Paul Dimaline
12" round member
After 3 weeks without any sounds I could wait no longer. Being in my usual financial state, ie. skint, I was waiting for a big pay day so as I could get myself a nice new MC for my 401/RB300 but I rushed into town after work yesterday and bought the cheapest cartridge I could find, a Orfoton OM5E, and then set to work with the drills, router and sander. A couple of hours later the plinth was finished, arm mounted, cartridge fitted, and we were ready for blast off.
So, what does it sound like? I'll tell you in a moment. Firstly, the story so far.
After trawling the net for plinth designs they seemed to fall into 2 catagories; High mass designs like the Bastin or "sprung" designs like the Lorricraft. Now being a typical DIY'er, I know far more than either of these young upstarts (!!) so decided on a slightly differant approach. Actually, it's simply a combination of the two.
The base is 4 layers of ply cut in a Bastin/Shindo style, ie. each layer with smaller cut outs than the last so as to just clear the motor and othe mechanicals/wiring.
The top plate is cut out as per the template to take the deck and arm and is seperated from the base via "air filled de-couplers", yep, squash balls cut in half to you and me!
So, what we end up with is a light (ish) top plate sitting on a solid, high mass bottom section.
I have enough Birch ply left over to try other designs, and will more than likely do so. I like the look of the Bastin with the extra support at the bottom of the main bearing. I will also look out for some hardwood so as I can try a Lorricraft style. I dont like the look of the skeletal type plinths so I dont have much enthusiasm for trying one, but I may give it a go.
I had to make another spacer for the arm as the one the engineering shop made up was not square. In actual fact, it may have been to high anyway, so i made the new one 12mm instead of 15. I cut a bit of the corner of my kitchen worktop router jig, got to get your prioritys right!
I bought the 401 on ebay and to be quite honest its not in the best of nick. The bearing was virtually dry but a good clean and new oil has done the trick I think, it certainly runs smoothly enough and the platter doesnt rock from side to side much, although it does a little.
The motor on the other hand is a little more worrying. Speed stability is spot on with no drift after a couple of minuites warm up, but is quite noisy, although there is a fair bit of play in the idler wheel bearings so it could be that. If Lorricraft can ever be bothered to return my calls or emails I will talk to them about having some work done.
So, how does it sound? Well, keeping in mind that this is very much a work in progress and has a brand new (very cheap) cartridge it sounds flippin' great. Very differant to my old LP12, stable and solid are words that spring to mind. Bass is much less coloured with far less overhang. At first it seems bass light but I dont think this is the case, it's just alot cleaner down there, notes start and stop in an instant.
Piano is CD like in its stability, there is not the slightest sign of any speed instability at all.
Surface noise is almost non existant. The only fly in the ointment that is obvious is that it doesnt sound quite as good at low volumes at the moment, this is a deck for a detached house!
The best compliment I can pay is that while playing Roger Waters, Radio Kaos, wife asked me to turn it UP!! I'm gonna' like this old gramaphone I can tell!
Paul.
So, what does it sound like? I'll tell you in a moment. Firstly, the story so far.
After trawling the net for plinth designs they seemed to fall into 2 catagories; High mass designs like the Bastin or "sprung" designs like the Lorricraft. Now being a typical DIY'er, I know far more than either of these young upstarts (!!) so decided on a slightly differant approach. Actually, it's simply a combination of the two.
The base is 4 layers of ply cut in a Bastin/Shindo style, ie. each layer with smaller cut outs than the last so as to just clear the motor and othe mechanicals/wiring.
The top plate is cut out as per the template to take the deck and arm and is seperated from the base via "air filled de-couplers", yep, squash balls cut in half to you and me!
So, what we end up with is a light (ish) top plate sitting on a solid, high mass bottom section.
I have enough Birch ply left over to try other designs, and will more than likely do so. I like the look of the Bastin with the extra support at the bottom of the main bearing. I will also look out for some hardwood so as I can try a Lorricraft style. I dont like the look of the skeletal type plinths so I dont have much enthusiasm for trying one, but I may give it a go.
I had to make another spacer for the arm as the one the engineering shop made up was not square. In actual fact, it may have been to high anyway, so i made the new one 12mm instead of 15. I cut a bit of the corner of my kitchen worktop router jig, got to get your prioritys right!
I bought the 401 on ebay and to be quite honest its not in the best of nick. The bearing was virtually dry but a good clean and new oil has done the trick I think, it certainly runs smoothly enough and the platter doesnt rock from side to side much, although it does a little.
The motor on the other hand is a little more worrying. Speed stability is spot on with no drift after a couple of minuites warm up, but is quite noisy, although there is a fair bit of play in the idler wheel bearings so it could be that. If Lorricraft can ever be bothered to return my calls or emails I will talk to them about having some work done.
So, how does it sound? Well, keeping in mind that this is very much a work in progress and has a brand new (very cheap) cartridge it sounds flippin' great. Very differant to my old LP12, stable and solid are words that spring to mind. Bass is much less coloured with far less overhang. At first it seems bass light but I dont think this is the case, it's just alot cleaner down there, notes start and stop in an instant.
Piano is CD like in its stability, there is not the slightest sign of any speed instability at all.
Surface noise is almost non existant. The only fly in the ointment that is obvious is that it doesnt sound quite as good at low volumes at the moment, this is a deck for a detached house!
The best compliment I can pay is that while playing Roger Waters, Radio Kaos, wife asked me to turn it UP!! I'm gonna' like this old gramaphone I can tell!
Paul.