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Garrard or Dual turntables any good?

jeeem

jeeem

Active Member
Back in the '60s and '70s I recall hearing a lot about Garrard and Dual turntables, but I really don't know anything about them. I've heard that the Garrard 301 and 401 transcription turntables are pretty good, but what about other models (like the 95b)? I have some cool old turntables by Philips, Technics, Elac, Pioneer, Sonab... Should I consider adding a Garrard or Dual to my collection? Any recommendations? Thanks.
 
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Dual 12xx series (1219, 1229, 1229q) are popular idler drives. I had a 1229q that had been refurbished and played strong and quiet. The fully automatic mechanism was an engineering marvel!
 
jeeem said:
Back in the '60s and '70s I recall hearing a lot about Garrard and Dual turntables, but I really don't know anything about them. I've heard that the Garrard 301 and 401 transcription turntables are pretty good, but what about other models (like the 95b)? I have some cool old turntables by Philips, Technics, Elac, Pioneer, Sonab... Should I consider adding a Garrard or Dual to my collection? Any recommendations? Thanks.
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Welcome to the AK turn table forum. :music:

Here is a link to the 95B:
http://www.vinylengine.com/library/garrard/sl-95b.shtml
 
jeeem said:
Back in the '60s and '70s I recall hearing a lot about Garrard and Dual turntables, but I really don't know anything about them. I've heard that the Garrard 301 and 401 transcription turntables are pretty good, but what about other models (like the 95b)? I have some cool old turntables by Philips, Technics, Elac, Pioneer, Sonab... Should I consider adding a Garrard or Dual to my collection? Any recommendations? Thanks.
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You already have some cool turntables so why not add some more. I use a Garrard RC88/4 with good results and I have also obtained good results with a Garrard 40B (more modern table). I owned a Garrard SL95B back in the day and I really liked it too. One good thing about most of the Garrard turntables is that one can find them for very little $.

Garrard 40B with Shure SC35C


Garrard RC88/4 with Shure M7D
 
I picked up a Dual 1214 in a lovely wooden plinth with nice smoked Perspex cover for $10 in the Salvation Army. Worked great and had a nice, distinctive sound to it. I almost kept it in favour of my Technics SL-Q3 but it didn't quite fit with my rig. Great TT though, lovely.
 
I've had a Dual CS-506-1, Dual 1019, Dual 1229Q, and Dual 701.All of them were nice performers and once you get used to the little quirks they can have, you can enjoy them.

Some on other forums don't like that they can't be upgraded with different arms, but their arms are fine for what they are. The head shell sleds are a little finicky, but other than that they are very well built. Put them in an after market solid plinth, and they become more attractive. Just my 0.02.
 
I like my Duals. Have and use a 1010S,1119,1229, and 601. The last one to figure out how it works. Worth adding. Would love a Garrard 301. Pricey. Started playing with Garrard 95S. Jury still out sound good though.

Eric
 
Garrard 301 and 401's are pretty much in a different league and priced accordingly. Garrard had it's heyday in the sixties, Dual in the seventies, for the most part.

I've always liked Duals, but as brought out above, the sleds can be kind of finicky and the steurpimple :D can wear out creating issues. There are a few guys around that can make them right though and for what they are, they are a good turntable. I currently have a 1218 but I've had a 1009, 1219, 1215, and 1228 over the years. Stay away from Duals older than the 1009 as parts are very hard to come by.

Garrards had a much wider range and were available for a longer period than Duals. In the fifties, they were probably the most common, good, turntable around although today those are probably best used as a 78 changer. I've had a few and they were not overly difficult to get going nicely but the arm tracks a little heavy, in that vintage, nearly everything did. I currently have a Garrard Lab 80 which I like very much. Perfect example of mid sixties British engineering with all it's good and bad points. Very decent arm considering it's vintage. I've also had an older model A, which is decent, if not a little clunky. SL series Garrards are good, the 95 being the creme of that crop. Certain models can suffer from motor issues although I'm not sure if it's overly common. I think the Zero 100 looks cool, but just too much going on with that arm. Garrards, after the early seventies, pretty much deteriorated into cheap junk.

