I got this a while back from Mr Gurr my ICT Teacher.. He was going on about it for ages it spent 20 odd years in the attic and he finally had time to get it for me! 
How very lucky I was!
After a rather long and painful (it's rather heavy after a 15 minute walk!) journey home(not to mention the funny looks I got) It went straight in the workshop. I gave it a few dabs of oil and it worked well.. I set the speeds using the strobes and they were spot on. The belt is a bit stiff and it creaks a bit when it starts but it's fine when it gets going. I won't replace it until it snaps! I know they are on eBay and for £4.95.
This Garrard deck plays through my 1200W Peavey CS800X amp when I don't have a headache, the cartridge and stylus are in good condition and this has to be the best sounding deck I have. I will replace the phono leads though as they are a bit short!
In June, I have been asked to 'DJ' at a friends wedding party and this will be coming with me along with my LP's and 100's of singles.. Sadly, not all of the music will be from vinyl but I will crossfade it with my laptop on those horrible things called MP3's!
What year is this? I'm assuming late 70's.
Not a bad deck but can be improved. The platter is light wieght and rings like a bell. Try a solid rubber mat,
take the belt off and boil it in water for 2 mins dry it with talc then shake all the talc off. Should be good as new. Check for any play in the arm bearings. I have seen one of thease decks fitted with a shure ed75 and seemed to track ok. The arm is the weekest part. That said you would have to spend lots to better it.
Well done.
rob t
Thanks Rob for the tip. Will give it a try. Nothing to lose if new belts are readily available.
Do you mean boiling as in kettle water or boiling tap water from the boiler?
We used to boil them in a pan. Worked a treat on video capstain belts and cd tray loading belts as well.
rob t
Jamie,
I Have a Garrard GT55P (needs repair after a little brat pulled the arm and upset the cueing) - most annoying given that it had been repaired and set up by Garrard in the mid eighties after my then lodger damaged it first time around.
It is in a box partially dismantled complete with service manual that I could only get from the USA.
The GT55P has a constant tangential tone arm to keep the stylus at the same angle as it tracks across the record
Garrard decks are generally well made. You are lucky to get yours. It looks in nice condition
Take care that the hinges on the perspex cover don't tighten up as this can cause the perspex to crack - has happened to mine. I guess silicone grease could be used as lubrication.
Andy
Only two really good Garrard decks, the 301 and the 401 but only if built into a solid plinth to sink all the motor vibrations.
rob t
And how about the 301s that the BBC used with modified turntable bearings? I first saw these on my first visit to the Radio Show at Earls Court when I was 14 - and spent a lot of time peering through the window of their control room!
The bearings were modified so that the turntable could be raised or lowered by a lever at the side.
An large alloy disc with a felt mat sat on the turntable, with a considerable overlap. As this obscured the strobe markings on the edge of the turntable an alternative was provided in the form of concentric rings of holes in the edge of the plate.
Under the overhang were two wooden blocks with felt on the top which just cleared the alloy plate in the playing position. The record was cued by operating the lever to drop the turntable at the cueing point, leaving the alloy disc stranded high and dry on the two blocks. The disc was turned back by hand to exactly the right point and could be left to its own devices until required.
A simple flick of the lever and the turntable came up, the rubber mat gripped the light alloy disc and the record started playing instantly - marvellous!
When all else fails, read the instructions
sounds an amazing contraption
rob t
sounds an amazing contraption
rob t
It was! The modified bearing was the heart of it - the rest was quite simple. When it was playing, apart from the alloy disc, it looked quite normal, unless you investigated what was underneath the disc ...
When all else fails, read the instructions
I remember decks like that in BBC Belfast. They were all like that. I didn't know they were Garrard nor that they only had two blocks.
Fantastic for cueing and of course no "plop" of needle hitting groove when you engaged the turntable.
I didn't know they ... only had two blocks.
They were several inches long but I have to admit that, although I encountered one 'in the flesh' as it were several years later, it never occurred to me to check if there was a third block round the back, which would make it more stable ...
When all else fails, read the instructions
