$2 Vintage Yard Sale Turntable - Can We Fix It?

Found this Garrard 1026T record changer at a yard sale the other day. The platter was free, but rest of mechanism, including the motor and changer, was seized. No movement in AC motor spindle at all. Let's see if we can repair it! As a bonus, let's play a game of "Spot the Hawk".
Stuff you'll need for this repair:
3-in-1 Oil: amzn.to/2vZp9jT
White Lithium Grease: amzn.to/2in5OpX
Soldering Iron: amzn.to/2x8E2R6

[@markaochoa2017]

I dunno why but all these videos are so satisfying. I love watching people fix things. It's a lost skill.

[@budandbean1]

I'm with ya Mark! Can't really figure out why it's so much fun but it is... I wish I'd get off my dead arse and do some fixing myself but it's just too tiring watching others work. You know, because when this is over I have to take a nap...

[@DeadKoby]

I fix things myself, so I watch other fix-it channels for extra ideas/advice.

[@markaochoa2017]

DeadKoby I just got started trying to repair things. Me too!

[@DeadKoby]

I'm actually pleased at the response I got from my channel, where people try the projects I've successfully completed on it.

[@podrum7421]

Yeah... Brad's videos are great and he can play the guitar in an interesting and great manner, and not like those paid, shitty wannabes doing the "demos" on YT... Always liked his style of videos, started making tube geetar amps because of him, I mean he inspired me to do more, and explore the tube world. Hope he doesn't disappear like Uncle Doug for some reason. But keep up the work after all, learned many tips and tricks from you, and now I am comfortable to move on tubes like EL86, ECC88, EL90, ECC85 because you posted that RCA tube manual... Great thing.

[@simonwelch560]

Glad to see you got that to live on. It doesn't surprise me that it was seized up given how old it is. Garrard were a major employer round here (Swindon, UK) back when I was a kid and I remember the factory very well. There's a retail outlet on that site now. They were the upmarket brand back then if you could afford them (or knew somebody in the factory) and they were known as indestructible.

[@frankhuhn7369]

Brother, you saved me. Bought a Sylvania fold up unit with Garrad turntable. Would not drop or return the needle. followed your method, lubricated everything and found the needle position adjustment screw on the base of the tone arm and Voila!. Working like a champ. not sure if 45 and 78 records will work on the automatic drop function but I'm happy where it is. Local Music Prof is going to use it in his History of Popular Music class to show how pop music was spread to the unwashed masses. Thanks again.

[@Supplanter64]

I bought and fixed up a 1978 Panasonic/Technics turntable last year. Easily fixed with contact/pot cleaner, new lubricants, speed adjustment, new cartridge/needle. Now it's ready for another 30+ years. Brad, your videos give me ideas, tips, and inspiration to pursue my hobbies in music, electronics, and fixing things. It's what "Reality TV" should be. :-)

[@leahiamhopesulony4997]

That was so gratifying! I now have hope again for my turntables that are collecting dust lol

[@SeraphinaPZ]

Fixing things like this is exactly the sort of thing my grandfather used to do. He worked for decades repairing various electronics for people and in his spare time he would look for anything tossed out or on sale for cheap that was broken so he could fix them up. He also loved classical music and thus hi-fi tech, so speakers, record players, radios were always being repaired at his home.

[@cocotower]

I brought a Gerrard 3500 back to life. Dried grease and bushings, corroded gears, etc. Totally broke it down and rebuilt it, new needle, new cartridge, phono wires... Sounds and runs like a dream.

[@EddieJazzFan]

Great repair. Those Garrards were so much better than the BSRs, which were all over the place in the 70s.

[@RCAvhstape]

My dad bought a nice Garrard changer back in the late 60s or early 70s and I still use it today. It's had to have the usual work done over the years but it's a grand old machine and sounds great. My friends love it; vinyl is cool again but you don't see too many changers these days among all the Crosley garbage, plus the retro style of these things earns them extra cool points.

[@mrsockmonkey1969]

You're like the Bob Ross of fixing electronic shit! I'm gonna fix this turntable but first here's a happy little tree with his little friend the hawk.

