A Magical Mid-Century Record Changer? The Garrard Type A Mark II
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- Опубликовано: 25 мар 2020
- I present to you the Garrard Type A Mark II record changer from the late 1950s/early 1960s. While it isn't the world's best record player, it sports a few interesting features, including what at first appears to be a crooked spindle. Dive into this video and learn a bit more about this fascinating turntable from yesteryear.
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Garrard Type A turntables on eBay:
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Purchase vinyl records on Amazon:
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My favorite record brush for cleaning:
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My favorite record sleeves to keep your vinyl safe:
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My favorite scale for balancing your tonearm:
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I have the garrard rc 80 from 1950 and the way of function is exactly the same of yours. It is amazing, how great was the technology at that time. Hugs from Bolivia.
I am so happy with my rc80 and rc88 ttables from 50's. They are amazin. Best regard from Chile.
I have 2 Garrard Type A turntables. I have a Audio Technica cartridge installed in one and it is what I use regularly for playing my records. I love it.
The wobbly off center platter mat is triggering my OCD.
Huge lifelong fan of Garrards here. As a kid i was fascinated by my dad's Type A, especially that "feeler" arm that gently touches the edge of the record. That blew me away, not to mention all of the cool sounds it makes. It is like a switch watch under the hood, for sure.
Now I am older and still own my dad's Garrard Type A which is still fully functional. I believe one of the reasons it's fully functional is it never sat idle for any long period of time. So it didnt have a chance for the mechanisms to "freeze" up due to gunk.
Now I own a plethora of Garrards, some need more of my attention and others are fully functional. So if you are curious and buy such a turntable (idler drive), unless it's been restored, you will probably need to give it some attention. Or send it to a Garrard expert. When they sre running, they are a true joy to use, even if you just want to use it as manual turntable. People don't realize that once the once the automatic cycle is complete, all those mechanisms are disconnected from the spindle, so there's no performance degradation.
The record changing mechanisms of these changers were designed to be very easy on the records themselves.
Also, that little pusher tongue (finger) has an awful lot of metal connected to it underneath. It's deceiving.
Well, nice video. You've accurately described the Garrard Type A MKII you have there.
Holy cow. Where you been? Most record changers operated this way from the 1940's-into the 60's. The way they measured record size for tone arm set-down varied.
I love Garrard turntables and have had several over the years. My parents had a radiogram with a Garrard RC110 that I have inherited. I have another radiogram made by KB that has a 3 speed RC80M from 1955. That one uses a similar pusher mechanism and works well. I managed to strip down the motor and have the two field coils rewound after a burn out. Of course there are turntables I wish I'd kept. Thanks for the video. Cheers!
I have a Type A MK I and use it almost every day. I love it. Got lucky enough to find one with the super rare Lexan cover too.
I once had a Garrard RC-80, from which the Type A, MK II was decended. It was in an upright console with Richard Allen speakers, with beautiful sound. It had a table extension so that it could play small hole 7" records, a 45 RPM spindle, and a flip over style cartridge with a 45-33 stylus on one side and a 78 one on the other. It was mono only, so I had to play my stereo records on another machine. I played the RC-80 until its motor burned out. It didn't have 16 RPM, but I had BSRs that did.
This Ttable is more reminiscent of older style changers dating to 30s, 40s & early 50s. It is a classic. Check out slide changers, flip-over changers and the Philco beam of lite changer. All astonishing.....! Have fun; it's a great hobby.....!
It is a fantastic changer. Had a Type A changer that I gave away about 10 years ago. Big mistake. Just recently bought one on eBay. It’s in excellent condition. It was from an estate sale. They are perfect for playing 78’s. 45’s too. It does have a 45 adapter. Have had the adapter since the 1970’s. eBay has them. Not to pricey.
ollaro turntables around 1958 had a similar size and presence detector systems which used the tonearm that came up and checked for records
Thanks to your video I was able to see enough of the stacker operation for the 45 adapter I was able to assemble one I have. Thank you.
My earliest memory of a turntable is the Garrard that was before this one, but used the same system for dropping records. Late fifties, pre-school, my mother would play classical records and 78s and I'd watch the arm tap the side to measure the record and the other side push it off the shelf so it would drop onto the platter. Still fascinates me. Thanks for the video.
It's great to see the video. I was given one of these turntables back in the late 70s. I had it for a number of years, and like you I kept it for playing my RnB 78rpm records, most of them being USA releases, which are hard to find in the UK. As I used to be a DJ on a community radio station, I recorded some of them on a real to real tape recorder and then had them transferred to acetate 45rpm singles so that I could play them on the radio as the station only had 2 speed turntables. 😊. Thanks again for the happy memories.
