Garrard 301 Classic complete deck in Macassar Ebony Ortofon RS-309D Tonearm

"The original Classic'......

Here is a turnkey world class Garrard 301 setup, minus cartridge, in gorgeous Macassar Ebony. Included is a factory fresh Ortofon RS-309D tonearm with tonearm cable and digital scale, fine adjust solid bronze armboard, 4 Track Audio true isolation devices. This deck is shown for representation only. Please inquire for a timeline for manufacturing and delivery lead times, and about other specific options.

Woodsong Audio often has in stock, 301 motor units for building a top level Garrard 301 turntable. We also have an extensive collection of instrument grade exotic hardwoods which we have been accumulating for years, waiting for the right moment to grace an amazing turntable.

Every aspect of the Garrard 301 idler drive motor unit is completely disassembled, inspected, cleaned, and then skillfully re-assembled. A typical Woodsong Garrard refurbishment includes:

Complete dis-assembly, including removal of the face plates to enable a full cleaning and polish of the enamel, then riveted back in place with stainless rivets to match the original aesthetic. If the original face plates are worn, scratched, or otherwise less than optimal, they are replaced.

Linkages are removed, cleaned in an industrial ultrasonic tank, re-assembled, treated with a light marine grade cleaner/ corrosion inhibitor, and lubed at the wear points and sliding surfaces.

All springs are replaced, and proprietary Spring dampers installed on the motor carriage springs.

A new spark suppressor is installed, soldered directly to the switch contacts with Cardas quad eutectic solder.

The wiring harness, and all terminations are checked for corrosion, electrical and mechanical integrity, poor connections are repaired as needed.

Switch contacts are checked for wear, cleaned, or replaced if necessary.

The main spindle bearing is polished, and the bearing bushings recharged with the correct lubricant under vacuum. A new felt ring bearing seal is installed.

New idler tower grommets are installed.

The idler wheel is checked for pitting, out-of-round, dents, excessive wear in both the rubber and the bearing journals, and cleaned. In the case of an idler which is excessively worn, or damaged, it is replaced with either a NOS Garrard idler wheel, or an original wheel that is still in good shape.

Idler wheel bushings are replaced with bushings made from a very high tech, long wearing, and high lubricity thermoplastic, audibly lowering mechanical noise from the idler drive. This is an absolutely critical point, and huge improvements in operation are often experienced, and expected. Most every 301 that we have seen has worn idler wheel bushings, which results in increased audible noise. The idler wheel drive / bushings/ carrier, is the largest single source of audible noise in the Garrard 301 The original oilite bushings are noisy at best. Due to the imprecise idler wheel casting, it is often not a simple matter of pressing in new bushings. Woodsong Audio has a proprietary method of aligning the idler wheel bushing bores, allowing for a closer tolerance, and smoother, quieter operation. The thermoplastic bushings have mechanical properties which are similar to metal, yet they act like a 'filter' in transferring less mechanical noise than metal idler wheel bushings.

The motor is completely disassembled. The motor bushings stripped of the remaining old oil, the oilite porous structure cleaned thoroughly, and then recharged under vacuum with the correct lubricant. Motor shaft journals are polished, everything inspected. New felt lubricating rings are installed. Eddy Brake linkage shaft is checked for correct alignment. Motor casing is repainted in a 2 part automotive urethane to match the original finish, if necessary.

Motor coils are checked for proper resistance.

A new Woodsong precision eddy current brake is fitted, replacing the often bent, and always imprecise original eddy brake disc.

A new, speed correct 60hz marine brass pulley is installed

The motor unit is then fine tuned and run in over the course of several days to ensure many years of optimum performance and trouble free operation. Everything is painstakingly inspected, checked, and adjusted if necessary.

Non strobe platters are stripped, prepped, and refinished in a 2 part urethane in flat black.

Show quality sandblast and refinishing, polishing of the chassis is available.

The Ortofon RS-309D dynamic balanced tonearm offers top shelf playback and mates well with the Garrard 301. Woodsong Audio is an official Ortofon dealer, and we carry many other high quality lines as well. If you are looking for something specific, please inquire.

The Miyajima Shilabe Cartridge, and Oswald Mills Audio graphite headshell are not included in this listing.

The Woodsong Classic 301 plinth features a solid bronze, rigidly mounted, 1" thick, 4.75" diameter tonearm mount which can be loosened and rotated in its recess to allow for precision micro adjustment in the spindle-to-pivot mounting distance.

The plinth is a true CLD design, built with Russian birch plywood, a layer of man made slate, and just the right amount of Panzerholz, vacuum pressed under nearly 2000 lbs/sq. ft., bonded with carefully chosen adhesives to achieve a composite solid core that is mechanically cohesive, void free, and that allows the energy generated during the playback of music to flow through the plinth unimpeded, while minimizing resonance.

The current Woodsong Classic model is a culmination of 9 years of working with the Garrards, many hours of listening, and constant fine tuning of our designs. Woodsong plinths are unrivaled in sonic quality, craftsmanship, and longevity. Look closely at the details...

Woodsong Audio uses 1.8mm- 2mm thick veneers which we produce in house from boards which are hand selected for maximum aesthetic beauty, and long term durability. These are genuine solid wood veneers for wrapping the sides of rounded corner plinths, bent exactly like the sides of a guitar, prior to vacuum pressing. Other plinth makers use paper thin, inexpensive, commercially supplied veneers which are ironed on, or applied with contact cement.

Our signature finish is hand rubbed oil over highly polished wood. This needs to be seen in person to fully grasp the intense beauty of wood that is finished in this manner. Grain filled, show quality polished gloss and flat finishes are also available, as well as any color of automotive paint, and 'soft touch' paint which is nearly impossible to scratch or leave a mark on.

Please inquire with any questions, to check on availability, and also delivery times. Ships world wide in a specially built crate to ensure safe transit.

Thank you for looking

Chris Harban