Why bother switching wires around? Why not just use a stereo needle and turn the balance on the stereo left or right, to whichever is the side that reads up and down?
Some thoughts. 1. Early phonograph records were not all recorded at 78 RPM. Standardization took a number of years. I suspect that this one is actually about a 70 RPM for proper speed and pitch. 2. The Patents were from 1897 for this sort of disk. I have seen that date on the labels of records from 20 years later, therefore, 3. The fact that the record company was founded in 1899, does not present a conflict.
Lovely video, my father would have loved watching this. My parents had the Garrard 301 and we found it recently after moving from our family home. It was and still is in dire condition and not in working order. We kept it in case anyone would want it for parts as we couldn’t bear to throw it in the skip. They also had Quad speakers the size of my flat! I’m posting here in case the wonderful world of the internet would be interested. Spread the word if anyone would like more information it’s in storage in London gathering more dust, as are the speakers!.
"its interesting what people found amusing back then" Yeah, I prefer people singing about their cat than what we have today with sex and fornication in every other pop song. The decline has been very clear.
Very interesting and informative video I have a 301 I want to repair I will like to know how to get the new rubber and gomet rubber could you please send me the link.thank you.
Also gotta ask: a) What model is the Technics? b) How does it compare to the Tecnnics knock-off by Audio Technica? Does the Audio Technica deck lag behind? How come you bought it? c) Are you planning to get an SL-1200 or, better, an SP-10?
I just gotta ask: a) Why the short arm on the LPs and the long one for 78s? b) What is the 78 rpm cartridge you use? I could not understand, it sounded like you said "Grado"? Do they make 78 rpm cartridges? c) Is the dbx processor a de-noiser/de-clicker? If so, does it affect the sound negatively?
22:32 Very nice plinth - this is a very good idea. I also did no know about those cone rubber feet coming in different grades. I always thought thy were solid hard rubber or plastic - very useful to know this.
12:31 Wise choice! There is nothing wrong with the original finish and this way it retains all its charm and the tell-tale signs of its age. If you had refinished it , it would have lost all of its character and the chance of getting the colour and painting wrong would have been high. So why bother?
Very useful video on taking apart and restoring this old deck - which seems to be in quite decent condition by the way. It is always worth watching other peoples' efforts before attempting it oneself, especially if the item to be restored is in a good condition to begin with: there is always a risk that the "restoration" imparts a higher degree of damage than leaving in the unrestored condition would. This often correlates positively with the restorer's impatience and overwhelming desire to see the fruit of their labour appear sooner than it is possible. Watching videos like this gives one the right perspective on how to go about a restoration of a complicated item.
9:55 I would careful with that cadmium plating which seems to be flaking off. I would not touch that toxic stuff with bare hands and I would ensure to clean up the bench carefully after working on them. Perhaps it is worth investigating whether some containment solution exists for the corroded cadmium that can be applied without necessitating stripping the plating off and that would possibly also protect the rest of the plating from corrosion. I know, protecting solution for the plating sounds totally ironic but it is mitigating the risk posed by the highly toxicity of this metal's oxide that makes it worth checking in my opinion.
7:57 I am not sure the sewing machine oil you have used is the appropriate type for this application. If it is not, it may lead to spindle bearing damage in the long term. Correct oil for Garrard spindles is available and while not exactly cheap, only a small amount is needed for the long term keep of the deck so it is a worthwhile small investment.
7:50 You have left the felt gasket off. This is absolutely necessary and should be installed back as soon as possible. Replacements are easy to find and are not expensive.
My mother told me the lyrics, just this morning, and I was able to look this up. She used to play it on the piano, she is 101 this year. Seated one day at the organ I was weary and ill at ease And my fingers wandered idly Over the noisy keys I know not what I was playing Or what I was dreaming then; But I struck one chord of music Like the sound of a great Amen Like the sound of a great Amen It flooded the crimson twilight Like the close of an angel's psalm And it lay on my fevered spirit With a touch of infinite calm It quieted pain and sorrow Like love overcoming strife; It seemed the harmonious echo From our discordant life It linked all perplexèd meanings Into one perfect peace And trembled away into silence As if it were loth to cease I have sought, but I seek it vainly That one lost chord divine Which came from the soul of the organ And entered into mine It may be that death's bright angel Will speak in that chord again It may be that only in Heav'n I shall hear that grand Amen
I’ve found using the “Hudson Hi-Fi” acrylic alignment tool and adjusting the tonearm so it’s perfectly parallel to the record surface (on tt’s that have the adjustable arm height feature) helps tracking considerably. Also using this same tool to adjust the cartridge azimuth ( on headshells with this feature) so the cartridge and stylus are perpendicular to the groove helps considerably. Using the only cartridge stylus made specifically for Diamond Disc playback also helps considerably, which is the Expert brand 3.5 mil ( same size as the original Edison Diamond disc stylus is) FCR profile. FCR profile is “full conical radius” ( imagine a ball point pen tip, it’s similiar to that, exceptionally smooth , much more smooth than a standard conical stylus is) and the correct type Edison employed on the original Diamond disc machines.
Very useful refresher vid. Not wanting to spend an arm and a leg on a replacement turntable to play my 1960s throuigh today extant vinyl collection, I picked up a ubiquitious Sherwood PM9805 before Sherwood disappearsd as a brand from my region. It has has an almost identical external presentation to this AT PL120 sans the height adjustment & being belt drive rather than direct drive. If it ever dies, an AT120 of some flavour will most probably meet all my needs and be my next turntable. Mine came fitted with the silver unbranded AT headshell and ATN3600L cartridge OOTB. Outstanding turntable for the money when I bought it.
