maintenance on Garrard 301

[sfellini]

Hey everyone -

I have a vintage Garrard 301 turntable that has

begun to show signs of problems.

Does anyone know of someone in the

Washington DC area who knows these turntables

well and is able to do maintenance on them?

Thanks,

Steve.

[scott0527]

That's a pretty 301 and nice tonearm too. Black nameplates on a cream body. Unusual. Is it a grease or oil bearing? I'm in Ohio, so I can't help you with a DC turntable specialist. What kinds of problems are you having? I've rebuilt a couple of these for my own use, maybe I can help?

[sfellini]

That's a pretty 301 and nice tonearm too. Black nameplates on a cream body. Unusual. Is it a grease or oil bearing? I'm in Ohio, so I can't help you with a DC turntable specialist. What kinds of problems are you having? I've rebuilt a couple of these for my own use, maybe I can help?

Hi Scott -

The arm is an SME 3012R. The TT is an oil bearing model.

The main problem is that I've noticed that it's starting to make

noise. I think I can hear the motor spinning. Not loud, but audible.

Maybe it just needs to be replenished with oil? I'm not going to

use it further until I know what's going on.

Thanks for any info you can provide,

Steve.

[scott0527]

Hi Scott -

The arm is an SME 3012R. The TT is an oil bearing model.

The main problem is that I've noticed that it's starting to make

noise. I think I can hear the motor spinning. Not loud, but audible.

Maybe it just needs to be replenished with oil? I'm not going to

use it further until I know what's going on.

Thanks for any info you can provide,

Steve.

Oh yes, I recognize the arm. A great match you have there. I found a couple of places mentioned in a thread about DC area turntable service. You might try calling them and see if it's something they do.

http://forum.stereophile.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=5065&Main=4820

The Garrard "experts" are in England and they charge a real premium but I'm sure the results are perfect. Shipping to England though... ugh.

http://www.garrard501.com/rebuild.html

If you are mechanically inclined, there is nothing all that magic about servicing a 301. Just a lot of tedious dis-assembly, cleaning, lubing and reassembly. The motor making noise wouldn't be uncommon. It's shell can become loose but it also has felt pads on bottom and top where the motor shaft spins that can dry out after 50 years believe it or not. The only way to get at them tends to be to take the motor apart.

[sfellini]

I found a couple of places mentioned in a thread about DC area turntable service.

Thanks for the reference but I very much doubt SoundWorks could do it.

The Garrard "experts" are in England and they charge a real premium but I'm sure the results are perfect. Shipping to England though... ugh.

Thanks for this! Yes, it would be costly, but it looks like a way of getting

it done right!

Thanks again,

Steve.

[LarryC]

I'm afraid I agree re SoundWorks, which has declined in the last several years. You might call Joe Stromick at JS Audio in Bethesda, (301) 656-7020 -- his store is prospering, he does some analog, and sometimes has good contacts. Gary has used the Audio Clinic in Silver Spring, (301) 587-0070. I don't know if they're up to the Garrard, though.

Larry

[scott0527]

I found a couple of places mentioned in a thread about DC area turntable service.

Thanks for the reference but I very much doubt SoundWorks could do it.

The Garrard "experts" are in England and they charge a real premium but I'm sure the results are perfect. Shipping to England though... ugh.

Thanks for this! Yes, it would be costly, but it looks like a way of getting

it done right!

Thanks again,

Steve.

They will do it right for sure. Some people find it hard to justify the expense but then, you have a classic piece of audio gear that means more than just playing vinyl correctly. A table like the Garrard 301 is an amazing piece and although can be costly get a hold of one and costly to bring it up to snuff, it's money well spent if you enjoy the look and feel of such a great old piece. No doubt it will sound wonderful but it's hard to put a dollar amount on the personal enjoyment of a perfectly working vintage piece.