No doubt about that. By far the fussiest machine I have owned. Works great once you finally get it but it can be frustrating to get there.
My Garrard Lab 80 Obsession
- Thread starter gillsev
- Start date
johnjhazel
PhxJohn
Gadget73, Thank you for your fixes.
johnjhazel
PhxJohn
johnjhazel
PhxJohn
Here is just a minor update. Lab 80 #1 will be sold for parts. I am keeping the headshell and antiskate and possibly the short spindle. If my cat gets 'ahold' of the short spindle, I will never see it again. Lab 80 #2 is hopeful. Very hopeful. The right channel is dead...probably something simple. It is not the headshell as I had output from both channels on Lab 80 #1 with the same headshell/cartridge. I played a stack of 45's with the LRS9 spindle. Other than stalling during the change cycle, all went well. I love the tonearm on the Lab 80's. It is easy to balance and then dial in the VTF. And it is bit longer than most tonearms. It looks cool to me. I think it is really clever that the stacking spindles sense if there are any more records to play rather than having an overarm arrangement. And medium mass is exactly what I am looking for.
Thank you,
John (PhxJohn)
Thank you,
John (PhxJohn)
Garrard 82 is a derivative of the SL95 chassis with small platter. It is not as well built as the Lab 80 but is a credible performer. That chassis also suffers from problems when the grease hardens and dries up. Often the speed/record size knob seizes, and the owner forces it, and breaks it. The stop lever under the platter also tends to freeze up with old grease; malfunction of the stop lever causes either continuous repeat play with no shutoff, or shutoff every time without playing the record...depends on which position it gets stuck in!
Last edited:
Those seem to have a significant demand. If you decide you don't want it someone will buy it. I have an original, one I made, and one someone made for me. The one I made is longer, and honestly I like it better.
johnjhazel
PhxJohn
I received the Lab 80 service manual today. One or two of these Lab 80's is going up for sale.
Last edited:
johnjhazel
PhxJohn
Since there is a choice of styli for Pickering cartridges....how light can a Lab 80 track and still trip the reject cycle at the end of the record ?
johnjhazel
PhxJohn
Wasn't the Lab 80 often paired with the Shure V15 back when both were new ? I just tried a new bearing oil called 'Slick Liquid' that I bought from/off eBay. The platter on Lab 80 #2 spins much longer and it can almost make it through the change cycle without stalling. I will pick up Lab 80 #3 tomorrow. I think I just raised the average Lab 80 price. Lab 80 #4 will arrive in a week I guess. I am going to pick two to keep and two to sell. I am keeping all headshells as they sell for almost as much as the whole turntable.
SFBayArch
Super Member
Garrard and Shure marketed the Shure M80E Gard-O-Matic with the Lab 80. I believe the M80e was an M44/55 with a fancy sprung suspension.
Also, much of their marketing material also showed the Lab 80 with Pickering cartridges mounted.
This Shure advert shows the M80E mounted in a Lab 80 headshell
Also, much of their marketing material also showed the Lab 80 with Pickering cartridges mounted.
This Shure advert shows the M80E mounted in a Lab 80 headshell
johnjhazel
PhxJohn
Thank you for the information, charts, and reports. I had to put a nickel(5 grams) on the headshell of Lab 80 #2. Then I balanced the arm and dialed in tracking force. I wondered why I had to add weight to the headshell but then I noticed the little 'Lab 80' with lion badge is missing from just behind the headshell. I love how easy it is to balance the tonearm and dial in tracking force. With my AR 77-XB and Rega RB 202 it is a pain. To me, the Lab 80 is the epitome of user friendly. Very cool turntable.
I have one too, but before I had it at some point I needed one. My fix was a wad of blue-tac up inside the headshell to add some weight. Maybe not elegant but it got the job done.
Not sure what cartridges were offered, one of mine came with a Pickering V15, can't remember what the other had. I just figure 1.5 grams is about the lightest tracking cartridge that makes sense with the arm so no point in trying to go lower. Mine both run stuff in the 2-5 gram range.
Not sure what cartridges were offered, one of mine came with a Pickering V15, can't remember what the other had. I just figure 1.5 grams is about the lightest tracking cartridge that makes sense with the arm so no point in trying to go lower. Mine both run stuff in the 2-5 gram range.
I have one of these Shures, or one very similar. It came with a table I bought from eBay. The arm wouldn't even zero balance with it it was so heavy. No idea how they were making it work on that table. I believe they came on some dual tables as well.
Any idea if they're worth anything or if you can pull the actual cart out and put it in a more standard mounting clip?
SFBayArch
Super Member
There’s a chance this auxiliary weight might be mounted up under your cartridge hidden out of view if yours won’t zero balance.
Not likely. The Shure M80E was sold preinstalled in a Garrard headshell (unlike the earlier Shure M99 for the Garrard Type A which came in a Shure-built headshell). There is no room under the M80's mounting bracket for the Lab 80's auxiliary weight.
The M80E could track to a maximum of 1.5 grams; higher, and the cartridge would retract on its spring suspension. It was sold for the Garrard Lab 80 and Type A70; and a version was also built into Dual headshells, M80-D for the Dual 1009 and M80-D19 for the Dual 1019 and 1009SK.
The cartridge wires on the M80E were a single strand of copper inside a woven fabric "shield" built for maximum flexibility for the cartridge to "float" freely on its spring suspension. Unfortunately the single strand of copper could often break over time. You could remove the broken wire and solder in a new, conventional cartridge wire but anyone who has tried knows that it is very difficult to solder a Lab 80 headshell connector because a bit of excess heat will melt the plastic.
For that matter, you could remove the M80 and its suspension...it mounted via standard cartridge mounting screws. Carefully unplug the four wires and substitute another cartridge, with standard 1/2 inch mounting.
The M80 cartridge body was the same as the Shure M44/M55, modified to mount on the M80's spring suspension. The stylus for the M80E was the N55E.
The Shure instruction sheet (link below) for the M80E offered to repair a damaged stylus, if the diamond tip was still there and intact...for $6.00; the equivalent of about $44 today.
Shure M80E instructions
The M80E could track to a maximum of 1.5 grams; higher, and the cartridge would retract on its spring suspension. It was sold for the Garrard Lab 80 and Type A70; and a version was also built into Dual headshells, M80-D for the Dual 1009 and M80-D19 for the Dual 1019 and 1009SK.
The cartridge wires on the M80E were a single strand of copper inside a woven fabric "shield" built for maximum flexibility for the cartridge to "float" freely on its spring suspension. Unfortunately the single strand of copper could often break over time. You could remove the broken wire and solder in a new, conventional cartridge wire but anyone who has tried knows that it is very difficult to solder a Lab 80 headshell connector because a bit of excess heat will melt the plastic.
For that matter, you could remove the M80 and its suspension...it mounted via standard cartridge mounting screws. Carefully unplug the four wires and substitute another cartridge, with standard 1/2 inch mounting.
The M80 cartridge body was the same as the Shure M44/M55, modified to mount on the M80's spring suspension. The stylus for the M80E was the N55E.
The Shure instruction sheet (link below) for the M80E offered to repair a damaged stylus, if the diamond tip was still there and intact...for $6.00; the equivalent of about $44 today.
Shure M80E instructions
Last edited:
