Cheeky Antique Shop Find! Garrard SP25 Mk2 Turntable - Restoration & Test

[@CraftyOldGit]

In my early teens, around 1970, the SP25 MkII was my dream turntable. When I won £25 on Premium Bonds, my mother let me spend (I think) £15 of that on the turntable. Made my own plinth, managed without a cover for a while. A couple of years later I started work & spent one of my first pay packets on a nice plinth & cover. Most of those early pay packets went on records.

[@Daud76]

Having been born during the vinyl and cassette era, I thought I would never see a mobile on a record player! 😄 Seriously though, such a wonderful find of both shop and machine. Nothing beats finding an electronic vintage and bringing it back to life and former glory.

[@douglascurl5581]

Great vid. Brings back memories of mine from the early 80's. Mine had the Ariston label on the front and was speed adjusted via a belt as it didn't have those 2 knobs. It also had the original Ariston tonearm too. I had this plus the Rotel RA840BX and Monitor Audio R352's for the loudspeakers. I loved that setup. I'm restoring an Ariston RD80sl at the moment and putting a Michel TecnoArm A with Goldring cartridge and cannot wait to hear it. Nice one and thanks for the trip down memory lane. Doug.

[@pwrestoration]

Thanks Doug!

[@escapetime161803]

I had one of these decks back in the 1960s and 70s. True hi-fi enthusiasts might criticise it because the turntable bearing was not a single ball bearing as in something posh like the 301 or 401 turntable, but if you got a good one the bearing rumble wasn't bad at all. I think I was lucky because mine was very quiet. I particularly liked the auto return and stop feature, because this was really a single play version of Garrard's autochange decks, the AT6 and AT60, with some of the complicated bits missed out. This is why the central bearing was a ball race around a fixed spindle, presumably because it would have cost too much to change that.The turntable itself was more substantial than usual too, because cheap autochange turntables of that era like the BSR usually just had a pressed steel turntable, but this had a chunky casting riveted onto it as well. Happy days.

[@arkadybron1994]

This was both of my decks when I was DJ'ing in the 70's. Built in to a homemade console with crossfaders and homemade felt slip matts. Good quality robust decks.

[@admiralhipowa7158]

Grew up with that turntable, happy memories. I recently purchased a mint Garrard 4HF which is my pride & joy. Would love a 301 or 401 one day.

[@mikecummins-r7b]

There was no need to remove the clips to remove the top from the base, they're designed to pivot on the bolt so you can remove with the clips in place

[@pwrestoration]

Ahhhhhhhhh

[@sullycliftona]

Ametuers.

[@pwrestoration]

Even Ninjas were amateurs at one point! 😂 ​@@sullycliftona

[@RUfromthe40s]

@@pwrestoration no one starts at a high-level point ,even us after borning don´t walk or talk but depending on our mother´s work

[@crabapples1995]

@@sullycliftona Amatuers

[@davidwood4303]

Big nostalgia here... this was my father's deck back in the 70s. Idler-wheel models like this tend to get sneered at in favour of direct-drive and belt-drive machines, but once re-lubricated (as you have done) the tech is essentially bombproof. I do think you got lucky with the idler wheel... often these turntable have been stored for years with the idler in the same position, creating an indentation in the old rubber that cannot really be fixed. I have no idea if replacement idler wheels are still available, but somehow I doubt it. Great restoration!

[@pwrestoration]

Thanks! They are available but a little cost inhibitive. About £28, considering I gave I think £30 for the deck.

[@bertspeggly4428]

In the late sixties - early seventies it was cool to have a custom built stereo system. As an electronics student I made a good living making hand- built custom stereos for people. I always included an SP25 MkII. My favourite Garrard turntable is the 4HF.

[@alanhindmarch4483]

In the 70’s I had a Gerrard SP25 MK5. Loved it. Some SP25 Go For Good Money

[@biblioshelfonhere7821]

My first hi-fi entry level deck. Can't remember the cartridge but it seemed to be the one that everyone bought for this if I remember. Think I used an Amstrad amp. Replaced with a Systemdek plinth with a Linn Akito arm which I still have but haven't used for decades!