I have several Garrard Changers. Earlier ones also have a 7" setting meaning you can change 45's that have the centre insert without using the centre adapter. You can also use this machine with a short spindle in manual mode and put the arm on the record yourself. Or alternately put your hand in front of the feeler arm and fool it into placing the arm automatically on the record. The springs are, depending upon where the changer is placed, possibly too springy - yours is bouncing too much and I'd dampen it under the corners with a few strips of rubber matting of some sort. That will improve playback.
Hello Mark. Had one years ago that I bought in 1968. I gave it away about ten years ago. Sorry I did that. Fortunately I kept the 45 adapter. Just bought another type “A” from eBay just a week ago. It’s in very good shape. It has an Empire cartridge model 108. I just bought a replacement stylus. Hope it will work.The cartridge, last I checked first came out in 1959. An early stereo cartridge. (Check the price for one on eBay. Wow!) I too have a substantial collection of 78’s, and some old radio transcriptions from the 1940’s. (I have a turntable for those) They also require a .02 stylus. It will need some adjustments, and most likely cleaning, and lubrication. Overall it functions quite well. It doesn’t stall when engaging the changer. That’s a plus. Great video. You have a new subscriber. Good day sir.
Garrard type A changers and any other type using a pusher mechanism on the side do not destroy the centre hole on the record which first begins with the destruction of the paper label and then begins chipping the shellac. I ruined so many of my near mint 78 's by stacking them on a Garrard SL65B changer. The bent spindle on the type A also reduces the distance of the fall and the angle of the stacked records allows more room for the pick up to move upwards in the change cycle. The mechanism under the motorboard is incredibly complicated and difficult to identify what part to target to get it all to function properly. Best machine for playing 78's is the Garrard 4HF which has a 12 inch platter and can play transcription records. To get the best sound these turntables should be paired to a vintage valve amplifier and a vintage crystal cartridge such as a ronette flip over type seals the deal if you are also using these turntables for playing vintage 10 inch long playing vinyl records.
Garrard is a good quality brand. In the 50's and 60's they' were assembled in England for Magnavox console stereos.
The Magnavox co. never used Garrard changers. The only used Collaro changers. In 1958,and 1972 Magnavox used V.M changers, for there cheaper portable phonograph.
Do you have a link to the head cartridge and needles you used? Interested in that upgrade for mine
I have Series A like yours. I’m restoring it. I can NOT get the tonearm to go down on the size 12” record size! I got it to do the 7” and the 10” size. But it won’t do the 12” size. I going crazy! Help! Ric
The Garrard "Pusher-Platform" mechanism first appeared in the late 1940`s-early 1950`s on the model RC-88..even though the mechanism was complex,it proved to be utterly reliable and was carried on until the mid 1960`s...The last model to use the pusher platform mechanism was the Model A-70 Mark II....which ended production I believe in 1968....at that point..Garrard still used a two point record stack support system on their better models such as the Model SL-95-B and the Zero 100...it was a much simplified design however...consisting of a slightly bent spindle which contained the dropping mechanism and a support post neat the tonearm the edge of the records rested on.....You are completely correct about Garrard being sold to various companies over time....There was Plessy consumer products...followed by British Industries Company(who later in the mid 1970`s launched their own turntable line...ironically built entirely in the U.S.A. by none other than Voice of Music(VM)....and then Avnet and several others....by that time Japanese competition and the emergence of CD`s had changed the market for turntables....at one point the Service Merchandise catalog company owned the Garrard name and put it on everything from turntables to VHS blank cassettes...Great video and very nice machine...and it WILL track high compliance cartridges...contrary to what another viewer has stated.
Hey Michael. New subscriber here!..Great Video. I just purchased a Garrard A type changer and cannot wait for it to arrive. I need to know which Shure cartridge that you used in the video that will allow the swappable needles? I was actually in the process of purchasing an additional headshell, extra cartridge and needle for the purpose of playing my 78's also, but I see that you just swapped out the stylus'. Are most of the Shure cartridges this versatile in regards to swapping the stylus'?
I have the type A Garrard and it tracks at one gram of pressure pretty good
Mine is not labled as a Type A Mark Two but instead as a Type A Lab series. Tracks at a gram and a half with a Pinkering cartridge.
Have the 'original' Type A. Finally, the idler wheel is to the point of slipping so off to the refurbisher. This TT is built like a tank, should outlast me!
Great channel -- just subscribed. Someone was giving away one of these and I took it as a fixer-upper. A bit much of a project for a beginner like me, but the clockwork part is mostly in working order.
Would you be able to steer me in the right direction for finding a replacement cartridge?
