Garrard zero 100, what should I know?
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Phototone
Super Member
Many people say that the turntable arm was poorly designed and built with "sloppy bearings". However, I have one of these myself, and I found it to perform quite well. So there are multiple opinions. Being that it is a "changer" there are many bits and bobs underneath that can malfunction due to dried lubricant, and in general will need to be cleaned and relubed. Also, being an idler-wheel drive, the condition of the rubber on the idler wheel should be inspected, paying particular attention for "flat" spots. You can have the idler-wheel resurfaced through various vendors, but this would mean your new turntable would be out of commission while your old part was in the process of being recovered.
ETI_5000
Super Member
I was interested in these for a while when I got into hi-fi back in the 70’s. Like most Garrard changers, cleaning and lubrication needs to be done to keep them working well. The most interesting part is the tonearm. It has its weaknesses, but was a nice attempt to eliminate tracking error by keeping the cartridge tangential to the record groove at all times. There are specialists who work only on these, including one here in Australia, who always seems to have a few for sale on Ebay. They were certainly very popular and probably many millions were sold, and electronics magazines back in the 70’s used to always have adverts for them, so there should be plenty of spares available. There’s plenty of info available on the net about them (see below), and if you do a search, plenty of info on forums like this, including quite a few threads here.
http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/garrarde.html
http://www.vinylengine.com/library/garrard/zero-100.shtml
http://www.thevintageknob.org/garrard-Zero_100.html
http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/August 1971/92/828844/EQUIPMENT+REVIEWS
http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/garrarde.html
http://www.vinylengine.com/library/garrard/zero-100.shtml
http://www.thevintageknob.org/garrard-Zero_100.html
http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/August 1971/92/828844/EQUIPMENT+REVIEWS
I second all of the above. Watch out for a dry rotted or worn / damaged idler wheel and see if the mechanism operates properly if you can. If it doesn't chances are it's dried up or hardened grease and it can be fixed, but it might be good to know before buying (as a bargaining chip). I've owned a few of these turntables and they are fine performers that don't get the credit they deserve. On some of the later models (with the black chassis) the quality did slip, but the older models (white chassis) are quite worthwhile to own.
NoTransistors
Dual Turntables Super-Restorer
The Z-2000 is a nicer machine- newer and more refined. I am always tempted to bid on one. But, alas, it is still a Garrard.
gillsev
Well-Known Member
Here's one NOS. Totally brand new and unmolested. If I didn't already have 3 TTs, I would have jumped on this one! :thmbsp:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170569830213&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
Ooooh..:drool: with a wood tone base.........
I have 2. I used one for awhile and was given the other. I like them
When I was using mine I never noticed a sibilance issue at all. I notice it all the time on the pivot arm table I use now.
One of mine is a "C" model and one of these days I'll have to sit them next to each other in the light and see what the diff is. They are both in the attic now but are in the project line up.
I plan on taking one completely apart and completely refurbing it.
I think the bad rap is from a couple cheap parts that may not hold up well after being used at their limit because of improper set up. It needs a bit more attention than most which was beyond the average 70's listener attention span. There are alot of figity things on these tables. When I got my first one, The guy was tired of it acting funny and to be honest I only bought it for the cart that was on it. When I got it home, all the adjustments were way out of wack. He had been turning screws indiscriminately by imagination to "adjust it"
The second one I got came with all the paperwork. setup manual too.
..
I have 2. I used one for awhile and was given the other. I like them
When I was using mine I never noticed a sibilance issue at all. I notice it all the time on the pivot arm table I use now.
One of mine is a "C" model and one of these days I'll have to sit them next to each other in the light and see what the diff is. They are both in the attic now but are in the project line up.
I plan on taking one completely apart and completely refurbing it.
I think the bad rap is from a couple cheap parts that may not hold up well after being used at their limit because of improper set up. It needs a bit more attention than most which was beyond the average 70's listener attention span. There are alot of figity things on these tables. When I got my first one, The guy was tired of it acting funny and to be honest I only bought it for the cart that was on it. When I got it home, all the adjustments were way out of wack. He had been turning screws indiscriminately by imagination to "adjust it"
The second one I got came with all the paperwork. setup manual too.
..
Arkay
Lunatic Member
Don't let people with bad experiences dissuade you. They might have had a poorly maintained one.
In good condition, they are a very nice sounding TT. Lots of slam.
I'm listening to mine as I type.
Steve
Excellent advice, and do you notice a pattern to these posts? This TT won a lot of awards and got great reviews when new... a lot of people wanted them. Now they are widely "trashed" as terrible pieces of junk. Is the modern opinion of them entirely fair?
