When a Kenwood record cleaner-to be becomes a Garrard 301/Thorens TD124 Hybridmonster

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Hey all,

If you want to find an old school turntable with the following features during economic bad times...



Grease spindle bearing mojo with belt idler drive
Molybdenum disulfide grease for the spindle
3 kg hybrid aluminum/magnesium platter
8 cm Big Idler wheel
Polished Silicon belt
Unipivot oil damped tonearm
Auto play mechanism
Low voltage 4 pole hysterous synchronous motor designed to run at 100V
integrated voltage Step up transformer to make motor run at 115/230AC
8mm solid die cast aluminum chasss

Sounds like a Thorens/Lenco/Dual/Garrard Hybrid???

Might have to go into forclosure to get one, don't you think?. :cannotbe:



Well let me tell you a secret. It discovered this one unexpectedly...

dung dung dung dung...

Everybody knows the Kenwood Trio stable gave the world the famous L-7D turntable...

But few people knew, in 1969 they made a PC-400(U) with all the features mentioned above. MSRP was about 43000 yen, so about $150 in 1969 dollars. I only paid $15 for the Kenwood plus $55 shipping, expecting a unit with solid direct drive mechanisms, so it should have been a good base for DIY record cleaners...


Anyway,

can this all be true? For $70 only?



Pictures to follow. I want to see how this turntable performs in comparison to my trusted Denon direct drive.

but at the moment you could check this website for more details:
http://audio-heritage.jp/TRIO-KENWOOD/player/pc-400.html

My two cents worth to go "high end" without paying high end fees during bad economic times.

Happy hunting before it obtains cult status :bawling:
 
physical form
 

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I Agree

:smash: Hi I have been lucky enough to fine one of these at a bargan price aswell,and I was also blown away with the design,a belt and idler drive?? I'd never heard of that,I had to make a new thrust bearing for the idler bearing and with that fixed Im amazed how quiet it is,great tonearm and perfect speed,and have you seen the size of the motor!!,very nice.But Im guessing parts like the idler wheel and belt may be hard to get??.
 
Damo72,
I found polyurethane pads that stick to the legs of chairs make excellent replacement thrust pads for the idler wheel and spindle.
They are not as durable and inert as engineering grade plastics like vespel or meldin but hey poly pads are dirt cheap... C$2 for a pack of 12 pads.
 
Thrust pads

:bigeyes: Hi yes I thought about using somthing like that but decided to make one out of a white nylon cutting board (yes from the kitchen!!!) I have used this stuff before for other bushes with great success!!,seems to be like a self lubricating nylon,easy to mould and should last quite a while!! Cheers
 
Kenwood KP-5021

Hi honinbou. I recently purchased a Near Mint Kenwood KP-5021 on craigslist with two working cartridges (Audio Technica ATU4030LC & Shure M93E) for $50. My Idler Wheel appears to be intact, but is dry. It looks exactly like the Idler Wheel on your PC-400. Mine measures between 3 2/16” and 3 3/16”, but closer to 3 2/16.” I’m attempting to have the Idler Wheel rebuilt at http://www.TerrysRubberRollers.com (highly recommended from a friend). I just measured mine and its 8cm too. Just curious, where did you find the data on the diameter of your Idler Wheel?
 

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idler wheel

dnorth52,
That information came from the audio-heritage website but everything is in Japanese...
They also have information on the kp--5021

Good luck on restoring the turntable. When restored and with a very good 9" arm fitted in place the Kenwood could easily outperform a restored Thorens or a Garrard idler drive.
 
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I recently found one of these at the rubbish dump and was given it for free. It is in good condition physically but it has a 115 volt transformer and we here in Australia have 240 volt so I don't know how it was used. It has a spring that has become unattached so hopefully I will find where it goes.
I only pulled the bottom from it yesterday and noticed the belt rim drive. I have had many many turntables over the years and have never seen it before and after reading this thread I am very impressed with it. I know it had a great tone arm when I first saw it and that is why I asked about it. I might have to see if I can get it running and sell my Denon DP-33F.
 
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I will be getting a Kenwood KP-5021 soon and I would like to know more about this table's performance and how it compare to other vintage models in the idler drive genre. Also things about its mechanical nature and maintenance, etc.... All thoughts and opinions are welcome.

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