Again my opinion, others may feel differently. Most any decent Asian turntable from the seventies, is as good or better than some Duals and most Garrards though. If one wanted a good Dual, look for a 1219 or 1229, Garrard, a Lab 80 although the SL95 is a pretty good table also. If price doesn't matter then a 301 or 401 would be a no brainer.
 
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Good point, also sold under the Presto name. Very good for the vintage.

For belt drives, the AR turntable is about as fine a vintage belt drive as you will come across and they are around.

Both Lenco and AR lend themselves to easily be hot rodded if one is into that type of thing. I'm not but I've seen some beauties.

I've always thought about pulling the trigger on a big ole broadcast turntable like a Gates, Russco, or Collins. I think it might be something to do with the big stick shift sticking out of the front, but then the right side of my brain kicks in and says "What! Are you kidding!!". :D But I wouldn't be surprised if I owned a nice Rek-O-Kut someday.
 
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I have the belt driven 601. Aside form motor speed issues (which I will fix someday with a replacement motor I have) it's awesome. I have it paired with a Denon DL110, sounds fantastic.
 
I've had limited experience, but second the Garrard RC 88/4. There's good information online about restoring them, and once I got the old lube cleaned out and reapplied/worked in the new lubrication I just totally dig it. The thing looks great and didn't need much encouragement to start working like a champ again
14045880_10208950926264034_1280261169694727058_n.jpg
 
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hi*ball said:
Dual turntables are horrible.

If you come across any, do yourself a favor and send them to me.
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Oh, I think you would appreciate that...;-)

The 1009-1216 didn't have a Steuerpimpel made of rubber - the friction surface on this is the last part to go "kaputt".
Those old Duals are quite robustly build, but can have issues with hardened lubes and grease. But: those TTs are 40+ years old, and surely need and deserve some care.
 
I love my Garrard Lab 80, after tearing it apart and getting it working right, although it certainly has it's shortcomings compared ot more modern turntables. Very rubmly. Beatiful though. I also have a Garrard SL-95b that isn't really worth the effort i put into restoring it. It's kind of neat looking but I've never been able to get the hum completely out of it, and it just doesn't hold a candle to a Dual of the same era. Very frustrating to take apart and clean compared to a Dual, and the engineering just isn't as good.

I have a Dual 1219 and a 1249. I love the 1249 if you can get a properly working motor for it. Same for the 601. The 1218 is great as a cheaper option if you don't mind the smaller platter. I'm restoring a 1229 at the moment. I've fixedup a couple 1015Fs, which are nice in a more antiquated way. I'd steer clear of some of the lower number 12xx ones. The 1214 and 1215 are kind of cheesy. And the later ones tend to get really plastic-y. The 1237 comes to mind as one that has a rather cheap feel to it.
 
charlesdemar said:
The 1214 and 1215 are kind of cheesy
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Well, at least the 1215 with its profile tonarm is not much behind the 1218. In some models the same motor and same platter are used. Well, the coupled tracking force - antiskating force mechanism prohibds the use of too "sharp" elliptical styluses - but I liked the 1215 that I've owned...had to go for an even more rustic 1212...;-)
 
Don't get me wrong, I like the 1215 too, but it's definitely a step down. On the plus side they're a lot easier to maintain. The tonearm on the 1218 is very similar to the 1219. Dual certainly didn't make junk on any kind of level Garrard or BSR churned out.
 
Just restored a Lenco to working condition, really worth it, sounds awesome. Speed/Attack/Live-feel, my Technics sounds like a transistor radio in comparison.

And, I have just bought me a project for endless modding which really is the nicest. Great raw-material those idler-drives(they are way too powerful for driving 33 rpm LP:s, a rest of the past when there's was real breaking force in playing a 78 rpm, so they do the 33:s with extreme ease).
 
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