[@mgsee]

Nice one! This brings back memories. I had one of these in the 70s, it was my first 'proper' deck. As my funds increased I bought a MkIII, which was then replaced by a Pioneer PL12D followed by a Rega P3 and finally a Linn LP12/Ittok/K9 (which unfortunately I sold a few years ago).

[@pwrestoration]

I've not reached the kingdom of Lp12 yet but I'm looking at a TD160 or similar Ariston for the house

[@mgsee]

My brother-in-law has an original TD150 which he has promised to let me have, and I intend to restore it with an upgraded arm such as the Rega RB300 (or whatever the current version number is).

[@RUfromthe40s]

@@pwrestoration the TD 160 is a model sold for decades and the most bought model from thorens i had one in early 80´s

[@RUfromthe40s]

the arm that comes with the thorens is a lot more accurate if possible to make it work perfect the Rega is a bit frail and might not work for a lot of years, you´ll regret having it changed but if you find it easier to substitute than fixing the older which is much better ,it´s an option, i copnsider doing it on a Pioneer turntable above other models from 1974 because it came with a ES-2000 system and no anti-skating which works perfect with 37 minuts Lp´s the regular at the time or even erlier, ialmost did the same byut after checking it properly it was a very frail arm but easy to mount and it works ,not so well built

[@mgsee]

@@RUfromthe40sThank you for the advice @RUfromthe40s. This is the first time I've heard the Rega RB300 described as frail, and I'm surprised that it would be considered worse than the original arm on the TD150. Maybe I should to do more research into this...

[@The70s80scollection]

In the late 70s through until the early 90s my parents had a Hacker Centurion MK II HiFI that had a Garrard SP25 turntable, in those late 70s nights, I must have listened to many a vinyl track that is now on my own channel, great to see a SP25 in action again it's been a while!.

[@pwrestoration]

Hey, thanks for your kind words. Love your channel, just subbed. A question though, how do you get around the copyrights? Do all your videos get demonetised?

[@The70s80scollection]

@@pwrestoration Thanks very much for the sub, and yes my videos are demonetised, once the video has uploaded, it then goes through the various audio and video checks that looks for any copyrighted content (on the KZbin system), in my case the audio file is identified and 95% of the time I'll get a message the content owner has given permission for that copyrighted content to be used and its that owner or record label get paid by the number of views and Ads etc and not me, though my goal was to demonstrate how good vinyl could sound on old vintage equipment, that turntable is around 40 years old, the cart is new but still a great sound.

[@Fluteboy]

My dad swore by his Garrard. It was the go-to brand when starting out with hifi in the 70s.

[@grahamhenshaw5782]

I had one of these years ago, the one to go for it's day at an affordable price. I inherited my Dads Thorens TD150/11, which is currently in the loft complete with a spare belt and original Manual. Used it for with my Maranze tuner amp and whardale lintons. Happy days

[@fdort3971]

@pwrestoration thanks for the street view! Been a long time since I wandered British streets

[@FrankJCarver]

In the early 1980s, when I was a teenager, I lived just outside Glasgow and behind my house was a recycling centre. I wish you could have seen this place. Stacked up on each other were tons of old record players and radiograms. Dansettes and Garrards, for example. Also, inside the place were lots of BSR decks. Lots of old electric fires as well and other great electrical items. All these items were in great condition and were ready to be destroyed. I managed to sneak in at night save a large number of Dansette record players and BSR decks. They were all in great working order. The people that handed these items in were horrible. If they saw you at the centre, they would drive away, so that you wouldn't get their items. Their vehicles were always packed full of stuff.

[@Melbournelost66]

I have a 1965 Garard built into a Kreisler multisonic stereogram. A beautiful machine that was my parents. Lucky to have it. Even though that is a later model its pretty much the same barring cosmetics.

[@murraywebster1228]

My first turntable fitted in case with tuner and amp, I was 11 at the time!

[@brucevair-turnbull8082]

I enjoyed this posting. About 10 years ago I picked up a Garrard 401turntable (with SME 3009 tonearm) from a charity shop for a song. The restoration took until last summer to complete. Trouble is I've no room to audition it.😤

[@dougieroberts7045]

My elder brother had one many years ago, must be back in the 70s, it was my introduction to real hifi, I think he had some Leak loudspeaker and a rotel amplifier. For its day it sounded great, I was just a kid but it sounded great to me back then. Not audiophile equipment by any standards but definitely a taste of it.

