Looking for a London (DECCA) Reference phono cartridge

Damn, John retiring is very bad news. Those of us who already own the utterly unique London and Decca pickups are going to have a hard time finding someone else to service them. I better give him a call!

As for acquiring a Reference: don't hold your breathe ;-) . I would never sell mine (for any amount of money), and I'm probably not alone in that sentiment. I used to see one pop up every few years on USAM, but haven't in quite a long time.

Join the club. I can't believe John can't get a buyer for the business.

Try eBay for sellers who bought John's remaining stock.

He had a dealer/distributor in San Francisco for quite a few years. I don't remember his name, but a Google search may bring it up.

I wish you luck. My Reference, recently rebuilt by John, is not going to be sold, and nor is the Jubilee I have as backup. You could probably find a used Super Gold or Maroon more easily if you are willing to go there. There is a very long and informative threat over at Lenco Heaven with many owners participating.

As for set up advice, the modern London pickups are much less fussy than the older Decca designs. I have never heard any hum or had any tracking problems. I have used them with SME Series V and M10 (like the 309) arms.

One thing I forgot to add. I bought all sorts of other MI designs when the Reference went away for the rebuild. The one that came the closest was the Nagaoka MP-500. Good enough that I bought a second TT and a couple of spare styli for it. If you can't get a Reference, this might be a substitute.

Another piece of advice (and opinion ;-): If you decide to look for a London Supergold (or if John has one left for sale), get it with the Decapod mount. The stock plastic bracket is a joke.

@dogberry I am in the process of acquiring a Jubilee. Could you give me a quick compare of the Jubilee to the Reference? Thanks!

@ledoux1238 I think you'll be happy with it, and I hope if it is any kind of questionable condition it has been to John Wright recently. He retires at the end of this month. It is very much like the classic Deccas in sound, but with a much heavier body as a way (I suspect) of improving tracking. I bought mine about 11 or 12 years ago and used it for two weeks. I was so impressed I bought the Reference at that point. The Jubilee didn't come out again until I sent the Reference in for a rebuild. It was able to beat all the competition I threw at it on my odyssey to find out if there is a moving iron cartridge I can live with after the Deccadämmerung (Grado Statement 3, Soundsmith Sussurro MkII, Nagaoka MP-500). I also hold in higher regard than my older LOMC carts, like the Kontrapunkt C and Benz Ruby 3. It will make you tap your toes as it is lively and detailed. The Reference takes that even further with John's own new design for the cartridge that owes only the basic theory to the original Deccas. If I'd never heard the Reference I'd regard the Jubilee as the Holy Grail, but having heard it the Jubilee is inevitably lessened in my mind. So I guess the best advice is to enjoy it and never let yourself hear the Reference!

@dogberry Thanks for the detailed explanation. The Jubilee I am about to get has indeed been sent to John Wright for a rebuilt. 

I use a Trans-Fi Terminator tonearm and the builder used to run a Reference. I always understand it to be a good fit. And in fact there is a dealer in my part of the world. But he only carries the Super Gold, which I had put off buying for a few years. 

What is involved in a rebuilt? A re-tip? 

In my case I needed a new stylus, and the cartridge had become very microphonic, which usually means one of the coils has become loose. So it would have needed the top taking off, the potting removing, coil fixed in place, new potting, new stylus and new tie back string.

Here's an ad that just showed up -

London (Decca) Reference Just back from John Wright For Sale - US Audio Mart

Good luck.

Avantgarde Audio is an audio dealership in Hong Kong. They have the most competitive prices on brand new London cartridges, i.e. their price for a new  Reference is lower than the refurbished one found on the ad above. Of course they don't sell abroad, but if you have a friend in HK........

Thank you very much for that info. I do indeed have friends in HK. I already contacted Avantgarde.

Fingers crossed for you!

@ledoux1238 I saw that and was interested but the seller never got back to me to clarify details about the John Wright work. 

Same here: no response from Avantgarde HK. Meanwhile, I was offered a good-as-new (40 hrs play time) AudioTechnica AT_ART 1000 for $3K: I guess that will be my choice unless someone here tells me :" Oh no, don't do that!!!".

@noromance I assume you’re referring to the eBay ad for the Jubilee. I messaged the seller, and he confirmed that John Wright was working on it. 

@reimarc I called Avant-garde directly after a few unanswered email. A salesman confirmed that  both Jubilee and Reference are in stock. It might be worth a call. It’s It’s a 12 hour time difference from the East Coast. And yes he spoke English.