[78-L] am I missing something?

[Doug Duncan]

William A. Brent wrote:
> $5k for an old turn table -
>
> maybe its that diamond needle?
>
> http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/ele/1064084440.html
>
>   
These Garrard Turntables, the 301 and the later 401, have a cult 
following among the hifi people. They do, indeed, sell for quite amazing 
prices either as a bare motor unit or with a suitable arm.  The cultists 
are true believers who say that if it is old then the quality of the 
engineering is better, the materials are better and hence the sound 
quality derived will be much better. It is a religious belief and there 
is no point trying to argue with them. There is a whole industry that is 
dedicated to keeping them going and updating them as well. Things like 
slate plinths that are acoustically inert are available together with 
'improved' mats, revised bearings and so on.. If your pocket is deep 
enough you can indeed make them perform as well as many of the current 
generation of hifi turntables. Of course the debate then becomes whether 
it is a sensible thing to do in the first place.

The issue for us is that, unlike the current generation of toys, they do 
have a 78 nominal speed and incorporate a variable speed system with 
strobe.

The price this vendor is asking seems very high to me but I wouldn't 
rule out the possibility of him selling for that. If he was selling it 
in Japan he could be in with a shout.

I should declare a partisan view here. I have a Garrard 401. It works 
well for me. But I only paid £3.50 for mine from a charity shop 15 years 
ago. As you can guess that was before  the cultists became interested.

Best Regards,

Doug