With my RCA 6HF1 basically finished, my next project is getting the Fisher 500B receiver a friend gave me gone over and back in perfect condition. I'm going to be hunting for a vintage stereo (early '60's) record changer to go with it. It seems as though Fisher preferred Garrard A's in their consoles which is what I'm considering.

Any pluses or minuses on the Garrard?

I have an A and it has been trouble free. It is a little clunky looking but works fine.

I think if I had the choice of a great sixties TT, I'd go for a Rek-O-Kut or Empire. A lot more expensive than an A though. Same with Thorens. Surplus Sales of Nebraska was selling NOS Weathers turntables a while back. I think around $275 in the box. It looks like they bought the entire Weathers inventory years ago. Might be an option.

Never heard of Weathers. I'm really looking for a changer, not just a turntable.

I've been spoiled by the changer in the RCA, not only for lp's but especially a stack of 45's.

The Garrard A is a TANK. It also isn't very easy on records and the mechanism is very complicated. If you like the design of that changer, I'd try to find an A70 or 70MKII. These have the same basic design, but with anti skating, the delrin trip mechanism and better arm bearings. This allows you to track to as low as 2 grams, where the original Garrard A really couldn't track much below 4. They are considerably more rare, but well worth searching out.

You could also try a Garrard RC121 mk2 removal headshell, will take most catridges and track quiet light

I found a copy of the Type A owner's manual online. Looks like the user has to flip a switch for 10" or 12" where the record clip is (whatever that is). It looks like a trip lever at the left rear of the changer to sense the last record to shut it off. The later models seem to have more automatic features. Not that it really matters. I don't have that many 10" records anyway.

I do like the removable headshell. I have that in the RCA changer.

In the 60s, I used a Dual 1019 with my Fisher 500C. They will stand up favorably against most newer record changers, except for having an automatic spindle that needs to be rebuilt with new little rubber pieces. The very similar 1009SK is almost as good. Much smoother and better tracking than Garrards of the same era. It competed against the Garrard Lab 80.

Fisher Used both Garrard and Dual changers in their consoles. I had a Fisher Executive that used a Garrard Type A (maybe a type II or and A-70), but later consoles used Duals, mostly of the 1200 series.

I'm not going to be lucky enough to find something locally. Best scenario would be to see one before I bought it but my area didn't have very many hifi bugs even back in the day. Anything that may have survived was either trashed or sold off when the parents died by the kids who had moved away years ago.

If not for my friend who was asked to store this Fisher by a couple who moved to Florida, it may have ended up in the dump as well...

I noticed that another poster recommended Weathers. Do not get a Weathers turntable!!! They are horrible from a repair standpoint.

Another poster recommended the Dual 1019. My response is "bingo!" Of all the popular turntables made in the 1960's, the Dual 1019 is by far the best. Yes, you often need to bypass the crimp in the cartridge carrier, and yes you often need to send the idler to Terry's Rubber Rollers for a rebuild, but, those services aside, the 1019 is otherwise rugged, reliable, and gentle on records.

Fred
owner
Classic Audio Repair

I didn't recommend Weathers, just that a vendor has some NOS ones available. Good to know that they are difficult to fix.

Sorry, given the context of the thread, it seemed like everyone was tossing out types of turntables that the originator of the thread might want to use.

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I service a huge number of turntables, and the only thing that seems to stop us in our tracks is when we run into gear that has "unobtainium" parts, and where those unobtainium parts can't be rebuilt.

Sadly, I have this problem with many 1970's Pioneer semi-automatic and automatic turntables. These are beautiful machines. Wooden bases. Coveted by collectors. However, the parts in the cycling mechanism often consist of motors and plastic parts, and no matter how clever you are or how hard you try, you can't accomplish a reliable repair. The motors go bad. The plastic parts go brittle, warp, and crack. So, the owners have to be content with "manual conversions."

Sigh.

Fred
owner
Classic Audio Repair

After the 6HF1 with the transistorized preamp, MC cartridge and the Magnecord M-30 r2r, this SHOULD be a piece of cake!

Looks like it's between Dual and Garrard. Unfortunately, it'll end up being an ebay search...

What usually happens is the week after I buy something, a better example pops up!

Once I get the changer, I'll be hunting for a stereo r2r...

