TL:DR If you're into retro record players and want to make them low wear for your vinyl then this kit is for you!
50 year old cartridges and needles (pre-dating 1965) are tough on your vinyl records and are probably ruining them.
The solution is NOT:
1. buy some modern plastic record player with questionable quality - the BSRs and Garrards of the era are great and they were built to last; between them they had 90% of the world's market sewn up for decades
2. buy a new stylus - you will still have the limitations of the old cartridge which will have suspension (the rubber bit that holds the stylus) that will have gone hard, effecting sound quality and jumping on your records. Also it's worth noting that the remade stylus available are not as carefully crafted when it comes to the angle of the diamond so they'll work but they won't be optimal for playback
3. Buy a NOS (New Old Stock) cartridge, but it'll be 50 years old so 99% chance it'll have hardened rubber suspension even if it's NEVER been used
4. Buy a modern cartridge. There are not too many ceramic cartridges around anymore and none of them will be made for your record player so the height and angle and weight will be all wrong for your player
The solution IS to fit a new but totally compatible cartridge/stylus kit. You'll get the great retro look and sound but without the retro damage!
Our all-in-one kit can be used to fully refurbish any Garrard 121 mk2 record player deck fitted with a ceramic cartridge
We've spent many hours perfecting the fit for our cartridges on multiple examples of this deck. The height and angle is 100% perfect, in fact we'd say it was better than the original. At the correct angle the stylus creates less wear and better sound reproduction and both are improved with the new cartridge set-up
Our kit replaces the old cartridge and stylus with the best quality modern reproduction of the old BSR cartridge available. It comes with a genuine diamond stylus. In addition you get a hifi set-up protractor and mini scales so you can set the cartridge position and cartridge downforce correctly to maximise the quality of the sound reproduction.
After nearly 50 years of use/neglect your record player will also need a service. The cartridge rubber suspension will have hardened and sound quality will be down and/or tinny. Tonearm weight will be greater than it should be as balance springs become tired and that extra weight/downforce will damage your records
As an added bonus we supply a 14 page photographically illustrated "how-to" document that not only demonstrates the correct way to fit and set-up the cartridge/tonearm but also how to service and relube the main moving mechanism of the record deck, namely the platter bearing, key levers and the platter driving idler wheel. The kit comes with a tube of the correct grease and the light machine oil required to do the job right. You will be amazed by how well the platter spins when you have used our modern lithium based grease!
The kit is targeted at a full top service which can be performed with the record player in-situ in about 30 mins.
In the event that your deck/player is still not working well after the 'top' service it will have to be removed from the cabinet so you can do an underdeck service. Removal is very simple and the grease and oil in our kit is all you need to fix all underdeck maintenance problems.
There are extra hints in our how-to document and also many videos on YouTube to help
With the right tools, advice and components this is a job most people can do in around 45mins
Please note you will need basic tools like small screwdrivers, q-tips, metholated spirits (for cleaning moving surfaces) and if your deck is really jammed a heatgun/hairdryer!
The kit contains:
1 x quality reproduction stereo cartridge with 2-sided genuine diamond stylus (stylus is ST/ST)
3 x new headshell leads, one of which is a dual connector that suits the unique 3 pin Garrard headshell fitted to these players (if your headshell already has wires compatible with a modern 4 round pin cartridge please select the option without leads)
2 x new metric equivalent mounting screws and nuts . These are often required as the standard Garrard screws are a very hard to find British type from the 50s and often came without separate nuts
1 x 10g tube lithium grease (sealed, pierce to use)
1 x 2ml light machine oil (sealed, pierce to use)
2 x Isopropyl wipes
2 x cartridge set-up tools (plastic protractor and scales)
1 x detailed 14 page how-to document with 19 detailed step-by-step photos (a link to the files will be provided).Cartridge specs:
type - ceramic
output - 275mV approx
mount - unique to Garrard RC121
stylus - flipover ST16 (replacement easy to get on ebay)
stylus tip - diamond (guranteed Swiss or German made)
This Garrard deck was fitted to many radiograms and high-end players such as HMV, STC, Kriesler, Pye and Astor IMPORTANT NOTES: #1 Please check that your record deck is the same as the one in the photos, different paint colours are no problem but check yours is the same in other ways. It doesn't really matter if it has a different cartridge fitted, many will have after 50 years of use, so our cartridge will replace pretty much any ceramic cartridge currently in place. If in doubt please send us a photo and we'll confirm it can be replaced by our kit #2 the Garrard headshell often came with proprietary pin connectors (sometimes flat, sometimes push-in solid round), but these will have to be replaced with the more widespread round cartridge connector pins that fit our kit.This is a very fiddly job requiring good soldering skills but again you'll end up with a modern cartridge with the standard modern connectors. If you don't need these connectors and leads please deselect this option from the dropdown