[@PaulRoss-es4mt]

Good work. I visited that shop last year when he was converting it from a hardware store. I must have a look in next time I’m passing. As far as Garrard’s go, I’ve got a 209 autochanger that I’m hoping to build a plinth for and convert to stereo for playing singles.

[@madrafboy]

Ah, a nice Garrard SP25. These decks were used in a budget HI-FI systems. They wer.manufactured in Swindon Wiltshire. Sadly the factory is long gone and replaced by The RANGE superstore . I had one of these turntables in the 70's and they can be used with magnetic cartridges, if you use a fairly robust conical type cartridge with moderate tracking force. Nice video.

[@mark..A]

And a halfords

[@briankinder9292]

I still got one of those decks, bought my first stereo in 1972, Sinclair Stereo 60 kit, Richard Allen triple 10 speaker kit, could not afford a BD1 turntable, so bought a SP25 as a temp unit. Still have it, allows the wife to play her Elvis 78's. Dismantled it and boxed it 1985 for house move, still boxed for next move, rebuilt couple years ago. Concidering there is not an ic in site, all transister, it has a nice mellow sound, now back in use.

[@pwrestoration]

Had this on today, I think it sounds great.

[@jimhobbs461]

The SP25 Mk2 was the go-to workhorse turntable used in disco consoles during the seventies. The simple and robust idler drive gives easy operation, a relatively fast start, and reliability in operation. The clips are there to secure the turntable in transit (when fully screwed down) and can be rotated for the removal of the turntable from its baseboard when fully released and the turntable can 'float' on its springs.

[@daveys]

When I was a kid, we had a Garrard 3500 multichanger which ended up as part of my “separates” system. I ditched it for a dual 505 which got completely wrecked when the ceiling of my room came down on it in the middle of the night. As far as I can tell, Garrard made a lot of turntables that went into wooden boxes that were then resold under the cabinet maker’s company name. Ours had an amp within the enclosure and also had huge matching separate speakers. My dad had some sort of business relationship with one of the companies that made either the turntables or the case/amp/speakers that we had, but not sure what.

[@UK_Lemons]

The Garrard turntables tended to be fitted in the midrange music centres with BSR turntables normally found in the less expensive units. There was a time when one could buy a cabinet and fit some pretty decent (Quad, Lenco, etc) components to suit budget or preference.

[@davestevenson2181]

Great video. Now I know what is probably wrong with the auto return on my old Mk2. Time to get it out of the loft and follow your steps.

[@GRAHAMAUS]

Grew up with this turntable in the 70s, thanks to my Dad purchasing what he felt was the best turntable available in 1973! Ours never had the platter circlip, so it was always easy to remove for some unknown reason. However, sound quality wise the rubber-wheel drive did seem to cause a lot of unnecessary rumble compared to a belt-drive; very obvious over headphones. Still, it was well made compared to later cheap plastic efforts.

[@antoniojustodasilva3260]

Thanks for the video. Nice to see this Garrard going strong 😀😀😀 I had the exact same model many years ago. Just a side note: the wood box it's not original, the original enclosure was totally made of plastic. Great video and great memories 😀😀 Thank you.

[@markpirateuk]

The wood plinth is original, I have an identical turntable, later versions did use a plastic plinth though.

[@suntexi]

I had one of these back in the '60s. It came with a unit which had a lid which was shaped so it could be raised on a sort of cantilever effect. The company that marketed it was based in Essex by the name of Van der Molen.

[@rayhunter7371]

I think my flatmate scored one of these in the 90's and I used for a while. Sounded pretty good too. Cheers for the video.

[@w1nchester32]

hi PW ! really enjoyed your film of your restoration. One thing that might get the speed more accurate is to remove and clean the rubber idler wheel and soak it for 15 mins or so in rubber renew solution. this softens the hard and shiny old rubber and makes it softer and more springy. I did this and got the speed spot on !

[@pwrestoration]

Thanks I'll give it a go! Replacements are about £30 give or take which is about what I paid for the turntable so have been a bit reluctant.

[@DaveG6HNI]

You used to get two pulleys, one for 50Hz operation and another for 60Hz ! and I think it also came with a full length centre spindle for stacking multiple records in autochanger mode unless I'm remembering the SL95 ??? The reason the auto return of the arm appears to overshoot was to ensure the head cleared the next LP to drop down before continuing to play... A great deck in its time and a good restore.

