Ok. I’ve landed a Garrard 401. It came complete with the two arms.
It’s a bit of a step up from the Thorens TT’s I’ve had in the past so was wanting a bit of help.
Is it worth keeping the 12” Decca arm and sticking a more suitable cartridge on it or should I get rid of both of them and look out for an SME.
Also it came without a power cable. There’s three bulgin sockets on the back. Which one is for the power and what are the other two for?
This could be a long project.
Any hints or tips would be gratefully received.
Incidentally the Quad ESL-57‘s will be for sale if anyone is interested.
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Nice flush strobe. The (FFss Decca) arm in the trad right hand position with the FFSS cart is worth living with for a while - The other arm is a Decca Deram, ceramic styli thing which is not as good as the FFss) The sound (Supposing the styli and noose are OK) of the FFss will be very dynamic.
Try and get some isopropyl a lint free cloth and some 5W30 oil. Remove the platter (Place fingers under the lip of the platter and pull up - with the other hand tap the spindle lightly with a mallet / shoe heel - something clumpable. Tip: remove the mat first or there’s a chance of denting the spun ally disk on the mat. - With the platter removed run the unit on 78 rpm, clean the pulley whilst turning with some isopropyl and a lint free cloth, then clean the running face of the idler wheel - finally clean the inner running face of the platter. Remove the idler wheel from the cariage (x2 screws) and add a drop of oil to the bottom and top bush. Also add a few drops to the felt pad at the base of the spindle and a few more into the oil well capped by a screw to the left of the spindle.
Take the base off the plinth and have a look at what is running to the sockets (Secure the arms first)
N.B - Ensure the transit clamp is fully and completely released before powering the unit. If the transit clamp was not tightened check the speed disk for damage.
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My guess is that the socket with the male pins is the mains input (for H&S reasons), and those with the female are the arm outputs.
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Thanks for that chaps. Used the bulgin plug from the Quads, plugged it in, switched it on and… Fuckin eck it sounds incredible. Wasn’t sure if the cart was a worker but it definitely is. Think it belonged to an ex BBC engineer so its probably been pretty well looked after. All the speeds appear to be running OK.
Will have a look at the cleaning side now I know its working OK.
Thanks again
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I get to type this with a smile at least 3x a week.
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Astro glide recommended?
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Dutty Boi - yes Astro glide is a recommend lubricant and way of life.
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I googled that. … 
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You are now Dutty too.
Better not get the packages mixed up …that motul don’t wash off …
I seem to have an oil leak I noticed. …better hunt out the gasket paper ..brings back Darmah memories… 