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Lenco L70 project

I've only re-done the L75 arm with dark rubber blocks and re-wired the external leads, but the arm took a K9 OK and saw off an Axis.... I suppose the Shure M75 EJ is too out of date now, but it always worked a treat in the L75 arm at 1.8grammes or so.

All I ever did to the motor was follow the lead in a HiFi Sound review of the G99 and fitted a 10 - 20W resistor of around 20 - 30 Ohms (IIRC) in the mains +ve line (well insulated of course). The take up "kick" is toned right down, but little else changes.

I can't remember the exact resistor value as it was twenty years ago (can't believe the time-frame) but it didn't get hot in use and I found it worked for me. I just didn't (and still don't) have the room to create an audio museum so the deck was sold on after a short while.
 
Great work there Tony.

I agree 100% with your comments about being dragged into to whole belt drive/floating sub thing while not being entirely convinced of it's superiority. In my cases I came from a JVC QL71 - a brute of a direct drive to which I'd fitted a Mission 774 arm and 773 cartridge. From there is was Aristons, Systemdecs, Logics, Linns and so on.

SSB is right - get a 12'' arm on there.
I wonder, would the original arm cope with a Decca?
Would be a good match in terms of mass and if you can get one with a modern stylus profile is could be a killer.
 
You know you want to!

s323hx.jpg
 
Robert said:
SSB is right - get a 12'' arm on there.

Can you think of any? All I can currently bring to mind are the SME 3012, a couple of Ortofons and at least one from Denon, plus there are absurdly expensive things like the Shindu, the FR66 and the Ikeda. I'm struggling to think of any bargain bucket 12" arms at all.

Robert said:
I wonder, would the original arm cope with a Decca?
Would be a good match in terms of mass and if you can get one with a modern stylus profile is could be a killer.

The original arm is utterly bizarre for a variety of reasons. For one thing it is a lot lower mass than one expects as it is counterbalanced by two springs, not a counterweight. With the lighter Bakelite shell it is quite happily tracking a 1970s Pickering XV-15 at 1.5g. The most annoying thing about it is that you can't align the cart at all, there are no slots, just a pair of threaded holes (not the normal thread pattern either!). This means one is stuck to carts with a certain tip to mount distance, and that seems to mean Pickering and Shure. Certainly the Pickering is ok with a Baerwald. Don't even start me on the arm wiring, that is weirdness the likes of which I've never seen. The bizarre thing is despite all this it's a really nice solid arm with good bearings (ball races all round, no knife edges), the Lenco lot all seem to rate it much higher than the L75/8 arm.

Tony.
 
You know you want to!

Woody's deck looks stunning - a huge inspiration to me in doing this. I'm just not entirely convinced I want to spend a absurd collectors price for a 3012. All said and done it's really only a 3009 that's a few inches longer!

Tony.
 
Can you think of any? All I can currently bring to mind are the SME 3012, a couple of Ortofons and at least one from Denon, plus there are absurdly expensive things like the Shindu, the FR66 and the Ikeda. I'm struggling to think of any bargain bucket 12" arms at all.



The original arm is utterly bizarre for a variety of reasons. For one thing it is a lot lower mass than one expects as it is counterbalanced by two springs, not a counterweight. With the lighter Bakelite shell it is quite happily tracking a 1970s Pickering XV-15 at 1.5g. The most annoying thing about it is that you can't align the cart at all, there are no slots, just a pair of threaded holes (not the normal thread pattern either!). This means one is stuck to carts with a certain tip to mount distance, and that seems to mean Pickering and Shure. Certainly the Pickering is ok with a Baerwald. Don't even start me on the arm wiring, that is weirdness the likes of which I've never seen. The bizarre thing is despite all this it's a really nice solid arm with good bearings (ball races all round, no knife edges), the Lenco lot all seem to rate it much higher than the L75/8 arm.

Tony.

Buy an original Mission 774 and ask James at Origami to make you a 12" wand. The Mission wand just slots into a socket and is bolted tightly in place. IIRC Origami did produce some stunningly well finished replacement tubes for the 774. In stock forms it is one of my favourite arms ever at any price. Low mass, rigid construction and excellent bearings. Leaves any SME S2 for dead.

If my P9 didn't have the RB1000 on it the 774 would be top of the list.
 
I was one of the first in the country to own a 774 and out of our batch of a dozen, collected from Farad and Roxy in their Mayfair pad, only four had "perfect" bearings, six had slightly "tight" ones in one direction or another and two rattled..... Sounded a bit "dry" as I recall and the finish was abysmal. This arm worked a treat on an original Systemdek better than on the LP12 IMO. I'd like to try a 12" version though and didn't know that any service was available for these.