[@give_peas_a_chance]

I had a Garrard just like that as a teenager. Now at 60, I have just bought another Garrard, a D 200 made in the 80s. I'm slowly collecting vinyl records again. Great to see you fixing this up.

[@ICanDoThatToo2]

Holy carp, that's EXACTLY my parents' turntable! So many chipmunks albums went through that thing. Also played my dad's 78-RPM collection. And last I checked (2017) that turntable and all the records are still in the living room.

[@SumProject18]

I can't believe I fixed ours!! It had grease completely locking it. I took the top off, cleaned it and relubed it, Along with the gears and such. Also, I relubed the mechanisms inside, like the changer and such. Works 100 percent like it did 30-40 years ago.

[@mikefromflorida8357]

Great troubleshooting and fixing, and all with no unnecessary music added. Keep up the good work.

[@walterkurtz4360]

Thank you so much for the video man I have a 1974 realistic clarinette 104 that was my great uncles he bought new in 74 or 75 and it was the first record player that I ever heard as a kid and it hasn't worked in years but I held on to it just on the off hand chance that I might be able to fix it one day and sure enough today was the day!! I have never worked on a record player in my life but I had the confidence to do it just not the knowin and your video gave me a basic understanding of how the mechanical side of it worked and that was all I needed thanks for the help man really appreciate it because I got this thing running like it just came out of the box and it would have ended up in the trash sooner or later

[@TheGuitologist]

Awesome! Glad to hear that.

[@mischef18]

Great to see it did not take more than a clean and lube. Vynl is making a come back here in NZ and new players are available but the old ones still do the job. Over in Australia there is a new factory pressing records with the new technology so old ways never die. All the best bro

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks for watching. Nice to have fans from the land of the summer Christmas. :D

[@maeredabtsog6164]

Hey Ken same in the States. Love vinyl.

[@markpenn4831]

Absolutely fascinating ! Brilliant fix and a quality deck for just 2 dollars and some tlc ! Well done sir !

[@TheGuitologist]

Most of the turntables from the 60s-70s are highly serviceable and with a little TLC and routine maintenance will provide decades of worry-free enjoyment. Modern tables fall into basically 3 types - the cheap Crosley Chinese things which you should stay away from, the DJ grade tables which are ok, and the ultra high end stuff which is for cork sniffers with more money than sense.

[@markpenn4831]

Hahahahahahahaha thanks for the advice ! I will most certainly stay away from anything Chinese LOL. I am of an age that I remember playing lots of vinyl and long for the days ! MP3s are very good but something different about vinyl and a decent record deck. Once again thank you very much for the information. I will be looking out for a quality deck to repair, wish me luck because I don`t think I can acquire one for 2 dollars, not in the UK anyway. Take care...

[@TechBrant]

I inherited a model 1000 from my grandmother and I am going to reform it to keep of memory. Thanks for your video!

[@songsmith31a]

Garrard, like Thorens, were market-leaders in the manufacture of high end disc players, supplying a range of units to cater for the basic pop record buyer to top of the range "separates", with the 301 and 401 turntables best known. They still fetch good prices with those who know their stuff in that area of sound reproduction, and it's good to see vinyl making something of a comeback too!

[@sam127001]

Great video Brad - really satisfying to watch.

[@martinda7446]

When we were kids, these were utter shit, but now we have Crosley who have redefined 'utter shit' to a new level.

[@arkgamer45202]

Corsley? More like a mega pile of shite

[@vmat1000]

Yay, It works!!! Nice fix !!!

[@whitelion7976]

Well done, I love vinyl and just yesterday picked up a suitcase player I am busy fixing it now.

[@dlbraly]

Thanks for showing us the steps. Makes for good watching.

[@kimchee94112]

Hot iron on the shaft makes it expand, more difficult to pull out. Propane torch slowly all around that gear will make the hole expand. A gear puller works really well.

[@cmj20002]

I am thankful for this video, as I purchased a really mint condition Onkyo direct drive linear tracking turntable that didn't work, so I took it apart and found that there was two minor issues. One the ground wire was corroded and two the stylus belt was worn out. After cleaning the ground wire good, all the front panel lights started working and then I noticed the belt, common thing to go wrong. I just need to buy a belt now and I have a working vintage unit. I prefer to fix old electronics than to toss them out. They have value to someone that appreciates how things were made back in the 80's. Keep it up, I really like the vintage HiFi fixes, just cause that is what I am in to .

