Grafonola 202 and lots of questions:

[VanEpsFan1914]

Hello!

No, I haven't torn the motor down yet--it runs so nicely that I was playing records on it today! Those 12" classical discs give it a workout, so I'll probably have to check, but it plays them with power and then some.

You reminded me to go ahead and start on it as a project. I will have to re-glue some peeling Rexine and all that as well, and at least clean the motor.
Thanks.

So...I'm exposed. Stalling on a project, again! Well, if your projects sounded this nice before disassembly, you'd stall too.

[forfun]

Thanks, I hope we can compare the motors composition some later

I've got one more question. I am doing a tonearm now and have encountered one problem. It seems that there are not enough balls in the tonearm bearing, they do not form a complete ring. Perhaps 1-2 balls are missing. How many should be there? There are 30pcs in my now.

[anchorman]

Old topic, but I’m pretty sure that the balls should not be packed in super tight. There’s no cage to separate them, so it needs the extra space. I had an arm that I thought was missing a couple of balls, and adding more definitely did not help things.

[anchorman]

Also, I can’t find info on a Garrard 50 motor. Is it one or two spring? And has anyone compared the sound from the 109a and 112a, given the two horn types used? I imagine not having the side plates would effect the bass at least a little bit. I’ve got a 112a, and looking for another machine to go with it. Considering 202, but also looking at the 112 (pre-a), the 109, 109a, and 201. I’ve also got a 214, but the case in very poor shape, unfortunately, and doesn’t have a crank.

[epigramophone]

The Garrard No.50 is a large single spring motor and when in good condition should have plenty of power.
It was also fitted to the smaller Columbia table models and the rare No.2a horn model.

The 112a and 202 produce a fuller sound than the 109 and 201, but the smaller horns still punch above their weight.
The No.9 and No.15 soundboxes are excellent, and being made of brass give little or no trouble.

My collection includes three 112a's (black, brown crocodile and green crocodile) two 202's (black and brown) and a 201 in blue.
The green crocodile 112a is very rare and was never included in Columbia catalogues. Apart from mine I know of two others.
Their only weakness is their pot metal horn assemblies which can become fragile in old age. Repair is possible but tricky.

[Steve]

The Garrard No.50 is a large single spring motor and when in good condition should have plenty of power.
It was also fitted to the smaller Columbia table models and the rare No.2a horn model.

The 112a and 202 produce a fuller sound than the 109 and 201, but the smaller horns still punch above their weight.
The No.9 and No.15 soundboxes are excellent, and being made of brass give little or no trouble.

My collection includes three 112a's (black, brown crocodile and green crocodile) two 202's (black and brown) and a 201 in blue.
The green crocodile 112a is very rare and was never included in Columbia catalogues. Apart from mine I know of two others.
Their only weakness is their pot metal horn assemblies which can become fragile in old age. Repair is possible but tricky.

Do the "two others" (green crocodile 112A's) referred to above include the one I have? I'm guessing not, in which case, we know of at least four now!

[Steve]

On a related note, having compared my 112As and 202s to the equivalent HMV models, I think the Columbia's offer superior sound quality. I do also prefer the Decca 130 to the HMVs. In fact I'm not sure why collectors in general seem to believe the HMV 102 is the best portable, as good as it might be?