Original Item: Only One Available. Garrard itself is the oldest name in audio because it is part of the family that gave us Garrard and Company, appointed Crown Jewelers of London in 1721.

The part of the DNA that led to turntables evolved in time for the Great War when, in 1914, Garrard was asked to manufacture precision range finders for the British Artillery as they had both the craftsmen and the necessary machinery to do so.

In 1915, the Garrard Engineering and Manufacturing Company Ltd was formed with Major S.H. Garrard as Chairman and Mr C.E. Newbegin as Managing Director, from a factory installed in the premises the White Heather Laundry in Willesden, London. When the war ended, Garrard segued into consumer products. Luckily, they took note of the boom in gramophone sales and with it a demand for spring-wound motors.

Garrard's audio output started off with the Garrard Number 1 Spring Wound Gramophone Motor. In 1919 they moved to a new location in Swindon, making motors for Columbia, Decca, HMV, Lugton, Selecta, Coppock and many others. In 1930 with electric motors replacing the wind-ups, the first Garrard-branded record-player appeared.

Garrard decided to make a top-quality AC motor as a prestige model, a direct-drive motor for the heart of what became the Garrard Model 201. It found success quickly and was adopted by the BBC and other broadcasters. Designed originally for 78rpm records, it was later modified to play the 33 1/3rpm LPs and 45s, and was the first of what were later to be called transcription turntables. It featured a 32-pole induction motor designed by Monty Mortimer, mounted in a pressed steel chassis. Being direct drive, it featured a complex mechanical speed governor.

The 201 remained the flagship model through the Second World War years, during which Garrard, naturally, helped the war effort with military work. In 1945, after the death of Major Garrard, all links with the jewelry strand of the brand were severed, and The Garrard Engineering and Manufacturing Company Ltd. became a separate entity with Mr H.V. Slade as Managing Director.

This example of the Garrard 201.V appears to be in excellent condition, however it has not been tested. The machine definitely needs some cleaning and oiling done to the internal components, due to the fact it looks like it hasn’t been operated in the last 30 or so years! The box measures approximately 23” x 17” x 11” and is heavy and bulky, making it perfect for use on a US Naval vessel!

We did inspect the interior, and the amplifier section has a full complement of the correct 7C7 and 7N7 preamplifier tubes, two 7C5 power tubes, and a correct 7Z4 rectifier, matching the circuit and tube layout sheet on the bottom of the case. Also included is a spare pair of 7C5 tubes, and a 7N7 tube. ALL tubes still show the correct silver "getter flash" on the top, indicating that the vacuum is still good, however we have no way of testing them or the functionality of the amplifier.

Further inspection showed some plastic zip ties around capacitors, and that the original cartridge has been replaced with a more modern one, so this was in use sometime recently, probably in the 70s or 80s. There is a spare Zenith "Diamond Tip" needle still in the original packaging inside the storage compartment along with the spare tubes, and the original cartridge.

Unfortunately the design of the tube amplifier has the large 110V / 220V power transformer mounted on the side of the thin sheet steel rectangular housing where the amplifier is mounted to. It looks to have been dropped at some point in the past, which bent the thin sheet steel tube housing, and caused damage to the plywood deck that the components are attached to. We will pack this as securely as possible, but please handle with care, as it definitely is delicate.

This Garrard is perfect for the early audio enthusiasts! Comes ready for further research and tuning!