Another shortsighted decision by me, as plinth makers weren't there in 1975. I had a G88 with original 12" SME on a plywood board out of a cabinet. The SME was useless then as all the cartridges were high compliance 1 gramme trackers and moving coils were an outdated anomaly (Ortofon MC15 IIRC).
 
I have to admit I'd be looking for something more 'vintage' aesthetically than a 774. I guess the Ortofon is the ideal, but there must be some obscure 60s and early 70s things out there I've missed. No rush - I've no plan to do anything for a few months. I'm very curious to know what 12" Japanese arms were made in that time period... perhaps something to ask Joel...

Tony.
 
I was one of the first in the country to own a 774 and out of our batch of a dozen, collected from Farad and Roxy in their Mayfair pad, only four had "perfect" bearings, six had slightly "tight" ones in one direction or another and two rattled..... Sounded a bit "dry" as I recall and the finish was abysmal. This arm worked a treat on an original Systemdek better than on the LP12 IMO. I'd like to try a 12" version though and didn't know that any service was available for these.

Another shortsighted decision by me, as plinth makers weren't there in 1975. I had a G88 with original 12" SME on a plywood board out of a cabinet. The SME was useless then as all the cartridges were high compliance 1 gramme trackers and moving coils were an outdated anomaly (Ortofon MC15 IIRC).

The very first 774 used a sand casting for the main body and was indeed a bit rough looking. Later samples were much better. They do have a light, fast and airy nature with good midband dynamics - perfect for the rather fat sounding LP12 (and the old nextel covered Dunlop) of the the day.
 
Well, you must understand that I was being caught up in the whole ITTOK rush in December 1980 and stayed that way until my Mentor conversion in '89.

Amazing that two years was a HUGE period of time back in my youth yet now ten years ago seems like yesterday and twenty years ago is like last month (all you oldies on here will know what I mean :) ).
 
Fascinating thread. I have a mint GL75 motor unit which I picked up for £5 in a charity shop a few years ago. It had never been out of its box. I needed to replace the rubber bearings as some oil had leaked onto to them and they had perished.
I remember speaking to Technical and General (who held numerous lenco spares) - the chap I spoke to said he couldn't understand why so many people were spending fortunes on Garrards, as the Lencos were at least as good in his view.

Question is, just how good can a GL75 (or similar) sound and how much work does it take to achieve it?

Might have a go myself (the Lenco is currently in my mother's attic.....).

I shall be following Tony's progress with interest - best of luck with the project.

Cheers

Martin
 
Martin, I'd grab that GL-75, strip it down, give it a damn good clean and re-lube, replace the 'v' blocks, bolt a cart in and fire it up. I think you will be surprised by it even with the top plate supported on a few books the way my second deck is in the pic (the books would actually be far better than the thin resonant wood plinth my working L70 is in!). Give it a go!

Tony.
 
Regarding 12" arms, not sure what the current price is, but might a 12" Morch UP4 fit the bill?

Cheers
Adrian
 
I didn't realise there was such a thing. Worth thinking about I guess - I like Morch. Still think what I really need is something like an Ortofon arm and an SPU...

Tony.
 
The 12" morch is the standard UP-4 (or DP-6) with the 12" arm wand. I don't know about the UK, but over here these are unobtanium.
AFAICT there are no good & cheap 12" arms to be had, at least not in Japan, where anything of that length that is half decent seems to have its own cult following...
 
I like Morch. Still think what I really need is something like an Ortofon arm and an SPU...
Tony.

Tony, The Morch DP-6 is a very good arm to consider, especially with a 12" wand, but if you are going to use an SPU, I would consider the new Ortofon AS-309s, which was designed specifically for the SPU. The TW Raven dealer in France waxes lyrical about this combination. BTW, if you know somebody in Tokyo, you can pickup an AS-309s for around 500 GBP:

ortofon_as_0103.jpg


grivois
 
Oooh, that's interesting. I know somebody in Tokyo too....

Tony.

Joel, it was a coincidence that we posted simultaneously! Really!! I suppose the new Orto is cheap in Japan because it's manufactured by Jelco. It's twice the price in Europe. Didn't Mike pick one up for his SP10? grivois
 
A certain Merlin (who cannot be mentioned, so if anyone asks it wasn't me who brought him up), uses one of those Ortofon arms on his SP10. Looks like a pretty decent arm for the money.

Edit: simultaneous post with grivois...

-- Ian
 


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