[@pwrestoration]

Ha that makes sense, wonder what happened to all the 'wrong' pulleys?

[@LuxmanPD272]

Never owned the 25 but did have a 125 which was the last incarnation of the 25 series. I do have a couple of Zero 100SB (single speed belt drive) as well as the fixed headshell 86SB which were popular in the mid 70s.

[@geoffcrisp7225]

I had one of these on my first early 1970's hifi attached to an Amstrad IC 2000 amp and Wharfedale Linton speakers. Its a good starter deck, but the rumble is quite noticeable on quieter tracks. The biggest problem is they tend to ruin your LP's after a while. I upgraded to a Pioneer PL112D and ditched the Amstrad that suffered from dry joints on the output stage.

[@pwrestoration]

Why do you say they ruin records? Someone else said that.

[@joatmonuk]

Nice clean unit, @14:31 you grip and move the pick up cam unit back and forth, the metal spindle between your fingers should rotate freely also as it sits in the cam assembly slot, usually heat is used as you did on the cam assembly pivot to free it, also the trip pawl is usually seized solid. Enjoying your videos i'm just up the road literally from you haha. thanks for sharing.

[@pwrestoration]

Nice one, yes on that large wheel the smaller metal part was also seized. I think that's what activates the wheel to turn the auto return feature. Pretty clever stuff!

[@fredmiddleton4814]

I have one of these but stopped using it a couple of years ago, I think I might get it serviced now.

[@apislapis]

I could be wrong but I'm sure I used to be able to turn those clips vertical to release the platter? I used the SP25 for playing my parents 78s back in the day, but I was given a Garrard Zero by my dad, I can't remember the model number. It looks like a Zero 92 but the headshell looks different. My dad worked for Plessey in the 70s and I'm sure he got a staff discount for it. I got rid of the Garrard Zero when I was given a Pioneer PL12D for free, which in turn was replaced by a Linn Axis which died and the PL12D came out of storage. It went back into storage when I got an LP12 with an Ittok arm but it came back out when I snapped the stylus on the Ortofon cartridge on the Linn. In addition to the PL12D & LP I have a Dual CS505-2 that needs some TLC. You can never have enough TTs.

[@pwrestoration]

No you're right I just didn't realise!

[@rankenfile]

Sound is tinny. It needs RIAA equalization via a phono pre-amp (or do post-process in something like Audacity). Nice old table though. Thanks for the walkthrough.

[@pwrestoration]

I didn't think of that. During recording, it didn't go through a pre amp. I'll have another go through the amp.

[@malcolmherbert5127]

If an early 70’s idler drive turntable floats your boat then I can heartily recommend what I think is the very pinnacle of these machines. It’s a Lenco, or Goldring Lenco, L75. Beautiful Swiss engineering which sell for quite small money these days.

[@pwrestoration]

Thanks I'll take a look! I think this could do with a new idles tyre in order to get that perfect speed back again. It makes sense all of the speeds are slightly high.. the idler on this must have a tiny bit worn off over the decades.

[@malcolmherbert5127]

@@pwrestoration The Lenco has a conical drive spindle and adjustable stops for the speed lever. This gives it an infinitely variable adjustment of the 4 speeds so you can get absolutely precise speeds. It also drives the (very heavy) platter from the underside rather than the edge so you don’t get any side thrust on the bearing. I love idler drive turntables, they impart an almost irresistible thrust upon start up, and their action tends to force the idler wheel into even greater contact with the platter resulting in a much more positive drive. By contrast, belt drive turntables can quite easily slip and take longer to get up to speed. Direct drive units, while having a great reputation for accuracy and build quality, they are mainly Japanese after all, terrify me as I know that should one fail on me, I’d have no idea how to fix it. For the same reasons I drive a 43 year old car.

[@malcolmherbert5127]

@@pwrestoration I’ve just noticed your last remark about the idler wheel being rather worn. The size of the idler makes no difference whatsoever to the speed of the platter, the only thing which determines the speed of the platter is the ratio of the motor spindle to the platter’s circumference. The idler wheel is merely a means of transmitting the drive from one to the other.

