MonoMania
Member
The past few months I've been getting immense enjoyment from a Garrard 'Type A' autochanger, and have been gradually going over the mechanism, cleaning, lubing, upgrading with parts from an A70, etc.
Performance kept getting better and better, until I reached the last step I had been putting off: disassembling and cleaning the main platter / spindle ball bearing assembly. All I had done to these bearings previously was put in a few drops of sewing machine oil.
I finally attempted it today, after noticing a slight mechanical rumble (not through speakers).. I figured that I was hearing friction at the bearings, and that this must be contributing to the slight non-distracting rumble being picked up between tracks by my mono cartridges.
I removed the platters, loosened the two copper-colored horizontal retaining screws which hold the spindle in, pulled everything out... I soaked the parts in isopropyl alcohol, cleaned thoroughly with q-tips, rinsed again with alcohol to get rid of any errant fibers... I left to dry, coated lightly in oil, put a tiny amount of grease (ParkTool polylube 1000) in the bearing races, and reassembled in what I'm sure was the correct order (bottom to top: rubber ring>metal washer>bearings>metal washer), observing which side of the metal washers should face the bearings based on visible wear patterns...
I reassembled the spindle (took a few tries to figure out), put in a few more drops of oil, and put the platters back on.... Now the mechanical noise is WORSE than before, particularly noticeable on 78rpm.
The noise is definitely coming from the bearing assembly. The bearings are definitely all present and seated correctly in the race (which seems to be made out of phenolic wafer).
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Have I overlooked something obvious? Is my cleaning methodology wrong?
Does anyone know of a source for replacement bearings?
Is it possible to further upgrade these bearings, races, and washers?
I have scoured the forums before posting - in fact I think I've read every word written on the internet about this particular model. Would be a drag to have to get a whole new 'Type A' after months spent improving this one... And I'm keen to continue my adventures in stacking 45s and 78s and enjoying classic monophonic 50s-60s cartridges.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
P.S: I'm determined to cobble together the ultimate 'Type A', and am willing to continue to pour money into it, well-aware of it's inherent limitations, so "get yourself a better turntable" is not the advice I am seeking here!
Performance kept getting better and better, until I reached the last step I had been putting off: disassembling and cleaning the main platter / spindle ball bearing assembly. All I had done to these bearings previously was put in a few drops of sewing machine oil.
I finally attempted it today, after noticing a slight mechanical rumble (not through speakers).. I figured that I was hearing friction at the bearings, and that this must be contributing to the slight non-distracting rumble being picked up between tracks by my mono cartridges.
I removed the platters, loosened the two copper-colored horizontal retaining screws which hold the spindle in, pulled everything out... I soaked the parts in isopropyl alcohol, cleaned thoroughly with q-tips, rinsed again with alcohol to get rid of any errant fibers... I left to dry, coated lightly in oil, put a tiny amount of grease (ParkTool polylube 1000) in the bearing races, and reassembled in what I'm sure was the correct order (bottom to top: rubber ring>metal washer>bearings>metal washer), observing which side of the metal washers should face the bearings based on visible wear patterns...
I reassembled the spindle (took a few tries to figure out), put in a few more drops of oil, and put the platters back on.... Now the mechanical noise is WORSE than before, particularly noticeable on 78rpm.
The noise is definitely coming from the bearing assembly. The bearings are definitely all present and seated correctly in the race (which seems to be made out of phenolic wafer).
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Have I overlooked something obvious? Is my cleaning methodology wrong?
Does anyone know of a source for replacement bearings?
Is it possible to further upgrade these bearings, races, and washers?
I have scoured the forums before posting - in fact I think I've read every word written on the internet about this particular model. Would be a drag to have to get a whole new 'Type A' after months spent improving this one... And I'm keen to continue my adventures in stacking 45s and 78s and enjoying classic monophonic 50s-60s cartridges.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
P.S: I'm determined to cobble together the ultimate 'Type A', and am willing to continue to pour money into it, well-aware of it's inherent limitations, so "get yourself a better turntable" is not the advice I am seeking here!
Last edited: