a couple of hours against my fine diamond sharpening stone which left the drive face perfectly smooth, soft and flat. Fitted new idler bearings and everything runs very quietly. There was no plinth so I decided I would construct my own using my take on constrained layer damping. From top to bottom the plinth is layered up thus:

5mm black acrylic
1mm bitumen, (flashband),
3mm cork/nitrile,
25mm birch ply,
2mm lead sheet,
25mm birch ply,
1mm bitumen, (flashband),
3mm cork/nitrile
25mm birch ply

There's a big cut-out for a 401 and with that removed the plinth weighs in at approx 18kg. I cut a separate 12mm acrylic armboard and damped it further with some flashband on the bottom, this screws down into the main plinth using rubber well-nuts. I wasn't sure how I was going to finish the edges but after cleaning it all up I really like the look of the layers so have left as-is.
I mounted my Wilson Benesch ACT 0.5 arm on it with the Benz Gullwing. There was no original mat so I had a bit of a search and the cork/nitrile mats seemed popular so I ordered one of those. All built up it looked really nice but how would it sound?
Pretty shite was the answer! The vocals were thin and hard while the overall presentation was dry and relentless. I re-checked all my geometry and that was all fine so I called my mate, who owns a 401 to get him down and see what he thought. He brought with him an original mat to try - what a difference! Everything snapped into focus, the bass deepened and it all sounded so much more musical !! I'm still in the process of trying various combinations and am enjoying the process. The arm is now an SME IV and the best mat I've found is actually the Origin Live one which works very well indeed.
Never one to pass up a bargain I picked up an ex-demo Koetsu Black Goldline with less than 100 hours use for a grand to play-off against the Gullwing. I was expecting the Koetsu to be lush and coloured but highly musical but it was, in fact, very modern sounding and not unlike the Gullwing ! Ultimately I have decided on the Gullwing so if anyone wants an immaculate low use Koetsu Black Goldline it is now for sale at £1K - £1750 new.
Yet another bargain came my way in the shape of a brand-new Allnic Puritas for a price I couldn't resist. It's not here yet but when it is it will go up against the Gullwing. 8-)

Image

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Audio Grail "Sable" Garrard 401 with Cumbrian Green Slate plinth / Audiomods 6 / Benz Micro Gullwing SLR, Phono 2, NVA INT400sa. (Oh and a Copland CDA823 CD Player, for when I fancy a bit of the devil's spawn!) :lol:

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zebbo
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Re: All change on the TT front

Unread post by zebbo »

Sorry, got those layers wrong, it's:

5mm black acrylic,
1mm bitumen flashband,
3mm cork/nitrile,
2mm lead,
25mm birch ply,
2mm lead,
25mm birch ply,
3mm cork/nitrile,
2mm lead,
25mm birch ply

8-) 8-)
Audio Grail "Sable" Garrard 401 with Cumbrian Green Slate plinth / Audiomods 6 / Benz Micro Gullwing SLR, Phono 2, NVA INT400sa. (Oh and a Copland CDA823 CD Player, for when I fancy a bit of the devil's spawn!) :lol:

antonio66
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Re: All change on the TT front

Unread post by antonio66 »

Very nice Zebbo. You certainly had your work cut out making up that plinth. Look forward to your assessment of the Allnic.

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zebbo
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Re: All change on the TT front

Unread post by zebbo »

Thanks, it was good fun getting all those layers stuck together, not! :lol: I made a prototype first and used Gorilla glue, what a bloody nightmare! It was slipping and sliding all over the place, then the glue started expanding and squidging out everywhere, including all over me and my cramps, big mistake. I used Evo-Stik Timebond for the production plinth which was much easier.
Yes I did sell the Anni but it wasn't an easy sell. I thought it would be snapped up quickly as, not only is it a great turntable it is also fairly rare in that condition and quite collectable. Anyway, I finished up selling it for the same price as I paid about 7 years ago so can't complain. The bloke who bought it is a bit of a PT fan and already owns an Export GTI he bought new and he recently bought his son an Export for his birthday! So it should be cherished which is quite important to me, I hate to think of equipment I have cherished getting trashed. Stupid I know, but that's just me. :grin:
Audio Grail "Sable" Garrard 401 with Cumbrian Green Slate plinth / Audiomods 6 / Benz Micro Gullwing SLR, Phono 2, NVA INT400sa. (Oh and a Copland CDA823 CD Player, for when I fancy a bit of the devil's spawn!) :lol:

Daniel Quinn
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Re: All change on the TT front

Unread post by Daniel Quinn »

That plinth is bloody lovely

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SteveTheShadow
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Re: All change on the TT front

Unread post by SteveTheShadow »

That's very nice
Idlers are soooo good at kicking ass and taking down names ;)
I use a cork/nitrile mat on my Lenco - good, neutral sounding mats I've found.
Enjoy!
Somebody’s telling me the latest scandals.
Somebody’s stepping on my plastic sandals. Joe Jackson (1979)

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zebbo
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Re: All change on the TT front

Unread post by zebbo »

Thanks guys. I also got a nice 5mm smoked acrylic cover made for it.

Image
Audio Grail "Sable" Garrard 401 with Cumbrian Green Slate plinth / Audiomods 6 / Benz Micro Gullwing SLR, Phono 2, NVA INT400sa. (Oh and a Copland CDA823 CD Player, for when I fancy a bit of the devil's spawn!) :lol:

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zebbo
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Re: All change on the TT front

Unread post by zebbo »

Better view of the layers. Really haven't a clue whether or not this idea actually does anything positive but the theory seems sound in my head and I can't imagine it would be detrimental. Looks good too. :grin:

Image
Audio Grail "Sable" Garrard 401 with Cumbrian Green Slate plinth / Audiomods 6 / Benz Micro Gullwing SLR, Phono 2, NVA INT400sa. (Oh and a Copland CDA823 CD Player, for when I fancy a bit of the devil's spawn!) :lol:

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wiicrackpot
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Re: All change on the TT front

Unread post by wiicrackpot »

Very nice,not million miles from mine but yours have a nicer plinth,
long time 401+SME IV+Lyra Argo and Lp Ebony user here.
Frank...made me do it.

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karatestu
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Re: All change on the TT front

Unread post by karatestu »

wiicrackpot wrote: Sat Jul 08, 2017 2:05 pm Very nice,not million miles from mine but yours have a nicer plinth,
long time 401+SME IV+Lyra Argo and Lp Ebony user here.
Lyra Argo - I use one of them :grin:
DIY FREE ZONE

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