[@rhodaborrocks1654]

I had the competing BSR HT70 in a similar looking plinth and dust cover, same sort of thing except I liked the looks of the BSR with it's purposeful looking platter, and I preferred having a conventional cue lever rather than the way Garrard did it. I had a Shure magnetic cartridge installed, I still have some recordings made off it and it sounded alright for what it was, bit of a rumble box but I don't think the Garrard would have been any better in that regard?

[@ProjectNarrowboat]

I'm pretty sure this is the exact model I used to listen to my Punk records on back in the seventies!

[@pwrestoration]

It had some Rancid on it yesterday if that counts 😅

[@jimeb2jim256]

Fascinating technique.

[@Timothycan]

Just a point: You don't need to remove the clips on the two transit bolts, they just flip up vertically, then you can just lift the deck out of the plinth!

[@pwrestoration]

Haha yep someone else pointed that out yesterday. Thanks, wish I'd known 😅

[@stevesmith3990]

Really enjoyed watching you work your magic on this, great stuff & subbed.

[@pwrestoration]

Thanks Steve!

[@mjg263]

Wish we had these nice single play versions of the Garrard 60 MkII and SL-65 here in the US, all we had were the changer / stacker versions of these. That’s why the arm moves all the way over then comes back on itself before sitting down on the post, it’s moving out of the way so the next record can drop. Same arm return mechanism was used in the changer version. Very nice vintage turntable!

[@pwrestoration]

Ah that makes sense!

[@deanbull7767]

I think it was a pretty fair turntable for it's time, but things changed real fast with the coming of the Japanese gear like Pioneer, Sony, and many others. Still a good find.

[@westcommonroom9737]

Compared with the competition at the time this was streets ahead - at that price range. I think I might still have two in the attic. You could buy them at knock down prices from the small ads dealers in the electronic mags and make up your own plinths from the baseboard templates supplied.

[@jtd56]

A very familiar item from my childhood. LP's were supposed to run at 33 1/3 despite the control saying 33 so your speed test is closer than you think!

[@eyeshot4866]

My late father owned one of these in the 70's - his only foray into 'hi-fi'. The accompanying amp (and possibly speakers) were 'Bush Arena' so it was all very basic by today's standards. He only liked hard-core classical stuff and didn't use it much, fortunately! No idea what became of it, sadly. Simple but effective engineering which doesn't require a computer to fix.

[@barfoonisland2003]

USA here. I currently own a Garrard SP-20. I'm not sure if SP-25's were marketed here in the USA or not. Garrard turntables were very popular here in the states in the 60's and 70's. I think more popular than BSR turntables.

[@LuxmanPD272]

Did you treat the idler tire with rubber renue? If it’s sat engaged for years the idler leaves a dent in the tire particularly when the tire has hardened. This was the reason idler decks became unpopular because of the audible rumble from a misshaped tire. Hence older amplifiers had a rumble filter.

[@pwrestoration]

The deck had been in use in the antiques shop for years, but the owner chose another player as the auto return stopped working. It's pretty good on rumble to be honest, there's the odd pop here and there but it actually sounds decent!

[@ShidaSoundfurniture]

As well as reviving the idler rubber, make sure the idler bearing has been oiled. A couple of drops of sewing machine oil will work wonders. Especially with the speed stability

[@matthewharty6531]

had the exact same one for many years

[@steviec1871]

Always wanted one of these back in the early seventies I saved up and when I was nearly there I found myself in a sports shop and because I was so weedy I ended up buying a bullworker instead..it would be some years later before I finally got my first turntable..

[@douglashoff95]

I had the A70. It was a fine turntable but unfortunately life situations forced me to sell it some years ago. The Garrards were highly sought after here in the USA. The hardened grease has been one of the main problems but easily fixed. And yes, my shop used WD40 (but not the hammer).

[@osliverpool]

I listened to that sample file. It's a bit lacking in the bass department (though that might be the recording). But the resolution and detail are better than I expected... It's surprising how good it sounds with a modern cartridge.

[@pwrestoration]

Yeah I failed a little as I didn't realise my usb to RCA converter doesn't have RCAA or whatever it's called on it. Trying to work it out!

[@osliverpool]

@pwrestoration Ah, RIAA equalisation - yes, that would explain it

[@kinasc1575]

I got rid of all the mechanism that the arm dragged along just so it can lift up at the end of play, it improved the top end a great deal👌. Couldn't do anything about the rumble though.

