how good are these turntables?

[tommyb]

got a chance of one of these:

GARRARD B-35 TURNTABLE.

How good is it, i've been asked for £40.

 

[chebby]

There is one on ebay for £39.99 ... here

I don;t think I have ever heard one. Looks like the generic, lightweight, plastic belt drive typical of the late 1970s and 1980s.

The problem with this type of turntable is that they were usually very lightweight and 'microphonic'. They would resonate very easily if the volume was turned up.

I personally think £40 is a bit steep for this type of turntable. However I am not an expert of decks from that era so I cannot gauge it's rarity value. Garrard went through a period of Brazilian ownership around this time so we are not looking at a 'classic' like the old Garrard 301's and 401's (or even the more humble SP-25). I doubt that this was even made by Garrard. Probably made by some OEM company and badged up to appeal to people who remembered the old garrard 'legends' of previous decades.

Not my cup of tea.

Trawl around for a decent condition Trio (Kenwood) KD-1033 or Pioneer PL-112D or PL-71/PL-55 or Sansui SR-222 Mk 2 or (especially at this price level) a good used Dual CS-505.

Unfortunately a lot of people are catching on to the recently increased popularity in Vinyl and digging out all sorts of old turntables from their garages and attics to cash in. Few turntables of this era are actually any good.

 

[JoelSim]

You'd be better off getting a new Pro-Ject Debut for just over £100 tha risking this. One repair and all that money saved has gone and you are left with an old deck. Buying a second hand upmarket deck is more liekly to be a good thing as most people cherish them

ÿ

 

[tommyb]

Chebby and Joelsim - thanks for that!

I'm only looking to spend around £90-£100, until I can afford a really good deck.

Is the Project debut a good choice? I see the Project Genie is around that price point and it loks really good too!

 

[chebby]

http://www.richersounds.com/showproduct.php?cda=showproduct&pid=PROJ-RPM1-GENIE

This will keep your vinyl nice and sound good. Comes with an Ortofon cartridge.

Should serve you very well and give you plenty of time to save up for something a little more ambitious.

 

[gregory]

Chebby has made some good choices on the 2nd hand front, I've had all four decks and the dual is the pick of the bunch, the 505-2 is the one to go for as it's easier to swap cartridges although it's lightweight in build it sounds great. The sansui 222 is another great deck well built and looks fantastic, you can pick them up for between £20.00 to £40.00 for the dual, no more than that and £35.00 to £70.00 for the 222. the trio and pioneer are basically the same deck and can be picked up for about £20.00 in good condition, i still have the kd 1033 as a back up and use it in my bedroom system but if your new to vinyl you have to know what you looking for so maybe a new deck is the way to go. By all means have a listen to the genie but look out for the Mk ll version as it's better built with a few more enhancements but still at the same price. It comes with ortofon om5 cartridge which is easily upgradeable by changing the stylus. Good luck and let us know how you get on. All the best, Gregory.

 

[tommyb]

Thanks for all the advice guys

I think you're right - buying brand new seems like the way forward.

I've seen this: http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=766

Is that as about as good a deal as I'll get on one?

I know this sounds like a stupid question, but there doesn't seem to be anywhere where you can alter the rpm to 45/33.3 - is it hidden?

 

[chebby]

The Richer Sounds link I gave above has the Genie at £119.

The speed is changed manually by moving the belt between the two different diameters of pulley (on top of the motor unit).

 

[tommyb]

HI Chebby,

Yeah, that was for the RPM1, but the link I posted is for the RPM2 I think?? is there any difference?

Thanks for clearing up the changing of speeds - glad it can be done!

 

[chebby]

Ah OK. I did not realise there were two Genie variants.