Garrard 301/401 audition request


I was thinking about the movie "Inception" the other day, where there was a line about how hard it was to insert a thought into another person's mind in a way that the person believes its his/her own original thought.

I think Art Dudley's very interesting column in the latest Stereophile re. his refurbishment of a Garrard 301 caused a not so little "bee to start buzzing around in my bonnet". I began to find myself scanning E-Bay throughout the day for the latest 301 or 401 offering; checking out Craigslist not just in Southern California and was actually the second caller to an original owner selling his "grease" not "oil" 301 in Northern California (can you say shouts of "Road Trip" followed by a not-so-little letdown when he informed me that the first caller was about to show up on his doorstep later that evening). I've just started to peruse the various websites, forums, and posts with owner's insights, observations and glorious pictures of both 301's and 401's mounted in an amazing variety of plinths with an equally varied number of tonearms.

So before complete insanity takes ahold, I thought it would be prudent to attempt to actually hear what the Holy Grail sounds like before embarking on what could well be a mad, prolonged quest. So...if you are in Southern California (or Northern California for that matter) and feel a twinge of pity and/or sympathy for what I have brought upon myself, and you are willing to share your wonderful system with me for a couple of hours, I'd be only too happy to provide a nice bottle or two of aged California cabernet sauvignon or, if you are a believer of terroir, a red Burgundy from the hallowed hills of the Cote d'Or to accompany the listening session. If it would be of interest to you, I would gladly haul my Linn Sondek LP-12 over for a little side by side comparison/contrast.

Anyway, thanks for reading this post and Happy Listening everyone!
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Showing 2 responses by actusreus

What is it that you're expecting or hoping to hear from a piece of vintage audio equipment? I perhaps understand the desire to rebuild a piece of equipment one has a sentimental attachment to, but to expect some sort of audio nirvana coming from just one component of a system is just silly.

If I were you, I'd save that bottle for an date that is likely to bring you more sensory stimulation that an old turntable. In the alternative, I'd save it for when you have to placate your wife, if you have one, when you try to explain your trip to listen to yet another turntable.
Cmo,
Kudos to you for doing the research on my analog front. To be fair, my post was meant to contain both sincere curiosity as well as a little bit of both skepticism and sarcasm.

Perhaps because I'm a little younger than most A-goners (in my 30s), I am a little skeptical of any vintage equipment that develops an almost religious following. If the design is so good, why did it disappear from the market in the first place, and why isn't someone building turntables based on this design, whatever that design is? In the capitalistic economy it simply does not add up as turntable designers are always looking for ways to improve their design and capitalize (no pun intended) on a successful idea.

Since you had experience with different designs and manufacturers, perhaps you can shed some light what it is that this particular table does so much better than more modern models?