Thanks, much appreciated! I highly recommend reaching out to Gary at thevoiceofmusic.com. Gary runs the site and can help you find the perfect cartridge; I used him for ordering a replacement stylus for the Garrard. The biggest thing to watch out for is that you need a cartridge that has a high enough tracking force to trip the auto-stop mechanism, but not so heavy that you are wearing out your records - ideally something with about 2.5 grams of tracking force. Otherwise, it's a standard half-inch mount. Also, keep note that you'll need different styluses for 78rpm records and more modern 45/33.3 rpm records. Hope that helps, Gary is the man to reach out to!
Cool
Garrard 201 is a very important turntable historically and were used by the BBC until the 60s. The can go for a lot of money these days. What did you do with it?
Some of the older record changers had a different grip, some turned the record. Vinyl 45s handle this Type A changer better, the spindle in the center of the record is pretty hard on shellac since it more easily chips. Cleaned up, with a new cartridge and rubber drive wheel the old Garrards sound surpringly good next to a modern record player.
Super :)
I just wish that there was a way you can play a record repetitively. On that machine.
Hmm... you may have given me an idea of something I can design and 3D print to make that happen. If I do, I'll make a video on it. 😃
If you do,,it would be advisable to either memorize it,or tape it--because with repetitive plays of modern vinyl on the model A,there would soon be not much high frequency content left,with increased distortion.
@@user-dy2zy8rd2t you’re so right. That’s why I wish the CD burner would return.
Maybe you could trick it to repeat play the same LP over and over by placing a dummy disc on top of the spindle, same size as the LP but with a bite taken out at the location of the pusher arm. The detector arm would sense the LP-size dummy disc, the pusher arm would still move but wouldn't reach the dummy (which would stay on the shelf), the tone arm would come out and land on the same LP.
YEs ... terrifiring 2 watch a fragile 78 drop :)
I thought Collaro was England's oldest turntable mfr.[1920]
Mi sarebbe piaciuto sentirlo suonare!... Ma troppe parole 😅
Arrgh. It's "Gaarard", long first 'a'
While it is an interesting piece of engineering,this Garrard model,due to its high mass arm,and relatively high bearing friction,is really only suitable for 78's anyway
Not at all. The weight of the tracking force can be adjusted; I have it set to around 2 grams with this cartridge. More than acceptable for vinyl records, as well as shellac.
@@MichaelArchambault The reason I say what I did is because,if you run the video back to about 8:50,where it shows the closeup of the stylus on the record-see how its bouncing around? the mass of the tonearm is not matched to the compliance of the cartridge,causing the stylus/cantilever to deflect out of the optimum position .When I play my Dual ULM arm with the matched Ortofon cartridge designed for it,it moves as one unit,even on badly warped records,and the stylus does not deflect,staying centered for optimum performance.
@@charlesrichards1240 Ah, I see what you are pointing out. I think that’s likely either because after filming, I found that the cartridge wasn’t secured properly into the headshell (screw could have been tighter). Either way, good eye!
@@MichaelArchambault I do want to say,Michael,after having worked on a number of turntables over the years,including Garrards,from the 40B to the 95B,to the Zero 100,that the Model A IS a well-built turntable,and surprisingly good for what it is.It's just my suggestion,that knowing what I do about the properties of vinyl,and the extensive research done at about the same time as the Model A was built,that even a more modern turntable like my Dual with the advanced ULM arm,with a total mass of only 8 grams(including cartridge!) is,at best,barely minimal in regards to playing a record without MEASURABLE wear after only 5-10 plays-even at only 1 gram! At the time the Model A came out,the most popular cartridges available were the crystal,and maybe a few ceramics,who's compliance was on the order of about 1 cm/dyne. They were stiff as a board.Even the magnetic cartridges of that era,including the very popular Shure M3-d had only about 1-3 cm/dyne compliance.Because most tone arms of that era,even the finer ones,were relatively massive affairs,compared to the later models like the 95B,Miracords,Duals,and others.So,the cartridges were designed to work with the Tonearms of that time period.And since records were plentiful then,and relatively cheap,if you wore one out,no biggie,just run down to the Gambles,or Hested"s or the record shop and buy another one.Not so today.Many albums have not been re-issued on either vinyl or CD.So now,if you damage or wear out a rare or out of print recording--tough luck,no replacing it.That's why I say that players like the Model A is only relatively safe playing 78's,with the record being a rather hard bakelite type material,with the 78 speed spacing the groove excursions(bends in the grooves) out much wider,and a top frequency of only 5-6000 Hz,in MONO,with no up and down and around for the stylus to trace-only side-to-side.And a large 3 mil-wide groove with a 3 mil stylus, (much larger than .6-.7 mil stylus for microgroove) to distribute the contact patch over a much larger area.
@@user-dy2zy8rd2t and the Garrard -Dual controversy continues in 2022