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Clueless with a Garrard 301 - please reassure a newbie

K

Kiera

New Member
Hi everyone

My in laws have very kindly given my husband a Garrard 301 that belonged to his grandfather, who is sadly no longer with us. It comes with a tonearm - SME 3009 s2. My husband was very close to his grandfather and misses him terribly so I am hoping I can get the turntable restored for him as a Christmas present. It's fairly clean and in decent working condition, but it's in a horrible housing that rattles a lot and you can REALLY hear the motor whirring away when it's going, so I think something is going a bit wrong with it.

I am the kind of person who has a decentish but distinctly low end stereo, but with modern components (Rotel RA-04SE amp, Marantz CD6003, B&W 685s). This is very much my first venture into vintage hifi, so I have lots of questions (sorry). I do not have the first clue what I am doing here, and I don't want to make a mistake and balls up what sounds to be a classic piece of kit. :) As you can probably tell from my writing, I am not very expert about audio kit and I don't know what any of the specialist terms mean (but I would like to learn).

1. The Garrard 301 currently sounds rough as anything. Really scratchy and poor. Poor ole Bob Dylan sounded like he was underwater when I put Blonde on Blonde on. The cartridge is really shot, so that may explain why. But first things first, please reassure me that it'll sound much better when I've done the work and that I'm not going to be spending £££ to get a very average result! (My ears are still hurting right now!)

2. I'm thinking of taking it to Peak Hifi. Anyone used them? Are they decent? Will they do a thorough job?

3. Plinths. I need a new one, and they seem to be eye-wateringly expensive. What should I look for? I'm bothered about how it sounds much more than how it looks, but I'd like something that's in keeping with a 1950s bit of design. Not bothered about it looking bling.

4. Will the Garrard 301 work with my existing, modern set up? Or is my kit just too poor to get the best out of it?

Really appreciate your guidance and help.
Kiera
 
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Congratulations on your ownership of a Garrard 301, definitely a classic vintage piece. I haven't any experience of Peak Hifi, but I get a good feeling from their website.

I recommend you call Peak Hifi, and discuss the restoration of the turntable, your budget, and what they can do for you for the money to bring the turntable to usable condition. I guess you may be in the UK from your use of "£££" when discussing prices, those plinths, I agree eyewatering! If you can get friendly with them they may have an old plinth from a turntable that they have upgraded with one of their 'eyewaterers' that they can let you have, thus perhaps saving you some money and keeping it original. If you just want the turntable restored, and not upgraded I hope this will result in much lower cost for you.

Good luck with it and do let us know how you get on.
 
To the OP. Congrats, nice table. The motor no doubt needs to be lubricated at a minimum, and do other joints and pieces. For a new plinth you might look on Ebay.... I see lots listed.
 
Welcome
You've come to the right place. I wouldn't have guessed that you are new here after reading your well written clear post. Good luck with your turntable project.
 
According to the Loricraft website, Jane has retired and no longer involved. The Go-To person now is Terry. Good luck on the repair journey. Please keep us posted and make sure to post photos.
 
I can happily reassure you that any money you spend on the 301 will be well worth it - it's one of the world's finest turntables when in proper fettle.

The above suggestions are excellent and Loricraft will do a superb job but so beware their work is not cheap! I'm not familiar with Peak Hi-Fi's work but I know of several happy customers. In addition, I can add Northwest Analogue to the list - Dominic worked his magic on my 401 and did a superb job as I was too lazy to get round to it myself! Out of interest, whereabouts in the UK are you? If you're anywhere near the central south coast, I'd be happy to lend a hand.
 
Beobloke said:
The above suggestions are excellent and Loricraft will do a superb job but so beware their work is not cheap!
Click to expand...

My first thought was whether the OP had an idea of what the cost could run?
It might be a bit of a shock to some who are outside the TT club.
 
Owning a 301 is kind of like owning a classic car... parts and plinths can be very expensive. However, every dollar (or pound) invested in that turntable will appreciate as the years go on. It is worthwhile to air on the side of going slow and doing things right, which is unfortunately sometimes more expensive.

However, again, that really is a spectacular table. The tonearm attached to it is also highly sought after and will appreciate in price as the years progress. Kudos to you as a wife. This is a gift with high value emotionally, financially, and even historically. Your husband will certainly love it!
 
asilker said:
Owning a 301 is kind of like owning a classic car... parts and plinths can be very expensive. However, every dollar (or pound) invested in that turntable will appreciate as the years go on.
Click to expand...


I was speaking as an owner of a hammer tone 301.
 
The Garrard expert I recommend is Martin Bastin. He serviced my 301 and completely rebuilt my 401 turntables for a very fair price. Nothing against Loricraft, but recommend Martin, if he is still working on Garrards. This contact information is a few years old.
Martin Bastin,
Stocking Cottage,
Cleestanton,
Ludlow sY8 3EL
England.

Tel / Fax 01584-823446
 
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