[@PedroPedro-jm4lk]

Admiration and Appreciation from across the POND in Boris Blightey Land.

[@kg2nc]

I think those are the songs from the movie La Bamba. Man you did a good job on that turntable. Reminded me when I use to fix my VCR. On some of the rubber belts I use to use rubber revitalizer it use to make them new. Great video.

[@sexybeardedvikingwizardthe4746]

Talk about a blast from the past I had an identical turntable built int a quadrophonic system in around 1983 and it was old then. Mine worked great for all the time I owned it. It was a shame I had to get rid of the system due to space restrictions when moving into a flat.

[@wardman21]

Great videos man! A few years ago I found an old bsr turntable next to a garbage can on the side of the road. Nothing fancy. Took it home, it didn't power up (just a bad fuse) but nothing else worked properly. Same thing... the grease on everything literally turned to concrete and seized everything up. So in all just needed a new fuse and good cleaning and re-greasing and a new needle and it was like new again. It was so rewarding restoring something to working condition which would have otherwise ended up in the garbage.

[@TheGuitologist]

Stuff from this era is very good, very reliable stuff with routine maintenance. Can't beat 'em.

[@russellhltn1396]

The catch may be in finding a good needle. Seems like all that's left is the cheap "one brand fits all" brands. In particular, I'm thinking about Shure needles to fit their cartridges.

[@cuda426hemi]

I actually saved a few Audio Technica needles from the late 70's for my Hitachi direct drive turntable. Like anything else from the last century I assumed the cheapest needle today - made for the DJ abuse would be better than any 70's-80's needles.The needle's just a tube wiggling in a magnetic field - not rocket science .......but I could be wrong.

[@russellhltn1396]

There are different shapes to the needle which affects how rides in the groves. I suspect the cheap needles are either not as well quality controlled for size, or else use a shape that's easier to make while a better needle is the correct size and shape. In the case of the Shure cartridge, I bought a new needle since I wasn't sure of the condition of the old one, but the sound wasn't as good as the Shure needle that I already had. I can't remember exactly what it was, but I think it had more distortion.

[@cuda426hemi]

It's all about weight and the cartridge - the needle is usually either elliptical or conical and the size is fixed by standards of vinyl - the issue is how light can you track the needle mounted in the cartridge which are both dead weight on the arm. The cartridge is more key than the needle.

[@MrGTO-ze7vb]

I had many Garrard turntables..One was built into a KLH combo system that really kicked ass. they were always reliable.!! All you need is more lube and patience

[@jhonwask]

Thank you for the video. It has helped me enormously. Now I'm just trying to get better sound out of it.

[@TheGuitologist]

Better cart would help.

[@dennisdemark8151]

...the was a fine brand name for record players...good fix👌🏼

[@EmbelekoBand]

Great job. Great deal.

[@haroldalexis4200]

First time viewing. That $ 2.00 turntable turns out to be a 💎 gem. 4 speed turntable wow. Why can't models today have these features? The mystery of the 16 RPM is solved by watching other videos that played Easy Listening, Department store & elevator music it was 16 RPM records at that time from the 1960's & into the 1980's. What i observed there was no cueing device on the Gerrard model that came many years later. BSR were among the first ones on the turntable also 12', 10' & 7' record size device as well. I didn't forget 78 RPM. I use to repair turntables like these on console stereos & table models. Wish i had GERRARD again. Nice video enjoyed watching. 🎥📺👍✅

[@davidhatred1583]

thanks for this relaxing and satisfying watch, shame i can barely rewire a plug or change a fuse! lol hope you have a great day =)

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks for watching, David.

[@onemanswrld]

Simply amazed at your ability to diagnose and repair these things. If your interest and desire was in the medical field no telling what you could do.... I enjoy watching your talents......

[@TheGuitologist]

Momma always said I should be a doctor or lawyer. Maybe I can do surgery in the courtroom...

[@Starcrunch72]

aye, but its the heartbreak we can't take. Tis why we're musicians first!

