Garrard 301-Worth the effort?


A friend very generously gave me his Grandfather's Garrard 301 to restore or sell. It's not in bad shape, but won't play yet as it looks like it needs a new idler wheel and spindle (so far). I'm not crazy about the tonearm (Garrard with unknown Shure Cartridge) or plinth (plywood box). My dilemma is whether it's worth the effort and money to fix or would I be better off selling it and putting the money towards something new, possibly a VPI classic with a better tonearm? I currently use a Harman Kardon T-65C with a Grado Statement Sonata II and am very happy. But maybe I don't know any better. I've read great things about the 301, but I'm more into the music than collecting antique pieces.
Any opinions would be appreciated.
heyraz

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.and am very happy. But maybe I don't know any better

That is absolutely ok. There are lots out there who know nothing and are happy with their stuff. Be lucky, this year analog has started to go back to yesteryear. Lots believe in these old designs and are willing to spend a fortune for it. Polish and hug it, or much better, find someone who can drill a plinth from any wood in your area and sell it. Or go in Production with that. You will become wealthy. 10k$ for such a woody unit shouldn't be a big problem. Find some friends at Audiogon who support you and will create a Fangroup. And don't sell to anyone. Offering money is not enough, they have to be worthy to buy it.
When a "Manufacturer" writes that Schroeder and Schick are among the best Tonearm Manufacturers in the world, then it is a slap in the face of every serious Designer who has some (University) knowledge about Design, Distortion, Material, Energy transfer and knowledge what-is-responsible-for -what. A knife and a piece of wood is hardly enough, even when Marketing and DIY Voodoo replace it all.
A "Manufacturer" who has no idea about anything and replaces that with blubbering phrases others tell or told him, may be a nice guy, but hardly someone who can be taken serious.
When a Plinth needs 100lbs to dampen the rattling main unit then it is wasted time to discuss any turntable design when such a rattling unit is hyped as a ultimate solution. Maybe you paid the Schroeder Arms with your Plinth, or whatever, I am not seriously interested in these kind of background, but you should try to understand what you do. I guess, you will never get it and don't take it personal, you are not alone. It is much easier to buy an old 300$ turntable (Garrard, Technics, Denon...) and to "refurbish" it with a multi-thousand Dollar Chassis and there are customers out there who also have no idea about what is a tonal right reproduction. Idler Drive is not among that. It never was. It is a result from an era where no other solutions were available. And solidity is not a part of good sound which more modern and better designed units can offer. Mainly it is Entertainment today. And the comments and named products show clearly, OMA is Entertainment. High End Audio actually used to have a goal: perfect reproduction of the sound of real music performed in a real space. That was found difficult to achieve, and it was abandoned when most music lovers, who almost never heard anything except amplified music anyway, forgot what "the real thing" had sounded like. Today, "good" sound is whatever one likes.
After all, the desperate Audiophile can - and will - still say "... but I like it."
That is normally the final comment for everything today.
So I asked my Mom to visit that video first. She did and said:"Boy, it's time to got to bed"