[@pwrestoration]

Ahh that's not a bad idea actually. I might just disconnect it at the arm end so as not to totally render it useless forever

[@ThePresentpresence]

Apart from a hairdryer and hammer 😂, what cleaning products are you using please? Think you said (or said you would say) but I didn't catch it

[@pwrestoration]

Just IPA, panel wipes, and clean cloths

[@leehazlewoodism]

A hairdryer is your friend. Warm the siezed parts for a couple of minutes and it'll soften the grease enough that you can get them moving.

[@mikeparrysatwat]

I used T Cut and a cloth on my Linn Sondek lid with amazing results

[@pwrestoration]

Yep that also works great!

[@ianinvancouverbc]

my dad owned one before we moved to Vancouver and gave it away in 1981. Sadly my dad used speaker wire for power on the turntable and in a rewire I got the power mixed up with the actual speaker wire. I blew the Wharfedale speaker I was trying to connect to, it tblew the capacitor and melted the speaker coil

[@pwrestoration]

Haha that'll do it!

[@ssgeek4515]

I use methylated spirit with a small brush or white spirit. Guaranteed to shift hard greese

[@marquisdemoo1792]

But did you also find a Leak 70 Amp and Wharfdale Triaxiom 75 speakers (it was the go to system in 1968-70)?

[@pwrestoration]

There was speakers but I left them, not sure what they were but not my cup of tea. Same era, a little ropey nowadays

[@Waciglass]

Use to have one of those in the 1980s

[@lookoutleo]

Connect it up and stick a record on it. Listen to it see if it's running slow , if not just replace the plug and it will be fine. Those machines from the 70s are bomb proof

[@pwrestoration]

I presume you didn't watch the whole video, give it a full whirl!

[@lookoutleo]

@@pwrestoration I did but my point was those old record players are a good model for folk who can't repair

[@mikebirkett010]

Had fifty quid more to spend in the seventies, bought an AP76 to mate with my Amstrad IC 2000 mk2. Parker Sound speakers. Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel heaven...😊

[@garym8726]

I bought the AP76 as a chassis and made a mounting board using the supplied template, a wooden surround and poster as a dust cover. Later, when I had £8.50 to spare, I bought the proper plinth and cover. It was almost identical to the SP25 one but had a “sticky-out-bit” on the back of the left hand side so that the cover could stay on during play. One advantage of the AP76 was that I could power it and my amp via my alarm clock switched power output, with the deck switched to auto and it would play a (randomly selected) LP to wake me up!

[@garym8726]

Correction: the projection on the plinth cover was on the right. P.S. the alarm clock (electric powered, rotating numbered barrels) was also a chassis (from Laskys) which I built into a wooden box with a power socket on the rear for the hi-fi. The good old days!

[@mikebirkett010]

@garym8726 I modified my idler wheel using copious amounts of 3 in 1 on the central bearing. Reduced the rumble quite a bit especially when using my Wharfdale headphones. 2.5inch paper cone drivers in a box. Rather like having a pair of bookshelf speakers strapped to my head.

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

What about the CD Resurfacer Kit should give the same finish.

[@gtretroworld]

Found you Paul haha…Nice video and it was good to meet you last night at the Club. Have a Subscribe.

[@pwrestoration]

Thanks, nice to meet you too!

[@davidcoleman5246]

Enjoyed watching this. Had a MK4 and broke the head shell, then bought a MK5. Good little turntables, wanted to upgrade to a Pioneer PL12D, but never got around to it. Thanks for the video. P.S What happened to Garrard, did they go bust?

[@pwrestoration]

Sold a few times and whittled down, now owned by Cadence Audio cadenceaudio.com/

[@opticaltrace4382]

Just a little nit pick but really you need a strain relief on the mains cable. As it stands, there's nothing to stop it being ripped out of that connector block inside 👍

[@pwrestoration]

That's a bloody good point, thanks. I'll add something in.

[@koont666]

My first deck when I was 7 in 73

[@barrytcook1]

I've got one on a dynatron cordoba record player .... still got it..

[@adeh503]

Thank god you removed those hideous door stops off the bottom 👌👌

[@neilbradley5011]

I once had a SP25 Mk1 ,it had a rim drive with a few gear teeth missing so it played weird.