I think the problem was that demand was high enough that the factory --and it may not just have been demand, as Garrards were often like this-- couldn't manage consistent enough quality control. So right from when they were brand new, some units may have been better than others. Add to that the fact that it is a somewhat complex and relatively delicate mechanism that may not stand up well to abuse, and you end up with a lot of poorly adjusted and abused tables out there which do NOT perform well any more. Get a good one, that was good from the factory and has not been abused, clean, adjust and lube it properly, and it's not a bad TT at all. But get one whose bearings have been loosened through abusive play, etc... and you'll probably join the naysayers.
I don't know about the white vs. black plinths, but mine, which has a very well-behaved and low-friction (but not loose!) tonearm also has a white plinth. There may be some real merit in what audiojones said about the two color types, and if so, you should lean towards white.
Ooooh..:drool: with a wood tone base.........
I have 2. I used one for awhile and was given the other. I like them
When I was using mine I never noticed a sibilance issue at all. I notice it all the time on the pivot arm table I use now.
One of mine is a "C" model and one of these days I'll have to sit them next to each other in the light and see what the diff is. They are both in the attic now but are in the project line up.
I plan on taking one completely apart and completely refurbing it.
I think the bad rap is from a couple cheap parts that may not hold up well after being used at their limit because of improper set up. It needs a bit more attention than most which was beyond the average 70's listener attention span. There are alot of figity things on these tables. When I got my first one, The guy was tired of it acting funny and to be honest I only bought it for the cart that was on it. When I got it home, all the adjustments were way out of wack. He had been turning screws indiscriminately by imagination to "adjust it"
The second one I got came with all the paperwork. setup manual too.
..
ANY turntable/tone arm that isn't set up right, will not sound good. A more complex one than average, such as the Zero 100, is even more likely to sound bad when not properly set up. Cases like this might also help explain some of the disdain this TT gets in some circles.
I'm not saying it is a great turntable. It isn't; they cut corners in a variety of places to compensate for things like those costlier arm bearings (which were farmed out to a company that made gyroscopic bearings used in navigational equipment; the best bearings available at the time!). But it isn't a BAD table, either: it is nice, for what it is.
For twenty bucks, your getting value even if it doesn't work; it's a pretty decorative TT, too! :yes:
Westy56
A symphony of paradox
saea501
Well-Known Member
What should you know?
Simple....buy something else. I set up many of these, not by choice...we were a dealer. It was a gimmick more than anything else. As stated above, good concept, poor execution.
Hold the tone arm stationary against the rest and you can move the headshell. That was enough for me.
If it is something that you like and feel it will perform well for you, buy it. However, there are many better performing standard turntables.
Simple....buy something else. I set up many of these, not by choice...we were a dealer. It was a gimmick more than anything else. As stated above, good concept, poor execution.
Hold the tone arm stationary against the rest and you can move the headshell. That was enough for me.
If it is something that you like and feel it will perform well for you, buy it. However, there are many better performing standard turntables.
I tend to be dubious of them, but I have to admit the later GT 55, which has an improved arm does sound cleaner especially in the inner grooves than many arms, and neither mass nor friction seem a particular problem. Certainly you can make the headshell wiggle a bit on the bearings, but that's true of most arms on mass market tables, though in those cases its usually the arm bearings, not the headshell (though its sometimes is both). I can see that the headshell wiggling might be worse than the arm wiggling, but it also might be at a high enough frequency that its easily damped -- don't have any actual knowledge here.
I have a friend who owns a Garrard Zero 100. I've listened to it, and it's by no means bad. But, his Onkyo direct drive sounds better, is less 'fidgety' and is his preferred turntable.
Truth.
Westy56
A symphony of paradox
For 20 bucks?
saea501
Well-Known Member
Not for free.
At least not me. I enjoy my music too much and some of the vinyl I have collected over the years cannot be replaced. I want the best hardware I can afford. The idea of having an expensive phono cartridge mounted to the end of an arm that allows the cartridge to move at will while tracking a record is not what I would call high performance. Not to mention the additional lateral friction all of that linkage adds to the arm.
Go to your turntable right now and loosen the cartridge mounting screws enough that the it can move freely a couple of millimeters. Now....play one of your most valuable records.
No? Me neither.
Look...I realize the above example is an exaggeration, but not a great one. As I said above, if you feel the Zero 100 is something you want in your system, knock yourself out. That turntable was built for one reason only and that was to separate you from your hard earned money. And you all know as sure as you are reading this that this industry is chock full of products whose sole purpose is to do just that, and that alone.