A few years back I was at a Music Go Round store that had a little stereo equipment. I got to talking with the manager and he said he had just cleaned out a box of turntables that someone had gave him. He said I could have whatever I wanted. I looked in the box, 3 BSR McDonalds and a Dual 1229. I took the Dual, replaced the cartridge and I'm still using it. So, you never know where they will crop up. About 2 months ago I saw a late sixties, early seventies Garrard SL72B at Goodwill for $10.

A lot of that luck has to do with the demographics. I see by your profile you're from Minnesota--Twin Cities, perhaps? I have an uncle in Hopkins.

Anyway, Scranton where I'm from really doesn't have many options. We have one Goodwill; the Sally doesn't take records at all anymore and it's been years since I've seen anything worth dragging home in the electronics department. Typewriters and 8-track players are rather plentiful, as are VCRs.

I stumbled on the RCA in a consignment shop when I lived in Virginia Beach back in '98. Wish I knew then what I do now. I could have a basement full of stuff. Every store there had something of interest and decent quality.

Ebay is always an option and probably your best option. Check the classifieds here too. You will find something good eventually.

Craigslist can be good around here but it's hit and miss and the prices have really climbed in the last two years. I actually live near St. Cloud but I'm close enough to the twin cities to grab something if the right thing shows up.

Only problem with eBay is that most sellers buy these turntables at estate sales and they have no clue about how well they work. Walter, I suggest you try to find one that's been restored and you'll save many many headaches.

Looks like I'll be pursuing either a Garrard or Dual. I like the "looks" of the Garrard a bit more, but that really shouldn't matter--it's all about the SOUND!

Whatever I end up with (maybe one of each?!?!), it'll have to have the spindles to make it a changer. One nice feature of both Garrard and Dual is that they can be either changers or single-play. The best of ALL worlds!

I know changers have their drawbacks, but putting 4 or 5 lp's on, hitting that switch and letting them play for a couple hours is like magic to me. And that "WOOSH" that a falling lp makes is part of the listening experience.

As far as Garrards go, besides an A, I have an RC-121 in a Hoffman console that works well. It will track a little heavier than optimum but not too bad. As was stated, it's easy to change the cartridge.

Don't overlook an AT-6 or AT-60. They were fairly inexpensive when new but have held up well over time and have a lighter arm and much more simple mechanism.

I advise great caution regarding purchasing turntables on eBay.

The infamous eBay shipping calculator only allows for a turntable to be shoved inside a thin-walled cardboard box with a bunch of wadded newspaper. You CANNOT ship a turntable that way without physical damage. At this point the "attrition rate" of turntables shipped on eBay is probably approaching 50%.

When I purchase a turntable on eBay, I always contact the seller BEFORE I pay the money, and indicate that I'm willing to pay a larger shipping charge in order for the set to be packed properly. If the seller strikes me as someone who might not be willing to cooperate with this request, I contact the seller before bidding.

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When turntables are shipped inappropriately, here are common things that go horribly wrong:

(1) The dust cover gets smashed.
(2) The platter, which is often only a force-fit onto the spindle, comes off and destroys everything in sight.
(3) Someone has removed the retaining ring on the platter, so once again the platter comes off.
(4) The counterweight comes off with disastrous results.
(5) The arm is not tied down. It flops around, breaks the needle, and sometimes damages the gimbal assembly.
(6) If there are transport screws, they're not locked down. (Oddly, this isn't a serious detriment unless the turntable is VERY loose on the base.)

Every week someone comes into my store with a turntable bought on eBay that has been creamed.

The proper way to ship a turntable is to tie down EVERYTHING that moves, or could move, install a large block of styrofoam snug between the platter and the dust cover, tape the dust cover onto the base with lots of blue painter's tape, heavily bubble wrap the turntable/base combo, stuff in a sturdy carton with lots of foam chips, and then put the box inside a slightly larger box with lots of foam chips between inner and outer.

Fred
owner
Classic Audio Repair
San Diego

No question a Dual will generally be a better performer than a Garrard. But, I really liked the looks and the kludgy design of the Garrard A series. I grew up with an RC88/4, which was the predecessor to the type A. Same mechanism, clunkier arm, and the A looked "modern" by comparison. The A70 actually was decent, if not great. I have one of those, just to play my old 45's. Works fine for that. There was a clean A70 up for auction, last time I checked. You could probably get it cheap.