[@txerapng]

Great restoration, just wondering, have you used a Phono Pre-Amp with the turntable before recording the audio out? It sounds really shrill and tiny, almost no midrange and bass at all. If you have used a Phono Pre-Amp there could be something wrong with it not applying the necessary RIAA equalisation.

[@pwrestoration]

I think that's exactly what's happened.. I'm going to run it via a separate phono pre amp tomorrow and retry. Thanks!

[@txerapng]

@@pwrestoration if you need any help or have any doubts regarding video & audio production you have my email.

[@thethirdman225]

Never thought I’d see the day when anyone would think an old rim drive Garrard was worth repairing. My Mum has one at her place in an old Kreisler radiogram.

[@ju6452]

Again: Great job Paul👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@stevem7868-y4l]

Wasnt the Mk4 the best deck? i had four of them on ebay for a while, and they ended up down the tip,

[@pwrestoration]

Not sure to be honest, this is my first dip into Garrard.

[@cubeaceuk9034]

If it was a Shure SC35C cartridge it had a special stylus that did track at around three and a half grams and did not damage record surfaces. It was made for DJs to be able to spin the record by hand for cueing and not produce record groove burn. A bit of a waste on that Garrard turntable but hey. Otherwise most Shure cartridges tracked at around one and a half grams.

[@ju6452]

Maybe it is an autoreturn? Because of the spring at the tonearm and the mechanics inside.

[@pwrestoration]

I got there in the end, managing to repair the auto return and the lift in one go!

[@Barbarapape]

As said below in the early 70's you had some cred if you owned an SP25, soon they were bettered by new decks. The BSR McDonald's were better performers, but even they were crude compared to the later belt drive models from Japan. Then along came the Linn Sondec LP12 and that wiped the smile off the Japanese faces. fitted with an SME 3009 tone arm and a decent cartridge, you had the best you could buy at the time. Still the SP25 will after some TLC play records to an acceptable standard. Now if you can find an LP12 at a sensible price, go for it.

[@pwrestoration]

I can't! 😅

[@Barbarapape]

@@pwrestoration Just keep your eyes and ears open, once in a while a bargain appears. I bought all my Quad gear that way.

[@RUfromthe40s]

the mechanical system inside looks very good ,the new turntables have nothing,like if a mechanical function would decrease the sound quality as they say, the strenght in the arm when you put it on top of the platter it´s related with the anti-skating control. The dented wheel looks very worn out ,it seems that this turntable worked for years but if looking better it seems it never had there any teeth, but you it figured out when cleaning the center piece, nice cleaning it makes a lot of diference s i have 28 turntables mostly from the 70´s but 3 from the 60´s which i refered to two of them in the bellow coment, the other is a Dual from my grandmother and a high-end model at the time with pitch and everything else needed also i substituted this turntable cartridge. It looks perfect,i´ve done it too a lot of turntables before 2020, if you open a Pro-Ject turntable of around 1.000€ it as nothing inside and it´s a lot of bits of plastic and a almost direct conection from the cartridge to the rca´s , you should have it conected to a amplifier and speakers to show how good it sounds not digitalized, nice video, it´s subscribed

[@robturner3065]

16:00 don't change that bearing it's like that for a reason! A standard thrust bearing is not an upgrade.... Good restoration 👍

[@bobsbits5357]

no this was not right at the bottom range there was ones that were lower than this you got this with home reel to reel i saw a deck that was very low end in 1960 mates dad had one bsr reel to reel decks same as turn tables

[@jimbo2629]

I had one of these a long time ago

[@robinfowler9477]

nice! is that a free app for measuring RPM on your phone?

[@pwrestoration]

It is, it's great. It's called RPM Speed and Wow 👍

[@johndavis1465]

Mains cable and Audio cable loose and could be pulled out ?

[@pwrestoration]

I did rectify that but I can't remember how!

[@raychambers3646]

Had one in the 70s it was ok , but upgraded to Goldring Lenco .

[@alangaughran]

SP25! Not great. I built two into a heavy but mobile disco set in the late 60s (rather earlier than reported here by others). It wasn't great but it was affordable for young people who wanted to get things moving. Designed and built my own valve 4 channel mixer and assembled two 50W Heathkit amps with KT88 tetrodes. Speakers were decent solid reflex cabs built around Triaxium triples. All painted cleverly for image. Worked well for years and seems to have set a design to copy by all the cheap as chips models that followed it. Not bad for an 18y old!

