Garrard 301
The heavy English turntable for broadcasting studios, driven by an idler wheel.
Garrard began as a workshop of the Crown Jewellers Garrard & Co in London and later made gramophone motors. The 301 was built for broadcasters, and a motor drove the platter via a rubber wheel.
The turntable is very robust and has a sound of its own. Today enthusiasts build it into heavy plinths, and it has become a collector’s item.
Materials: Cast aluminium, steel, enamel
Manufacture: Made by Garrard in Swindon from 1954 to about 1964.
The cast plate, often grey or cream.
The heavy platter with stroboscope dots.
The speed selector and the fine adjustment.