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My Garrard Lab 80 Obsession

How do you all like my little improvisation on my stylus grip? Got that generic replacement from the bay for only $17, but it sounds good too with a more extended low end! But the all yellow stylus grip was just too boring to look at, so I improvised by doing a red line on the center.

What'd ya think, ha? Ala Denon DL 103R wanna be :D

stylus.jpg
 
Just wondering if I'm right that my Lab80 is a hybrid of the first model and the Mk II as I suspect? (see pic in post 97)
 
gillsev said:
Nice one, but I wonder what are those 6 knobs on the plinth for :scratch2:
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It looks like someone mounted the LAB80 to a base they had from some other piece of equipment. I doubt that the controls have any function for the TT. It does look interesting but not my idea of a plinth I would use.:no:
 
fiddlefye said:
I absolutely agree that the idler should be replaced on these tables and that will be the first thing I do when I get time to finish working on my Lab80. Even if they're working to a reasonable degree it is only a matter of time before performance degenerates seriously. The rubber is over 40 years old after all. What I'm wondering about is what to do with the weight on the anti-skate arm? It slides freely up and down as the arm raises and lowers. I believe it is a rubber grommet inside that's supposed to hold it in place by friction? Any thoughts on what to do to make it stay in place? Any way to replace that?
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The rubber ring applies force onto a stainless steel ball which gets wedged into one of the depressions on the anti-skate arm. I have noticed that if I am tracking at 1 to 1.25 grams I don't need the bias compensator. To fix it all you need is a stainless steel ball bearing and a small o-ring that you can probably pick up in the plumbing dept. of Home Depot. These parts are not on the parts list as the bias compensator is shown as an assembly. I have a very early Mark I. If you find yours is different let us know.
 
fiddlefye said:
Just wondering if I'm right that my Lab80 is a hybrid of the first model and the Mk II as I suspect? (see pic in post 97)
Click to expand...

Yours was the transitional model just before they went into MKII. That was the Lab 80 version I really wanted because of the covered pivot. The covered pivot gives it such a massive bulky appearance which is the finishing touch to such a massive tonearm. It ties it all together.

lab80mkii.jpg


Besides, that was the version my Dad had in my story (Post #1).

But anyway, I'm still happy with mine. I'm just glad to have found mine in such excellent shape! :thmbsp:
 
gillsev said:
Ahhh, it just needs to be snapped in place. No biggy.
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I agree. I think it's a keeper. Even if I had to get the idler resurfaced it would be worth the money for a cosmetically excellent TT! Notice it has the ball bearing in the bias compensator but not the o-ring.
 
My first "good" TT was a Lab 80 ca 1968 during my 1st Army hitch. Gave it and the rest of my stereo stuff to my bro when I re-enlisted from inactive reserve later. The TT set-up I've had for the last 27 years has had what now appears to be a Lab 80 pot-lid dust cover that I mod'ed to make it fit. The arm set-up, a Souther SLA-3, wouldn't fit under the stock cover for the TT, a Denon DP-55K, so a bud gave me the cover to try many years ago. He had/has a lot of old junk.
 
OK, I'm gonna bump this epic thread. I'm fiddling with a Lab 80 (MKII, I believe) I've had collecting dust in my garage -- picked it up at an estate sale a few years ago. These graphics have been VERY helpful.

But I have a big problem: I can't set the anti-skate. The arm will pretty much only stay in position to play the third song on a four-song LP side. I've set the VTA but still the arm goes right to the incorrect position as soon as I take it off its mount.

Any ideas would be appreciated.
 
Lab 80 Cartridge and Stylus

I was fortunate enough to stumble across one of these for FREE!!! I just had to haul it back up North from the Hollywood Hills. Well, after pouring over this thread I have determined that I have an original Lab 80. It has a cartridge on it and it works but I am not sure about tracking force. Would it be in my best interest to invest in a new cartridge and stylus or work with what is and keep the original set up.
Here are a few photos any info would be much appreciated. Thanks!!!

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These will track properly at least as far down as 1.25 grams when running as a changer. I dont recognize that cartridge, but if its decent and a stylus can be had for reasonable, it may be worth replacing the stylus. I'm running a Shure M93E on mine with an N91ED stylus at 1.25 and it does fine. I've had 8 albums on there at a shot and it still works properly.
 
I do not recognize the cartridge either. The black section holding the stylus makes me think of the Shure M3D but I not remember the body looking like that. I'd research the cartridge before discarding it as some of the earlier cartridges such as the M3D are truly better than you'd think. They present a very musical experince vs the later designs that sometimes sacrifice the experience in order to dig out the last nuance and detail many times making the music too dry and analytical.

The Lab 80 was one of my first changers and I really enjoyed using it for a couple of years. It seemed to treat the records better than most of the time and the arm is not as bulky as it looks considering the wood. I finally replaced it with a Miracord 50HII as my standard changer of choice until I gave up changers of any sort. Today, with my downsizing project, I'd probably go back to a changer and stack records.
 
kaplang said:
What kind of cartridge is that?
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I am not sure either but here are few more photos of the cartridge and stylus...I will say it is solid and does play nicely for what could be an original set up. I am going to try and balance it out and see if 1.25 grams is the proper tracking force. wish me luck!

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