Garrard Engineering and Manufacturing Company
 | |
| Industry | Electronics |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1915 |
| Headquarters | Swindon, United Kingdom, |
| Products | turntables |
| Parent |
Plessey (1960-1978) Gradiente (1979-1992) Loricraft Audio (1997-current) |
The Garrard Engineering and Manufacturing Company of Swindon, Wiltshire, was a British company that was famous for producing high-quality gramophone turntables. It was formed by the jewellers Garrard & Co in 1915. The company was sold to Plessey, an electronics conglomerate, in 1960. During the period 1976-1978, Garrard developed demonstrators of the novel video disc technology. Although the team recognised the future potential of this data storage technology, Plessey chose not to invest. After several years in decline, Garrard was sold by Plessey to Gradiente Electronics of Brazil in 1979 and series production was moved to Brazil (Manaus). The remaining Garrard research and development operation in Swindon was reduced to a skeleton operation until completely shut down in 1992. Then, Gradiente licensed the Garrard name to Terence O'Sullivan, now doing business as Garrard and Loricraft Audio, since 1997.
In the interim, the Garrard brand name was licensed to other companies in the USA, which imported many electronic items built by many different and unrelated Far Eastern manufacturers. Thus, one can find "Garrard" cassette decks, CD players, stereo receivers, boom-box radio/cassette machines, portable "Walkman" type cassette players, serial-port printer cables, universal TV/audio remote controls, and other miscellany, including turntables that had nothing to do with any original Garrard design.
The Garrard 301 and 401 Transcription Turntables
The Garrard 301 Transcription Turntable was the first transcription turntable that supported all extant commercial playback formats – the 33, 45 and 78 rpm records of the time. The first model was called the Garrard 301. Oil and grease bearing versions were made. The later 401 was nearly identical mechanically, but with a redesigned exterior, more powerful motor, slightly different eddy current braking speed control and different turntable thrust bearing. Both models were used by the BBC and in commercial radio stations, mostly in Europe; the 301 and to a lesser extent the 401 were also exported around the world. Production of the 301 started in 1953; the 301 was launched in 1954. The 401 was introduced in 1965 and produced until 1976. Long out of production, Garrard 301 and 401 model turntables today are sold on the used market for as much as ten to twenty times their original cost.
Today, refurbished Garrards are available from numerous companies from Loricraft (England) to Shindo (Japan). However, only Loricraft is entitled to use the Garrard name on their products, as it licensed the name from Gradiente of Brazil, which bought the company. In addition to producing the Garrard 501 and 601, the company re-manufactures and restores the 301 and 401 models. When the UK factory in Swindon, Wiltshire, closed, many of the staff helped Loricraft set up, as this would provide service facilities for users. It still has the original set-up equipment used on the production line. It is the only company in the world to have this facility.
SME Ltd bought the Garrard name and registered trademarks on the 1st of May 2018 and also purchased Loricraft Audio Ltd. Loricraft will continue production of the Garrard 501 and 601 models and remain the only official service centre and maker of approved plinths and bases for the 301 and 401 transcription motor units.
References
- Boardman, Haden (1994). "Turning The Tables: Garrard Model 301 and 401 Transcription Motor Units ", Sound Practices.
- Kessler, Ken (2005). "Table Talk", Garrard 301/401, Hifi News & Record Review.
- Mortimer, E.W. (1967). "Design Of Transcription Turntables", Component Technology, Plessey Group.
- Olson, Lynn (2005). "A Tiny History of High Fidelity", The Soul Of Sound.
See also
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Garrard Engineering and Manufacturing Company. |