Garrard 301-Worth the effort?

Don't know who Jeremy is, but it's pretty obvious he is shilling for Artisan.

I often get emails when Artisan releases a new "product" to the effect that- "do you know this guy is ripping off your designs?" I consider imitation a sincere form of flattery, so I really don't care, but here are some things you should know:

Slate is not sterile or neutral, it is an ideal material for making a plinth. Take a look over at Lenco Heaven- half the DIY projects there are slate. Perhaps all the Lenco guys prefer "sterile" sound?

Two of the best tonearm makers in the world, Frank Schroeder and Thomas Schick both use 301's personally, and both use OMA slate plinths for their 301's.

Furthermore, neither Schroeder nor Schick, nor myself, use a "fully restored" 301. The idea that you have to do a frame off Pebble Beach level restoration to get the most out of a 301 is nonsense. Even Loricraft did not do that, when they were still selling refurbished decks. Many companies are doing it now because sourcing cosmetically acceptable 301's has become so difficult and expensive. So its easier to find beater decks and repaint them, and then you have to do a complete restoration.

Finally, why do you think all of the wooden plinths are so massive looking? They have to be that large to get the necessary mass to run an idler like the 301 quietly. Slate is far more massive, a heavier, better damped material than any wood product, but companies like Artisan cannot copy what OMA does, because they don't have a $300,000 five axis Flow Waterjet and they don't have the slate, nor the ability to put an appropriate finish on a stone plinth. Which is why their 301 systems may look like OMA's, but it ends there. Remember, an OMA slate plinth, double layer, weighs over 100 lbs.

Jonathan Weiss
OMA

I love reading Fairy tales. OMA, more, please.

Mosin, don't forget to add Sonny1930 to your conspiracy list and any other hobbyists you wish to pick on. Don't forget about the Nantais fanboys and all others..... J

Wrong Jweiss, just don't care for the Slate sound, it's a personal preference. If I'm a shill, then so are about a hundred other posters here and on other forums who talk about products they like. Mosin, you obviously are just looking for an angle to put down others opinions. It's ok to like one thing but not another and to voice ones opinion is heresy? I mention all kinds of other tables I like in my posts (Feikert, TW, ect.) were you to actually do the reading.....give me a break people. Let the record state, since some apparently feel I only like one company - some favorite turntables are Dobbins the Beat, Artisan F 301, Porter sp10's, TW Raven, Feickert Woodpecker and RedPoint. Tonearms SME and Fidelity Research are two I think are tops also. Now, Mosin and Jweiss, if you want to call me a shill, then please get it right and call me a shill for all the above mentioned turntables this time. And why on earth either of you would care SO much about one members opinion is beyond me. J

12-08-11: Jeremy72
"Steve Dobbins is probably the best person in the US to tweak it and refresh the linkage and idler. "

Not true. I'd try Chris at Artisan Fidelity, rumor has it they are currently working on a new 301 restoration which is going to be out of this world. Their plinths and restorations are top notch quality and they are said to be building the highest performing Lenco based idler drives available at this time. They're better built and certainly have much better fit and finish compared the the Canadian nantais modifier/builder. His work looks like it was built in someones shed by a high school woodshop student with a can of spray paint imo.
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And, then....

01-07-13: Jeremy72
"Mosin, don't forget to add Sonny1930 to your conspiracy list and any other hobbyists you wish to pick on. Don't forget about the Nantais fanboys and all others..... J"
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And I'm the one accused? Go figure. If nothing else, I do support the DIY community along with my friends in the cottage industry, and I know and consider Steve Dobbins to be in that extended family. He is one of the good guys. So is Nantais, although we have been at odds from time to time, but at least we did it in a direct exchange for all to see and judge for themselves. I hold no ill-will towards him, and I do take offense when I see his, or any, product being derided for the sole purpose of promoting another, but I said that in my earlier post.

Hopefully, we can get back on track to the original poster's purpose for the thread, and I apologize to the readers for keeping it off-track this long, but I felt a response was necessary.