[@pcallas66]

Great find, great video, and great job. I think the one thing you may need to add to your tools is a heat gun. It looks like a hair dryer, but it has a small airway at the end that puts out extremely concentrated heat, much more so than a hair dryer. You wouldn't be able to touch the cam when you were done, but it would do a fantastic job at freeing the cam wheel from the shaft. Thank you for posting.

[@TheGuitologist]

I have one. A viewer thought the same thing and sent one in.

[@skycarl]

Great save on this old turntable Brad,,,Landfill has enough of them.

[@TheGuitologist]

For too long stuff like this just went to the curb with the weekly garbage.

[@MrTopsoil911]

Great work bro!!

[@dionnand0003]

I FOUND THAT EXACT TURNTABLE AT A GARAGE SALE FOR 2 DOLLARS!!! WHAT THE BALLS!!!

[@TheGuitologist]

DIONNAND000 wait a minute...go look in the mirror right now...tell me what you see... *Twilight Zone music*

[@Starcrunch72]

Ah...but I inherited my granddad's--same model, needed a new cartridge and lube

[@boggy7665]

They made these for a few decades, little changed along the way

[@Gljin40509]

what an ass

[@SteverRob]

Gerrard made some decent tts back in the day. I've got a bizarre ADC Accutrac and a really old Rheem Caliphone TT. The Rheem was made for schools, for playing in gymnasiums, I guess, two 15" speakers and it uses two 6L6s in the output. I plugged my guitar into a mic input, and a 4x10 cab into the TTs aux output. Crazy, it sounded awesome.

[@TheGuitologist]

I bet it did.

[@movinginstereo40]

At 11:38 through 12:40 reminds me of the setup of my kids Mouse Trap game up that I had to put together a couple times a week for them.

[@alexstewart8097]

A good . yet gentle , and real breed of Cats, 2 of them, the better if they are siblings, and specially so if they are twins working in tandem, will be a lot more wholesome ,healthier and instructive , than that type of game you wrote about. Your way only will end up messing up the mind of your and all kids in the US. And I am far from being PC. You hear...

[@Howlinblind]

Excellent job

[@joviherrera]

I love vintage tecnology, back then they Made thing to last and to work fine

[@peterbustin8604]

Thats a fricking Garrard! I have an old 301, the best turntable ever made. I have to have it specialy insured cos its worth thousands!! The one you have there might be worth something to a collector. I will sell you my 301 for $8000. 🙄📀

[@felixlutaya9490]

Great job

[@clifffton]

Fixed 100's of those back in the day. By the way the Electrophonic brand was pretty low end. Mostly BSR turntables. Anyway... We called Garrard's "grease" glue. Shocked this one was kept this long without being fixed.

[@Jammerk40]

Good fix

[@lroy730]

Nice one !!\m/!! Funny how the high end turntables only play one disc at a time and range from $400.00 to 20K.

[@SammeLagom]

Great vid man!

[@macintosh_waifu]

Great job!!!!

[@richardnevius4416]

Thank for the video😎

[@adamwaller5496]

"The United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language." Here in Limeyland we'd pronounce Garrard like a posh garage or Nigel Farage. Garrard are the jewellers to Her Majesty The Queen and they started a phonograph business in addition to the Queeny Jewelly business. Garrard made the classic 301 'transcription motor' turntable as used for BBC radio transmissions in the late 1960s and early 70's. (I have my dad's example from 1969.) I'm amazed and frankly quite touched by just how many of Brad's hi-fi finds have a British made turntable. Well done everyone. Oh and I like the new fast forward noise.

[@astro8585]

Stunned to realize that I have Trini Lopez Live at Basin Street East, which includes La Bamba , on Reprise records vinyl. A thrift store find as I'll bet this LP is which seems to be Live at PJ's. Reprise also brought us the guitar stylings of Jimi Hendrix of course. I like a lot of guitarists for example David Grissom from our 'ologist's vicinity but can you imagine not having heard Jimi Hendrix?

[@JohnGotts]

It's a really good feeling to see something work that's been dead for many years.

[@bobbymalta73]

Thank you.

[@mikepalumbo4362]

Can't beat $2 plus some elbow and lithium grease, and maybe a new RCA cable!

