Re: Garrard record player deck identification.
Model 50
In 1964, four years after the introduction of the Autoslim line, a new series of upgraded Autoslim-chassis models for the hi-fi market was announced, along with the flagship Lab 80. The lowest priced was the Model 50, a development from the Autoslim with a large platter and a counterweighted tonearm, "the first time such an arm has been available on a low-priced unit." This arm was only partly counterbalanced, still requiring a spring pulling upward on the front of the tonearm to offset the dead weight of the arm's shaft, the headshell and cartridge. The counterweight did permit a lower-tension spring to be used, which made the tracking force adjustment more stable.
Model 50 had a new cut-away headshell and a low-friction Delrin® insert for its automatic trip slide, reducing the force required to trip the auto mechanism.
Model 50 as sold in the UK had a two-pole motor and a plain rubber mat on the platter. In the USA, Model 50 had a four-pole motor and the mat from the AT6 Mk II, with a brushed chrome trim disc in the centre.
Two years later in the USA, Model 50 was renamed 40 Mk II when the "50" designation was re-used for the 50 Mk II, a more deluxe version with cueing device.
Model 50
40 Mk II
Last edited by GP49000; 3rd Nov 2012 at 7:57 am.
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