[@bobsbits5357]

hi used to see alot at car boots in the 90's i have 3 some where went after pro reel to reel studio gear nice dcks my cat's used to play on them in the past why tape now

[@JD-lk7im]

Those old 'feet' look like door stops. Oh...what did you do with the wee cover at the tonearm base?

[@pwrestoration]

They flew so hard into the bin 😅

[@JD-lk7im]

​​@@pwrestorationhaha! Best place for them.. yeh , at 11:50 . The little plastic cover?!

[@glpilpi6209]

I used AP90 grease back in the day when they were new for servicing . The relub should last at least 5 years if its used regularly. If it isnt the grease will dry out. These modern lubricants are not up to the job and dont offer the same level of lubrication , light general purpose oil is good for the mech. too. All old lube must be removed with white spirit or turpentine .

[@ju6452]

Suggest putting some furniture oil on the wood😉

[@highpath4776]

A friend of mine has "loaned" one to me, but I havnt had the space to do with it what I want ( play some rather rare LPs)

[@pwrestoration]

78s?

[@highpath4776]

@@pwrestoration poss a few of them too

[@howardsherwood8834]

Can’t believe you didn’t clean the rubber idler wheel with isopropyl alcohol which was the main cause of wow and flutter with these decks!

[@pwrestoration]

The worst thing you can put near rubber is IPA long term. You can buy rubber rejuvenate but an easier alternative is fabric softener. Similar chemical compound and works a treat. And I did, just not on camera. Forgot.

[@raythomas4812]

Great video and who don't like a bit of Donna , but no audio on sound cloud 😞

[@pwrestoration]

Thanks for the tip - you try something once!

[@pwrestoration]

I have reuploaded it and added it to the description. Thanks for the heads up.

[@raythomas4812]

@@pwrestoration sounds good - I would have loved that when I was younger ( I had a Fidelity UA 8 - have Technics SL1500C now ) Actually one of my favourite Donna Summer songs - I say the GTO label - and I wondered if it was gonna be Donna

[@nonsuch]

Cool find. I was hoping you would at least play something at the end. I'm sure the reason you didn't play anything was for copyright reasons but, do us a favor and buy a "Royalty Free" record for the channel. There are many available. Cheers 🥂

[@pwrestoration]

I didn't know there was, I'll investigate that.

[@musicnerd72]

Did BSR build these? Mechanism looks similar to theirs.

[@pwrestoration]

Apparently not but they probably borrowed ideas from each other in the 60s and 70s. To quote someone else they were "made in England and you finish them yourself" 😅

[@musicnerd72]

@@pwrestoration Haha! 👍

[@TelstarFirst]

No! Garrard, BSR were crap.

[@petertitterton6836]

Garrard built the whole deck at their 2 Swindon factories. One in the town and the other at their Blunsdon site. I visited both while at Swindon technical college as part of an engineering course as a apprentice in the late 1960's. Still have a dusty belt drive SP25mk5!

[@jerryking7502]

The gear that operates the return mechanism should have grease in the groove...

[@ashleyjnobaptiste]

SP 25 idler-drive turntable

[@Eyerex]

Don't think i've ever come across a record that plays at 16 was it before or the same time as 78's ?

[@pwrestoration]

I have no idea either!

[@theylive23]

I think 16s were mainly used for vocal recordings like plays and speeches where musical fidelity wasn't so important - I've seen some old boxed sets of theatrical productions etc. Yes, probably from the same era as 78s.

[@stephenweston1807]

Had a couple of 16s. They were advertising disks a bit like the floppy ones that Readers Digest used to send out. One was like an embossed laminate on thin card. Of course, as kids you were always changing the speed for amusement purposes. Slowing a Pinky and Perky or Chipmunks record down to 16 gave you an appreciation of the original recording before it was sped up. I remember Welsh male voice choirs always sounded better at a higher speed!

[@petertitterton6836]

I think 16 was also used for language learning course records. The name Linguaphone comes to mind.

[@theylive23]

@@petertitterton6836I think you're right - I remember those courses.