The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

This machine has the smallest horn in relation to the size of it's crudely made cabinet that I have ever seen, but it houses a Garrard Super motor, arguably the finest unit ever fitted to a gramophone. Worth buying for the motor alone, if you live nearby and have a large enough vehicle to accommodate the machine.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LOVELY-GARRA ... 1438.l2649

There seems to be no shortage of legs!

It's oak and I like it.

epigramophone wrote:This machine has the smallest horn in relation to the size of it's crudely made cabinet that I have ever seen, but it houses a Garrard Super motor, arguably the finest unit ever fitted to a gramophone.

Epi, what makes the Garrard Super the best motor in you judgment? I have never seen (or heard about) one of these, was it fitted in any regular gramophone make production? Is it better than the HMV oil bath? I have one of these on a 202, and it is quite good.

CarlosV wrote:

epigramophone wrote:This machine has the smallest horn in relation to the size of it's crudely made cabinet that I have ever seen, but it houses a Garrard Super motor, arguably the finest unit ever fitted to a gramophone.

Epi, what makes the Garrard Super the best motor in you judgment? I have never seen (or heard about) one of these, was it fitted in any regular gramophone make production? Is it better than the HMV oil bath? I have one of these on a 202, and it is quite good.

I don't have experience of the HMV oil bath motor, but I agree with Roger, the Garrard Super is by far the best I've ever experienced. Very powerful, and extremely smooth and stable.

I have one in a one-off craftsman-made cabinet gramophone that is a thing of beauty but rather poor in sound quality, not a great instrument - not dissimilar to the one in this thread - the Super motor would be put to far better use in something else (an EMG) but I can't bring myself to remove it! Does anyone know for sure whether the Super motor is directly interchangeable with any of the other large Garrard spring motors? The motorboard plate is always the same where fitted, but I've never checked the winding handle positions.

Here is the Garrard motor range from the wholesaler G.A.Bryan's Ltd 1927 catalogue. Clearly the "Super" motor anticipated HMV's oil bath by several years, and was probably the inspiration for it.

epigramophone wrote:Here is the Garrard motor range from the wholesaler G.A.Bryan's Ltd 1927 catalogue. Clearly the "Super" motor anticipated HMV's oil bath by several years, and was probably the inspiration for it.

Indeed it looks like HMV copied the self lubrication and the encased concepts from Garrard. Thanks for posting, it is interesting, and kind of explains the scarce utilization of the Super: if I converted shillings and pence well, its price was more than double of the nr 10.