[@suryanarayansatpathy108]

I need a record changer if it's possible to get at 1/2 dollars than am ready to get my contact no [phone] Address Mr surya narayana satpathy.at.6th line alakapuri.nr Khodasing.PO.Berhampur.DT.Ganjam.STATE. Odisha India plan. 760010.

[@musicman257]

nice work eish I had the know how, Just subscribed!!!

[@dp4l1fe2]

looks cool

[@tripsadelica]

Great video...really enjoyed it. Just a hint. Don't use normal lube oil. Only use the finest quality sewing machine oil for turntables. That's how they did it originally in the factory in England.

[@kenhancock8931]

That screwdriver is pleading 4 it's life! you're teachin my kid bad habit's! lol thx brad HAVE A GREAT DAY!! DID U ENJOY THE ECLIPSE? WE HAD 96% HERE IN SOUTHWEST VA.

[@TheGuitologist]

We had about 96% here in Louisville too. I was planning a road trip to Western Kentucky where my parents live and where it was at maximum - 2:40 of darkness, but the wife and I are house hunting and we wanted to see some houses.

[@jameslabs1]

Hands got in the way often but I did learn some. Thanks

[@TheRockinDonkey]

That was cool.

[@zam_posse]

🙏🙏🙏Thanxs bos.. Your video realy helped

[@josephcote6120]

I like a product called Rubber Renue available on Amazon and many other chem supply stores. Cleans rubber parts great, and restores the rubbery-ness. Of course, you've got to have something decent to start with, no miracles here.

[@TheGuitologist]

That stuff is pricey though. I usually use automotive belt dressing. Works similarly to rejuvenate and restore tackiness to old rubber.

[@tinicum54]

I lost track oh how many of those I repaired in the mid-70's. I usually re-built the motor also.

[@stevehogan8829]

Cool. I'm starting to think the old way is the easiest way.. Records, reel to reel, am/fm and lots of real wire. Always works. I'm just getting tied of digital wireless...

[@Lost-xl6im]

I still have my old turntable from 1982

[@parkercooper7021]

five years ago he was lost , i hope he got it together now!!!!

[@jamesbckmstro3]

I always use the soldering iron first, always works tho sometimes you have to apply the heat for maybe 5 minutes.

[@guitarguts666]

Those were the best because they could play 16 speed as a kid that's how we learned a bunch of songs on guitar because it was exactly slow down but in the same key

It's a Garrard, a British manufacturer (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrard_Engineering_and_Manufacturing_Company). My old man had one in the 60s as it was a fairly high spec unit for his jazz albums. Good job.

[@TechGorilla1987]

You showed us your bird. (Bevis and Butthead laugh) As an edit - When heating, you would probably get better mileage trying to heat the casting around the shaft vs the shaft itself. If yo heat the shaft, you're expanding the shaft size and going against your goal of removing the gear. If the gear casting were heated, it may help the cause.

[@TheGuitologist]

My idea was the gear was seized to the shaft because of old grease. The hope was heat that grease so it wasn't a sticky paste. But yes, Heat will expand the area.

[@TechGorilla1987]

Understood. Was just contributing a tidbit of info. Actually, doing it the way you did it could also prove useful for something in addition to loosening the grease...if the shaft does expand, when it cools and contracts, it may also break something free.

[@anderjl276ps]

I'm pretty sure you can fix anything. Saved that one from the the dump🖒

[@lincmerc1581]

My parents had this changer with their Morse Electrophonic AM/FM/ 8-track receiver and speakers.

[@rickya3877]

I remember stacking SEVERAL albums when spending some quality time with the girlfriend lol

[@chatboxguy3363]

If that has stereo/AV out jacks I would like it...although I see a couple of problems. Your short and the changer while it works it runs it roughly. But totally worth $2.00

[@raymond8875]

Okay, a fix it video/channel and find a raptor. Off to a great start for a new watcher.

[@larryshaver3568]

the motor in the X-10 I bought a few fears ago was like that too,among all the other things that were wrong

[@bengalvin9932]

YES WE CAN!

[@calypso22]

Garrard. Hard G.

