Garrard SP25 Mk3

We get all sorts of interesting things in for service ....

On the bench today, one Bush Arena 'Music centre' fitted with the iconic Garrard SP25 turntable .... in this case the Mk3 version. Absolutely immaculate condition and easily 40 years old... only issue is the notorious Auto mechanism which seems to have developed a mind of its own.

 

Ok, not the last word in audiophile High Fidelity, but the 25 has earned its place in the Turntable hall of fame ..... I reckon that anybody who was bitten by the audio bug in the 70s and early 80s will have owned an SP25, Pioneer PL12D or a Dual CS505 at some time during their upgrade route to better things....and so, rather than turn this away and dismiss it as awkward to work on (which it is ) and not worth the effort, decided to give it the respect it deserves and break out the Isopropyl and grease and give it a good service.

Although the 25 is hellish complicated inside ... (the earlier models were purely manual and weren't saddled with the crazy muliple levers and springs of the auto) they are fairly reliable and generally only fail due to lack of use . which is the case here ... hardened grease and dry runners ...

Can't wait to fire it up ( I have the Bush Arena speakers here too :-) ) and revel in a bit of nostalgia