Ok,
I know that there aren't many Garrard fans around here, but I was pretty stoked about picking up a Garrard Zero 100 today for $12.

I will be taking apart an older Garrard SL-95B that came from my parents to better understand how to clean a tt and then do all the other things...grease, balance, etc.

Will let everyone know how it goes.

Hate to do this to you but.....

:worthless:

Hey, if it spins, it plays, you like it, it's great! Nothing wrong with Garrard.

That is like the TOTL Garrard Changer! NICE SCORE! I always wanted to hear a Garrard!

And I soitenly desoived that one.

here they are:

It's got a Shure in it! Congrats!

My first TT was a Garrard. Always had a soft spot in my heart for them. BIg heavy beast, with suspension and a big, white plastic headshells. Wonder what model that was. :scratch2:

That two-piece dustcover brought back some memories too.

My first TT was a Garrard. Always had a soft spot in my heart for them. BIg heavy beast, with suspension and a big, white plastic headshells. Wonder what model that was. :scratch2:

Type A or A mKII?

http://www.geocities.com/midimagic@sbcglobal.net/garra-ii.jpg

AT-60?

http://www.geocities.com/midimagic@sbcglobal.net/at60.jpg

Now THAT's a Garrard!!! That tonearm is NUTS!!! This is no AT-50 with a platic tonearm....that's a serious turntable and worth getting back up to speed. It also has a wood plinth that should clean up beautifully with a little wood oil. Don't think you have a piece of junk...you got a deal, and that should sound fantastic when your done. Garrard made alot of dogs in the late 60's-70's, but that's not one of them. Plus you got a Shure cart on that and even if the needle is toast, the stylus is user replaceable and easily available. Do yourself a favor and invest in a good platter mat (I love my Funk Achromat) a Shure stylus pressure guage, and an alignment tool. Once you get this thing buttoned up, it should blow you away!!

Anyone know if that's the factory tonearm, 'cause I haven't seen one like that.

James R.
(old Thorens lover and recent Garrard lover now with 2 Type A's)

Now THAT's a Garrard!!! That tonearm is NUTS!!! Anyone know if that's the factory tonearm, 'cause I haven't seen one like that.

James R.
(old Thorens lover and recent Garrard lover now with 2 Type A's)
It is. Garrard deserved kudos for at least addressing the problem of tracking error with that arm, even if it tended to give its owners some grief. Cool score m4rz.

yes i believe that is the original tone arm. From what I can gather it was described as "a parallel zero tracking error arm....YES!!! The arm of the Zero 100, thanks to its fancy design, allows the pick-up to track always tangentially to the grooves. A look at the picture below will explain better the way it works"

Taken from:
http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/garrarde.html

I am continuing to read :)

Gotta love the British...just like a Jaguar...so complex and over designed that it's elegant in it's ugliness!!

James R.

I had wanted a Zero from the day I first saw one back in the day. A couple of years ago, I came across one in a guy's barn along with a B & O Beogram RX (with stylus). They were covered with years of dust and grime and various other barn-related debris but looked intact. I swallowed hard and asked the guy how much. "$20", he said. "Each?" I asked. "No, for both". I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough. The Zero gets regular use today. It cleaned up beautifully and lacks only the rear piece of the dust cover.

Nice, well it's good to hear, as I actually really like the look. It's not as slick as some of the other tt that I have seen, but once I get going on it I am sure that it will clean up nice. Now begins the hunt for albums again :) I can't wait, especially since reading the latest post about cd's being recorded loud.
cheers

That's quite a contraption. I don't think I could have resisted it either.

Type A or A mKII?

http://www.geocities.com/midimagic@sbcglobal.net/garra-ii.jpg

Two of them. One of each, i am thinking.

Wonder if I should drag them up from the basement and try to make a working one....

Great find. Congrats!:thmbsp:

why not?

Yup, many congrats. The Zero 100 was what we all longed for when I was a kid. I grew up in Swindon, Wiltshire (UK) - look up the history of Garrard...my mum worked at the factory! She got me an SP 25 Mark III, which was cool, and the first album I heard on Garrard was Led Zep II, the first 45 was my sister's I Feel Fine by the Beatles, so Garrard is an old favorite of mine. I have an SL 95B in the garage, needs a service, but heck, still plays pretty good and is in great condition. I bought it off EBay after too many beers one night. Still, it's a piece of UK audio history. Of course Garrard made some of the most sought-after decks, the 301 and 401 - standard fare for many broadcasters and audiophiles back then (and now, I guess, looking at the prices). The Zero 100 was a nice engineering idea and well constructed, heavy etc., but I can't help thinking the parallel motion arm puts too much lateral torque on the headshell - I may be wrong. An icon, and I would have cheerfully paid 9 or 10 times what you stumped up for it, just to have it as part of my nostalgia collection! :)

Lol,
So OscarEmmy, you probably wouldn't use it on a cherished lp collection right? I haven't even gotten around to even plugging it in. Currently am in the process of trying to figure out why my SL-95B is providing a little feedback. I did however get rid of the hum, but the hunt is on ;)
I think the first album that I listened to on the SL-95B was Charles Aznavour if you can believe it.

My first TT was a Garrard that I inherited form my Dad when he stopped caring about the hifi. It was nothing fancy, but it was solid and sounded great to my ears. My particular model was similar to the Zero in that it had the 3 rocker switches up front and did what it was told to do with no complaints. The dustcover was kind of fragile and sadly was the first part to go. If I remember correctly it was a two piece plastic jobbie that slid into a slotted housing attached to the outer casing of the TT.

Thanks Dad and Thank you Garrard for introducing me to the world of vinyl.

Agreed! Garrard was my first intro to vinyl. I have to say after listening to CD's and testing the SL-95B I really do miss the sound of vinyl.

I think I will use the zero to finish off the system for my folks.
Noresco NR-265
Smaller Advents - just had them refoamed
Garrard Zero 100 - have to get this working for them, but playing with the SL-95B before I destroy the zero :)

Congrats on the score. I can't seem to get that lucky at our thrift stores. I look foward to hearing about how the Zero sounds.

Nice deck! :thmbsp:

I'm keeping an eye out for one but funnily enough the changer versions are fairly thin on the ground over here in Garrard's homeland! Still, I'm in no rush...:smoke: