Why the Garrard Lab 80 (you ask)? It made its debut in 1964, the year I was born. The Lab 80 has been the turntable I was born into that it's almost synonymous to call it "Dad".
Background ...
I once had a Lab 80 that I ruined back in the days when I was only 5 yrs. old when "the automatic" peaked my curiousity (as my Dad would put me on a stool to watch it play and cycle). At that age, I was just amazed to see how the tonearm lifted by itself at the end of the record and return itself to its rest. One day when my Dad wasn't around, I got up on the stool and decided to spin the platter as fast as I could as I engaged the auto cycle. You could just imagine the arm going back and forth to and from the platter - to its rest - then back again at such speed (as the stylus hits the mat!), I was enjoying myself! Not for long though as my Dad returned home unexpectedly and caught me in the act! Boy could you see his disappointment! But what can he say, I was only 5. He tried to play a record and the auto function just came to a halt from then on. Oh well ... it was off to the attic.
Later on when I was in high school, I dusted off that Garrard and placed a Shure M447 on it. Still sounded good. But the auto malfunction just got into me that I started dismantling the table thinking that I might be able to fix it ... but no hope for me. I just didn't know how to put it all back together again. So this time its off to the the trash.
One thing I've observed though ... that this was really a quality automatic transcription turntable as they claimed it to be. From the heavy dynamically balanced platter to the craftsmanship of a well dynamically balanced armature of the motor, up to the execution of those lever switches! And even the arm itself with the aformosia wood, the feel of the controls, and just the whole unit itself was oozing with quality and craftsmanship.
I have never seen such quality ever displayed again ... not even on the later Zero 100 models (or even on the top of the line Z2000B) during the 70's. Those were just flimsy models with a lot of hype that didn't add up to performance. They just didn't have that quality feel at all as I had with the Lab 80. It was built like a tank.
The Lab 80 was engineered the best of its time.
Fast forward to today...
I just feel that I have to undo and pay my respects to the beloved Lab 80. Hardly could you find one these days that are fully functional and would require a total rebuild. But when I found this one for $50, I jumped on it ...
WOW! You would have thought that this Lab 80 came right out of a time capsule from 1964! This is totally immaculate and fully functional on all auto functions! It even came with the long changer spindle and I tried loading 8 records (for its maximum). It worked flawlessly! There's not even a hint of sluggishness to the auto cycle! I even haven't put a drop of sewing machine oil to it, and yet it's quiet and working oh so smoothly. Even the cue function ever so gently lands the stylus on the record. This is almost like New Old Stock condition! I am a very happy man knowing that my beloved Lab 80 is back to life once again, and that I didn't have to worry about rebuilding it. What a find!
Update ... I managed to take off the platter and lubed the bearing spindle and idler wheel post. Just a little maintenance after 45 years.
