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Tonearm Ideas for Garrard 301 Rebuild

Hi all, i have a hammertone grease bearing Garrard 301 that i'm looking to give the royal treatment. I also need a plinth, tonearm, and cartridge. I know i'm asking for the world here but really just looking for opinions based on other's experiences.

Plinth: I'm thinking about going with Woodsong Audio...i like their build philosophy and many have commented on their excellent quality and sound characteristics. Plus their beauty is the best I've seen. I was initially looking at LignoLab but I'm not sold on the looks and the cost is extremely high.

Tonearm: This is a tough one and where i think I'll need the most advice...I think I want a 12", high mass arm since all signs seem to point to that being the best combo for the 301. The one's i've had interest in are Schick, Artemis/Schroeder TA-1L, SME 312s, and Origin Live Encounter Mk3c. The prices go all over the place on this one. The Schick has my eye due to price but also for the reason it was pretty much built for the 301 and has also received great reviews on the 301 itself. Does anyone have experience with these arms on a 301? Any other contenders I should consider?

Cartridge: I think this depends on the arm i go with but I'm thinking about starting with the Denon 103R in a Soundsmith body. Again this is a highly debateable subject and probably not worth discussing until i find the rest of the pieces first.

Rebuild: Ok this is another area i could use some help. Woodsong does a full rebuild as well but it's pricey. Are there any other rebuilders out there that have a rep for good quality 301 rebuild work? I'd like to do a motor strip/cleaning, linkage cleaning/replating and have any parts that need it be replaced or is this easy enough i can do it myself with a service manual and patience?

Rest of my system is:
Shindo Masseto (Pre)
Shindo Cortese (Amp)
Transporter (Digital Source)
Metrum Octave (DAC)

Thanks in advance...
jcote

Showing 1 response by islandmandan

islandmandan
1,260 posts
 
Hi, I am just in the finishing stages of my 401 rebuild. I had my plinth built for me by the maker of my custom speaker enclosures. It is the first plinth built by them, and although it's nice, Chris Harban of Woodsong does an incredible job on his plinths, but they are also more expensive.

For a tonearm, I bought, coincidentally, from Chris Harban, a Dynavector DV 501. I then had it rewired with teflon dialectric silver. I installed my old standby, a Dynavector XX2MKII cartrdge. I'm just now starting to get it dialed in, but it really sounds good, to my ears.

I did the restoration myself, with all new springs, spindle bearings, grommets, etc. I stripped the table down, and bead blasted the top plate, and then had it powder coated a gloss black, which I prefer to the drab beige color of the original.

If you are a bit handy with tools, this can be a good DIY project. Otherwise, I think I would go with Woodsong, I found Chris to be meticulous in what he does, and the quality of the person he is. Also, if anything comes up, if you need parts or there's something else you need, he's right here in the good ole USA.

Best regards,
Dan
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