[@NJPurling]

Before looking at the video I know that this needs the turntable bearing cleaning & re-greasing. The same goes for the trip & return cog with the shaped track on the underside. That you had to dismantle the motor and use heat to free the cam from it's spindle says it had been left somewhere & forgotten for quite a long while. The turntable looks rather like a Garrard 3000, but the tonearm is different

[@TheGuitologist]

Yep, pretty much right on all counts. Needs a massive lube job. Good thing I live in KY.

[@danmick8645]

what you did there. I see it.

[@gregormiller4037]

Good stuff. I have an old Technics receiver and pioneer tape player that's been sitting for 30+ years. would love to know how to fix them.

[@krietor]

Y9 To fix them, you want to do what Brad does, take it apart piece by piece, examine & ruminate on each piece, then put it back together again. I'm sure that's what does it?,

[@gregormiller4037]

@@krietor thanks! Something to do this weekend:)

[@Metfan1986]

Just picked up a Sears AM-FM Console stereo and having issues with the turntable. Radio and 8 track recorder work fine but I was just looking to use the turntable. I will attempt to do the same fix as this video but one other thing I was wondering is would voltage requirements be an issue as well? Meaning the system is 120v and I live in Japan which is 100v outlets. I’ve used other American appliances before without issues but any input if this could be why it’s not turning or could need some TLC being the people I bought it off only used it for a T.V. stand pretty much.

[@bemamartinz889]

Great vid.....give me more.

[@henrikjonsson4340]

Thanks for sharing all these :) I have problems with my Denon recordplayer. It is always spinning and the arm you cant move in to the center. It just goes back. Anybody have a solution or I can explain more of the problem.

[@larryshaver3568]

i use a dental pick for getting c-clips off it works quite well

[@supaflykai]

this was cool but I can't tell you how stressed out I was watching you leave all of that white goop (presumably grease?) in the bowl of the changer mechanism, lol. Really cool though, I'd love to find an old record player and get it working!

[@Rebel9668]

I notice that while it has a changer arm it has no changing spindle. Is that a common modification? I ask because I just picked up a Fisher model 125 with a bsr changer that doesn't have the changer spindle either. When I figure out the model # I'm going to change it back to a changer instead of the short singles spindle it has on it now.

[@bessiebraveheart]

we say it in England with a hard G Garrard.i have garrard clocks, some of the best ever made.

[@robjordan63]

That's what I wanted to say, and with the emphasis on the first syllable: GA-rard. :-)

[@Eddy63]

I liked the nature footage at the beginning at no extra cost ...

[@tonyperek7292]

Can you use denatured alcohol to clean off the old grease and oil.?

[@alexstewart8097]

I attest that they could be fixed Al right...and I know who can do that best. This man showed (on social media) His way ,; which is the Only way to get them to play heavenly, for the pleasure of ALL ,who want to listen now...Shema...

[@Catfish2255]

Direct drive tables were the best.Fisher made a few good ones.Technics also..Bsr was a good brand..The best were turntables with a stroboscope and definitely weighted arms.

[@TheGuitologist]

I go along with that, but a table like this still has a place in the market. For casual listening, these work nicely. I know a lot of people cringe at changers, but how else can you listen to "Wish You Were Here" or "Thick as a Brick" all the way through without getting out of the chair?

[@MrPhonoman]

I have a similar Garrard with the same problem. How do you remove the clip that holds the turntable on? It is not the typical C clip.

[@smasica]

Looks like you need a tool for pulling brake rotors off an axle. It has three hooks for the rotor and a threaded center rod that snugs up on the axle. You tighten a nut on the rod and it pulls the rotor or gears off a shaft. Or a bigger hammer.

[@alfaman4113]

Pounding on the cast iron cog wheel had me shitting my pants

[@richardnevius4416]

Heat gun work for auto changer too

[@Burnfingerz]

looks like the standard BSR changer / suspension unit, found in everything from low end off name products to full cabinet setups and even a few Panasonic models. they got a lot of hate back in the day for not targeting the high end and not following the established format. in my experience, they tend to be very robust, have a lot of mechanical parts that like to get stuck, and tend to sound pretty dang good given a well matched cart (they seem to favor Shure). typical for one channel, usually the left, to go out for some reason. all in all, cool find.