Garrard Changers

[Jody Thornton]

Hi Folks:

What are your thoughts on Garrard AT-6 and 3000 changer models? I've had some opportunities to pick them up in consoles or plinths. I don't restore phonos myself, but I'd love to have a restored changer, just to play a stack of junk K-Tel type LPs in a stack.

I don't mind using a ceramic cartridge in this case. But apart from that, which are the quietest and most reliably working?

Also how does it compare to the V-M changer pictured here (it's one of my favourites)

http://thevoiceofmusic.com/vm_rec_ch...turntables.asp

[Olorin67]

The VM changers are fairly easy to work on, and have better parts availablity. The small chassis autoslim based Garrard models like the at-6 and 3000 are reliable, and one of the easier changers to work on also. The models with heavy platters like the at-6, at60, and sl-65 are the best, and have better tonearms also. The models with heavy platters will outperform the VMs by a good margin. The best of the regular VM changers were the Zenith branded ones, those have better tonearms, but take an odball Zenith cartridge. the Garrards with removable headshells will take any modern cartridge, plus you can swap to a 78 cartridge when you want to play 78s.
i like the garrards with heavy platters, maybe not quite in the same league as a Dual changer, but way easier to maintain. i have a couple Dual changers, but they are so complex I havnt dared to dive into them yet.

Pretty much any changer is old enough that it will need to be dissassembled to clean out all the gummy old lubricants if you want it to function properly. That gets expensive if you have to pay someone else to do it. The VM , BSR, and small chassis Garrards are probably the best changers for a beginner to service and get operating.

[Olorin67]

The main weak point of the VMs, is that almost all of them had 2-pole motors, which cannot maintain speed accuracy very well. Most of the Garrards (at least in the USA) had 4-pole or syncronous motors. Some of the cheaper garrards put in consoles do have 2 pole motors.

[Electronic M]

Beware the Garards with Synchrolab* motors. *A hybrid of two pole and synchronous types. I have two Garards with those damn motors (one a parts unit). The good one started with a good motor, but it began to run slow from a cold start, and eventually got so bad I could not coax it to run at normal speed. I eventually swapped in the one from the parts unit, and that eventually got pretty close to the other one....I finally got fed up, and switched to a Realistic changer on friday.

[Jody Thornton]

What Realistic Changer? LAB 56?

[Electronic M]

Close, LAB 36A.

I've had it for ages. long ago I learned how to identify turntable rumble from it, and a few months back how to trouble shoot and fix rumble. Once I dealt with the rumble (caused by a depression in the idler) I had to reduce tonearm wiring capacitance to make it compatible with my CD-4 Quardaphonic record decoder system and pickup.

Now I just have to get an ESR meter and troubleshoot my CD-4 decoder....

[Olorin67]

I forgot about the Garrard motors, there is at least one version that I've heard had plastic. Parts that warp with age, causing binding. i don't think theres a fix for that, unless you sub a different motor from a Garrard parts unit that is unaffected by that issue. i only have 2 autoslim based changers, but mine seem to have the motors that are unaffected. Not sure which models have the suspect motors. Garrard made many variations on the same basic platform. Like any old phono motor, there is often old gummy oil impregnated in the motor bearings, Ive had vM motors that I had to take apart and soak 3-4 times in lacquer thinner before they would stay running at the right speed for more an a week or two. i think every time the motor gets warm, more old gummy oil works its way out of the pores in the bearing, then it will run slow until it warms up again.

[Jody Thornton]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

Close, LAB 36A.

Oooooh a BSR/MacDonald Unit. This one always seemed a tad nicer than other BSRs. I've seen some Sears units that I would love to play some 70s LPs on...lol

[KentTeffeteller]

A Garrard AT series changer is very decent and can track at 2.5 grams and use a Magnetic cartridge. Simple and decent.

[consoleguy67]

Try a Collaro.

[KentTeffeteller]

Collaros are nice, but need to be pre 1967 or component series to avoid the difficult to sub cartridge issue.

[Olorin67]

Many 60s Garrards use removable headshells which are fairly easy to find on Ebay, and take regular 1/2" cartridges. The garrard headshells seem to be fairly robust designs, unlike the poor electrical contact of some of the designs back then (Like Dual 1009).

[KentTeffeteller]

As well as the later Garrards after this line in the AutoSlim and the nasty, cheap, clunky Unimech mechanism which replaced the good, sturdy, easily serviced AutoSlim line. Unimech was Garrard at their worst. Plessey gradually ruined the company and gutted them.