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Garrard 401

jcmjrt

jcmjrt

Addicted Member
I just finished my TT plinth and getting all the pieces together! :banana:

I had gotten a 401 off e-bay from Great Britain. I then purchased a 60HZ pulley and rewired the Garrard to 120V (easy to do). I also wanted a good period tonearm so I got the SME3012 Series II (in the original box with manual and all parts!). I paired that with a Denon DL-103R. The headshell is cherry - HS-2 from Brian at Venus Hi-Fi. I do have the original SME headshell as well. Making the plinth has taken a while. It's composed of multiple layers of baltic birch ply. The top is veneered with quilted maple and the bottom of each layer is beech. The legs are mahogany and FIM adjustable stainless - just FIM on the bottom layer. The tonearm pillar and board are brazilian cherry (jatoba). The finish is boiled linseed oil for everything and the plinth also received satin Arm-R-Seal. Everything is recessed and fitted into the plinth. The legs, the little metal pieces that the legs sit on, even the tonearm pillar is mortise and tenoned into the plinth.

It sounds great so far but honestly everything is still breaking in so the sound is changing...and I know that I don't have it tweaked in yet at all. It makes me wonder just HOW GOOD is this going to sound once I've got it all settled in?!! :music: :banana: :music:
 

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Did you make it yourself? :jawdrop:
Wow!
Didn't you just get the TD-124? How about a plinth for that one?
I see you're going all-out-retro, hmmm...
I'm jelous!
Kris
 
That really is fantastic - had the pleasure of listening to a 401 and a 301, both in wooden plinths - what cartridge are you using? Grado Gold?

Excellent isolation feet/stands, especially - a passing lorry won't make the needle jump!
 
Thanks for the compliments!

My SO and I did it together. It was a fun project that we both worked on. It started off as a sheet of baltic birch, a piece of brazilian cherry, veneer and glue. That's why it took a while to get it together.

I believe that the 401 originally came with some mushroom grommets(not sure, didn't have 'em and didn't want 'em) and the motor is suspended with a couple of springs underneath. I've got it coupled directly to the heavy wooden plinth. The idea is to reduce any rumbling from the heavy motor.

The cartridge is a low output moving coil - Denon DL-103R. The 103 design has been around for many years and the R is just one of the variations.

I do have a TD-124 and have been thinking about the design and what I want to accomplish with it. I haven't purchased a tonearm (may use the ESL tonearm that came with it) or cartridge so I'm still pretty open. Whatever, it will get a nice heavy plinth to soak up any rumble but it will also be a different design than this one. While it's fun to have something finished, I don't want to be in too much of a hurry and make sure that it turns out the way that I want...and enjoy the process too. It's fun to play! :D
 
Absolutely gorgeous!!! :thmbsp: However I can't help but wonder about the potential sonic implications of separating the arm like that though... :scratch2:
 
goldear said:
Absolutely gorgeous!!! :thmbsp: However I can't help but wonder about the potential sonic implications of separating the arm like that though... :scratch2:
Click to expand...

It's supposed to decouple the arm from the rumblings (motor driven vibrations) of the deck thus providing more realistic reproduction. You do see top line decks with separate arm pods (and separate motors) for this reason.
 
That is just an Outstanding Job. I'm sure that once settled in it will exceed your expectations! Well Done!:thmbsp::thmbsp:
Have a great NewYear,
Jim
 
I have never heard the Garrard 401 or 301 but was curious to find out what it is about these two models that make them so desirable. Is it that they can be modified and upgraded (with tone arm/plinth). Just curious.
The work done on this 401 looks great!
The plinth looks more like a work of art then a functional TT set up. Great job.
 
Holy Cow! That's some beautiful work... I'd have a hard time not sitting there just staring at it. Again, Wow.
 
Wow, superb design and execution there!

More photos, please! This time, experiment with shutting off the flash and playing with the macro setting on your camera (macro is usually the one with the picture of a single flower).
 
MikeyN said:
I have never heard the Garrard 401 or 301 but was curious to find out what it is about these two models that make them so desirable. Is it that they can be modified and upgraded (with tone arm/plinth). Just curious.
The work done on this 401 looks great!
The plinth looks more like a work of art then a functional TT set up. Great job.
Click to expand...

I don't know if I can do this question justice. The table itself is a showpiece for British Industry and what it was capable of in the 50's and 60's - well made, tight toleranced, almost over constructed tank. At the time, it seems that people didn't understand that in order to get the best sound from an idler, that a heavy, rumble absorbing plinth was necessary. Most idlers were placed in rather light (cheap) boxes which tended to amplify the rumbling rather than dampen it. Now we do know about constructing plinths for idlers and can enjoy the heavy motor driving a heavy platter without hearing the sound conducted to the tonearm. Idlers are known for PRAT - pace, rhythm and timing. Garrard provides it in spades.
Something else that's nice - because so many people love these tables and are still using them there are people who provide aftermarket parts support. Woohoo!

Thanks for all the compliments. I do love this table and tonearm and will continue tweaking. I actually have a Kokomo kit on order from analog tube audio to see if I can improve it even more. I've got your basic point and shoot digital camera and feel happy when I get pics. I doubt they will improve much.
 
Love the work and partner projects are such a cool deal. Wish we all had more time to make our systems into custom pieces. Good job :)
 
always loved the 401 deck...would love to own one one day too...here in britain some people swear by them once they have been modded...
i think a company called 'slate audio' here in the uk does custom plinths for them which are supposed to put them in super league...granite bases i think...can't quite remember...still..there's an audio icon if ever there was one..:yes:
hope it sounds as great as it looks...lovely work on the plinth ! :thmbsp:
 
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