[Vintage-Audio] Garrard from the Garage

[Duane Fischer, W8DBF]

Hi Bob,

Some control the stylus pressure on the record and some control the sideways 
anti-skate balance. You have three gravitational forces in operation; 
up/down, left/right and forward/reverse.

You could be missing the anti-skate balance weight that some turntables 
used. No big deal there, just worry about the normal stylus pressure and 
tonearm counterbalance to prevent sideways pressure on the stylus.

As you already know, the most typical causes of distortion are too much 
tracking pressure, or not enough! Depending when this turntable was made 
Bob, it may need at least 3 grams. The stylus's we now use would buckle in 
half!

Another cause is a bit of crud stuck at the top of the actual stylus needle 
which impairs normal stylus movement. A blast of compressed air normally 
dislodges it. If not, a carbonated beverage belch almost always does the 
job! Messy, but effective!


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Nickels" <w9ran at oneradio.net>
To: "Vintage home and professional audio equipment from 1975 back" 
<vintage-audio at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2008 1:32 PM
Subject: [Vintage-Audio] Garrard from the Garage


> Note I didn't say 'garbage'...but I think this may have been where it was 
> retrieved from.  If I remember correctly I spotted this Garrard 
> "Laboratory Series A" turntable at the curb one day a few years ago and 
> stashed it in a box in the garage.    It looks just like the pic at the 
> top of this page:
>
> http://www.hawthorneaudio.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2243&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
>
> except the pic shows the proper wood Garrard base and mine is on an 
> improper Garrard piece of crap base that doesn't fit, but does hold it off 
> the table so I can run it, at least.  It's in pretty decent shape and 
> works, at least in the manual mode which is all I'd want to use anyhow. 
> Looking for help with two problems:
>
> 1 - the spindle adapters are all missing.  If anyone happens to have any 
> of them taking up space in a drawer somewhere, I'd be happy to hear from 
> you.
> 2 - the audio is distorted.
> It's got a Shure M3D cartridge installed, which I know is really an old 
> model,  so maybe that's the problem.  I can probably scrounge up another 
> cart to try, but I've also been fiddling with the tracking force.  I used 
> to use one of these TTs back in the 70s (still have it I think...if you're 
> doubtful that I could lose track of something the size of a turntable then 
> you're obviously unfamiliar with my "filing system").    I just messed 
> with it til it sounded right and left it at that.  The two variables seem 
> to be the movable weight on the back of the tonearm and a spring that can 
> be tightened under the tonearm that pulls down on it.   Do these two 
> adjustments have the same effect, i.e. setting the tracking force?  If 
> anyone might have a scan of the manual, that would certainly be helpful. 
> Changing the tracking doesn't seem to make any improvement in the 
> distortion so I suspect that points to the cartridge.  (Thus far no US 
> coinage has been pressed into service).
>
> Anyone using one of these old beasts?  It may not be audiophile quality 
> but definitely a cut above the cheap Garrards that came later.
>
> 73, Bob W9RAN
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