Goldring GR 1.2 revisited?

[Sella]

A month ago I bought GR 1.2 turntable to replace my piece-of-cr*p Sony full-automatic one.

The turntable is very good sounding and built with high grade components. At least, the arm is Rega RB250 (only the fastening is different) used in many high-end decks and the motor is same than in Rega famous P3. To explain the low price (bought new with 250e from Kruunuradio) at least finnishing (or lack of it) is not attractive.

So there are two-three things that I am not pleased with:

1. Grey roughly painted mdf board doesn't exatly please my eye.

2. The fixing of removable dust cover is rather poor; it is little too removable . Also it doen't stay up properly.

So plan follows:

1.1 I am going to make a new deck (or a body, as you wish) trying to keep the original simplicity of the desing. Right now I am thinking of veneered body with aluminium, just like in the 70's.

2.2 I am going to use different kind of hinges, little more non-plastic.


Some questions:

- Am I going nuts? Should I just buy a turntable from 70's (maybe an Lenco) and play with it?

- What kind of modifications with the deck affects the sound? Does increased mass or other dimensions have affection?

- What about the suspension? Shoud I do something whith it (there are only rubber feet)? What about spikes?

- Should I change the original MDF platter whith better, maybe an glass platter like in Rega? What about the main bearing?

- Other modifications you would do as you would be me?


Thank you for your aswers. I'll keep you posted with pics if I go on with this project.

[IronRinn]

Sella,
At one time I had the model previous to yours, the GR-1. I liked it very much, even if it sounded kind of boring, for lack of a better word. It was ugly as sin though, that's for sure. I never got around to making a new plinth for it, but I did do some other things that improved its performance immensely.

1) Replaced the MDF platter with a thicker, acrylic one made by Iron Audio, which I got off of eBay for about $45.00.

2) Replaced the awful, evil, plastic end stub and soft metal counterweight with an end stub and counterweight from an RB300.

I also replaced the feet with spikes, simply because they looked better. I couldn't tell you if it made a difference sound-wise because I never heard it with the rubber feet, I simply changed to the spikes as soon as I got it. The other two mods above really helped with openning up the sound and the new counterweight went a long way in tightening up the bass. I never tried the underslung counterweights from Expressimo or Mitchell but I've heard good things about them.

As far as the dustcover goes, I am of the opinion that when a record is playing the dustcover is nowhere near the TT, and certainly not still attached to it. Therefore it seems that replacing the hinges for something stronger might not matter, but I might be in the minority here.

I don't think that you're nuts. Rega's (and there OEM counterparts) are very good tables. Yes, there are much better ones out there, but the cost seems prohibitive, at least to my wallet. Hope this helps some.

[Sella]

Now I finaly have made a new plint. Have a look and tell me what you think.

The original GR 1.2 suppliet with light mdf platter. Should I buy a glass one from some P3 or go with something completely different? What would be a good material?

[Sella]

And a another pic.

[jdivision]

Do you have a picture of your GR1.2 with modifications?

[girishkukadia]

Hi Sella,

Just come across your post and I have a GR1.2 and I was thinking of doing what you have mentioned.

Have you got the dimensions of your new plinth? ie where the holes go, the tonearms postions etc.

I would be very grateful if you can send me those.

Thanks Girish