His Majesty the Garrardzilla is ready and spinning

After a time consuming dismantling, re-working the slate plinth, buying the proprietary underside mounting stainless steel screws and washers and... definitely trying to digest the heavy diet of daily earthquake shakings and job and life mixed troubles... well, folks... I finished - at last - the Garrard 301 in Ray Clark's gorgeous solid aluminium chassis, with my own slate plinth, super bearing (+ hidden Foucault's tweaks:-)) and 13,5 kilos bronze platter - THE AMAZING THICKER TOP version only myself and another gentleman own - with original Shindo 800 grams mat, TTWeight 650 grams peripheral ring and 850 grams bronze clamp.

It's important - once again - I list all the parts involved in the making of Garrardzilla as every above mentioned part is paramount in creating the magic.

Shindo's mat is sought after and difficult to get part? OK, OK a leather mat also does:-)))

I took the pixes before gave first listening to the turntable, still on the floor/carpet, where I also placed the bronze armbase and Schick and Lumiere DST... the complete Garrardzilla is really bulky, weighting around 65 kilos, without armbase... I'm at my lifting limit... and placing at its place where stood the Lenco G 88 during last weeks will give to yours truly more backaches and puffing and sweating and... assorted blasphemies:-), BUT I wasn't able to resist and gave a spinning and a listen, baaad and dirty as it can be... on my kilim.

So what?

How do I compare vs. Shindo platter and bearing? ... or vs. my own previous incarnation, with stock Garrard chassis?

... (speechless mode)...

It's all and more I remembered and missed for the last weeks, despite the truly superb Lenco's sonic footprint... the original, stressed 301's chassis is doing well, BUT the full optional Garrardzilla, including Ray's part and elegant, 401-like underside screws is a completely different beast... still more dynamic, with a resolution which only a bunch of us on the Planet experienced, period. No hypes...

The notes decay with every instrument, solo or in a jazz quartet or trio is awesome... also if I only listened to three records, this morning... Sidsel Endresen's on ECM with those crazy shimmering cymbals and piano, Anthony Bailes' lute on EMI Reflexe for tiniest resolution and ambient retrival and Ludwig Streicher double bass and piano on Telefunken for explosive dynamics... all came soooo naturally and beatiful and quick and beefy and undistorted!

Shivers of joy... tears...

I'm in love, pals...

Tomorrow, possibly a supremely lazy, rainy Sunday as per weather forecasts - ideal for audio:-) - I'll move it again and finally to its place on the shelf, will re-align and fiddle around armbase and VTA and the like and will finally and fully enjoy... yes, His Majesty the Garrardzilla.

Thanking myself and my vision, yes, folks... I apologize for self incensing, just feel I humbly deserve it:-), my friends Francesco and Mario for great technical support, and Ray for his SUPERB solid chassis.

Thanks all, pals.