UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Garrard record player deck identification.

GP49000 · 12th Dec 2012, 5:12 pm

Nick, Ben (and others who are wondering):

Yes, the Unimechs were sold in the UK but were nowhere as popular as the very successful Autoslim-chassis models. Although the original intent appeared to be to replace the Autoslims, it would seem that the "cheap record changer" feel put off the buyer who was at least somewhat interested in quality, such as those who wanted a budget single-play automatic such as the SP25. There were single-play automatics in the Unimech line, including one with a fully balanced tonearm; it is so uncommon, I don't have a photo of it, only a copy of the sales brochure, which I downloaded from a collector's site. Instead of pushing on with higher-quality Unimechs, Garrard continued production of Autoslim-chassis single players derived from the SP25: the 125SB, 35SB, the SP25 Mk V and VI and several unnamed "Belt Drive" models.

There was a further succession, many further Unimech models beyond the 6-300, 6-100 and 6-200, including some with pretensions to quality. Garrard Unimech record changers were also assembled in Brazil by affiliate Gradiente, which eventually would take Garrard off Plessey's hands for a relative pittance. It has also been said that along with other components used in Garrard units, Unimech subchassis were built in Brazil and shipped to Swindon for assembly, because production costs were lower, and because Gradiente was willing to invest in production machinery of higher precision and efficiency than what Plessey was willing to finance at Garrard itself.

The research about the Unimech models has been more difficult than for the earlier models because Garrard issued fewer catalogs by this time, despite what we'll see is a plethora of different models; and with sales low, there are few photographs available. For example, I have no photos of the low-end 6-100. One would have thought it would have been popular, as it replaced the frequently-seen 1000 and 1025 models.

...to be continued...but meanwhile, here are a couple of photos: the control panels of a British-built 630S (a later Unimech model), and a Brazilian one. The difference is obvious!

12th Dec 2012, 5:12 pm	#79
GP49000 Hexode Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sonoma County, California, USA. Posts: 405	Re: Garrard record player deck identification. Nick, Ben (and others who are wondering): Yes, the Unimechs were sold in the UK but were nowhere as popular as the very successful Autoslim-chassis models. Although the original intent appeared to be to replace the Autoslims, it would seem that the "cheap record changer" feel put off the buyer who was at least somewhat interested in quality, such as those who wanted a budget single-play automatic such as the SP25. There were single-play automatics in the Unimech line, including one with a fully balanced tonearm; it is so uncommon, I don't have a photo of it, only a copy of the sales brochure, which I downloaded from a collector's site. Instead of pushing on with higher-quality Unimechs, Garrard continued production of Autoslim-chassis single players derived from the SP25: the 125SB, 35SB, the SP25 Mk V and VI and several unnamed "Belt Drive" models. There was a further succession, many further Unimech models beyond the 6-300, 6-100 and 6-200, including some with pretensions to quality. Garrard Unimech record changers were also assembled in Brazil by affiliate Gradiente, which eventually would take Garrard off Plessey's hands for a relative pittance. It has also been said that along with other components used in Garrard units, Unimech subchassis were built in Brazil and shipped to Swindon for assembly, because production costs were lower, and because Gradiente was willing to invest in production machinery of higher precision and efficiency than what Plessey was willing to finance at Garrard itself. The research about the Unimech models has been more difficult than for the earlier models because Garrard issued fewer catalogs by this time, despite what we'll see is a plethora of different models; and with sales low, there are few photographs available. For example, I have no photos of the low-end 6-100. One would have thought it would have been popular, as it replaced the frequently-seen 1000 and 1025 models. ...to be continued...but meanwhile, here are a couple of photos: the control panels of a British-built 630S (a later Unimech model), and a Brazilian one. The difference is obvious! Attached Thumbnails Last edited by GP49000; 12th Dec 2012 at 5:19 pm.