CLIENT:                     Japanese Collector

PROJECT DATE:       2011

The Garrard 401 plinth was a self-initiated project that was aimed at creating a small business supplying the perfectionist Japanese market.  Using the later, 1970s styled Garrard, and recognizing the more conservative aesthetic as desired by the Far East Asian market, I designed a wooden framed platter.

Extending lessons learned from the earlier Garrard 301 project, I concentrated on two areas:

Using machined sheets of marine ply and Alucobond in a constrained layer configuration, vastly reduced vibration – both from the turntable itself, as well as footfalls, etc.

Secondly, I was keen to allow as many different tonearm to match the turntable as possible – particularly the ability to move from SME 9” arms to the more desirable broadcast 12” format (SME 3009 vs SME 3012).  In order to accommodate both variants, the anodized aluminum tonearm base is reversible which is a unique feature to this turntable.

The complete turntable was sold to a Japanese collector.