KARMADON 311 Tonearm

Miyabi

In late 2023, Serge Rogozyansky of Karmadon posted his exquisitely crafted Ortofon-inspired 12" tonearm on Facebook. Being an aficionado of bespoked pieces, I was smitten! When I mentioned it to Tish, her immediate reaction was, "You already have too many turntables and tonearms!"😉

Due to an upcoming visit to the Philippines, I had to curb my enthusiasm.

Cork Turntable Mat

 

 Rubber hardens as it ages and this is exactly what happened to the rubber mats originally supplied with my Garrard 301, 401, Thorens TD124 and other turntables. I'm aware that modern reproductions are available, but I wanted something more affordable and practical. So I surfed and found a 3-pack cork mat with an LP label indentation for $12 on Amazon.

Does this mat make the sound better?🤔 Hmm...frequent visitors to this blog know better that after several decades in this hobby, I've grown averse to typical audiophile hair-splitting.😉

However, I'm happy to report that a few LPs from my collection which are slightly dished or warped now lie flat. That's good and I like the sound.

Try it and hear for yourself!😊

Happy Spinning!🎻🎷🎶

Garrard 301 - minor restoration

ca. 2003

I acquired this early grey grease-bearing model at a Hamfest around '96. I was the only person willing to shell out $240, which was the firm asking price of an elderly gentleman.

Attic - ca. 2009

It travelled back to Manila with me in '08 where it had to endure the extreme humidity of the tropics. Despite the adverse conditions, its performance remained very stable during the 8 years spent there.

The original grey hammer tone finish had deteriorated due to corrosion so I asked my assistant to mask the important mechanical bits. 😉

I think she did a pretty good job. What do you think? 😁

I used Rust-oleum silver hammerite spray paint which is a lighter shade than the Garrard original.  

I cleaned, flushed and re-packed the main bearing with 2 NGLI grease. The motor had no issues, so I just put a few drops of oil. Unlike the E50 motor in the Thorens TD124 which needs periodic motor servicing, I've never opened the motor on this 301.

When I acquired the unit, the power switch was already broken. I've had this spare speed selector switch in my parts bin for over 15 years courtesy of my buddy Joel. While waiting for the paint to cure, I cut and filed it down to function as a power switch.

Not a bad fit. 😎

I cleaned up 15 years of dust and soot build up on the plinth and then applied sealer and wax.

Here's to many more years of service! 🍻

Garrard 301 + TD124-II in the background