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Came across this the other day,

 

Reflections of a Boomer

 

I've seen fire and I've seen rain.

I've been through the desert on a horse with no name.

I've gone to Kansas City, I've sang in the sunshine.

I've been on the road again, with Georgia on my mind.

Like a rolling stone, I've given peace a chance.

I've put my camel to bed, and danced the last dance.

Mr. Tambourine Man played a song for me,

I've whispered words of wisdom, let it be

I've fell in to a burning ring of fire, and walked the line,

To all the girls I've loved before, you were always on my mind.

I've been everywhere, I've been so lonesome I could cry,

I've driven my Chevy to the levee when the levee was dry.

I've been to Itchycoo Park in a yellow submarine.

I've made the scene in a time machine.

I've done the Hokey Pokey and turned myself around.

I've welcomed back baby to the poor side of town

I've followed the tracks of my tears down a long and winding road.

I've kept on searching for a heart of gold.

I've sought shelter from the storm, I've sat on the dock of the bay.

I've rocked around the clock on a sunshiny day.

I've knocked on heaven's door blowing in the wind.

Joy to the world, those were the days my friend.

Lay lady lay, in crimson and clover.

It's been a hard day's night, the party's over

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Part of the pleasure in spending your later years near where you grew up....is bumping into friends from 60 years and more ago.......\i constantly do this in Bulwell.....old school pals from the 50s a

I listen to "Always" and I'm thinking of fabulous Mrs WW, from happy courting days to the sweetest honeymoon, through all the years, all the sunsets, all the sunrises, all the hard times, near disaste

Moved into our new home today,,now sat quietly apart from a little jig when the music of Dr Hook gets too much to sit still, The site seems to have got back to its friendly ways,,so I'm back,,

Going back quite a few years my brother joined the RAFat 14 with me being 7 years yonger than him I was left at home. What I did find was his Gerrard record player  so Sunday morning i would take myself off into the front room and play his records on this new invention. Records played  Were by Perry Como - Doris Day  Fankie Lane ect but the one that stuck in my mind was 

A childs garden of FREBERG!!!  well bear in mind how many years ago this was, on the phone to my brother the other day in Welton Lincs , it just came up in conversation about this LP. Next thing through my letter  box drops a cd (Not an  LP) from Lincs. yes it was A Childs Garden of Freberg.   and i still love listning to it. CHEERS BROF

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HI Mary.

Garrard (not Gerrard) manufactured turntables and these were fitted to record players made by numerous manufacturers. I think you probably saw Garrard on the turntable and assumed it was they who had made the player. It could have been a Bush, Philips, Dansette or any one of many around at the time. We had a Bush at home with a Garrard turntable but I later through some crafty swaps acquired a stereo Magnavox record player with Monarch turntable.

I believe Garrard are still in business but in name only having been taken over by who knows.

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If I recall correctly, Garrard was an off shoot of Garrards the jewellers.  After Garrard ceased production of turntables, the company name was bought out by a South American concern. Maybe, Brazilian or Argentine..I don't recall properly.

Most of the 'hi fi' fraternity see the basic autochanger players Garrard stuck into Dansette type 'all in one' players as junk. Actually every Dansette I ever saw had a record deck made by BSR.

Eitherway..Gerrard also made very fine 'transcription' record decks, which were used by, among others, the BBC.

These were supplied as literally just a motor unit. It was up to the purchaser to decide what 'plinth' to put it into and which tone arm to use. For many in the 50s and early 60s the choice was a Garrard 301 deck with an SME 3009 tone arm. Later, the Garrard 401 player was introduced, and partnered with similar arms and later SME arms.

Both the 301 and 401 can still hold their own against much more modern ( and expensive) players, and many are still in use.

A chap called Terry O Sullivan had a company called Loricraft which specialised in refurbishing, servicing and maintaining Garrard 301/401s, as well as making very solid plinths in which to mount them.  Numerous other companies made plinths for Garrards,out of slate, granite assorted woods and other materials. I met Terry at his place in Lambourne, Berks and also at numerous shows.

At least for a while, Terry had some sort of arrangement to use the Garrard name, and even developed a new player....the 501. He also made record cleaning machines.

I'm not sure of his current status.

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Re: above. I've just checked and it seems that Loricraft is now part of SME, which if I recall was short for 'scale model engineering'..remember  I mentioned SME tonearms?

So anyway, around 30 years ago SME also launched their own turntable. The eye-wateringly expensive SME 30, which sold for about £11000, but carried on making their range of tonearms, which were also highly regarded and not cheap.

So next, and inexplicably, SME stopped selling their tonearms separately,, but carried on fitting them to their own extended range of turntables....  

I hope you are keeping up..I'll be asking questions later...

So it seems that SME have absorbed/ bought out the Loricraft Record Cleaner designs.

See:  https://loricraftaudio.co.uk/

 

So there you have it....I bet you're sorry you asked.... Oh  you didn't ask....

...Bet you're sorry I answered. .:laugh:

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A big thank you boys for infro but let's not split hairs as at the time I wuuld have been 13 / 14  even though my brother was 7 years older that me, He joined the RAF when he was 14/15

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A friend has one. It is beautifully made and seems to have no 'character'..or in other words. ...it seems not to add any coloration to the music. It has anninteresting approach to suspension too.

But obviously much of the price is about rarity and exclusivity. I wouldn't buy one in my current financial circumstances..but I might if I was very wealthy. I'd have numerous TTs..just as some people collect cars.

 

Seems to have gone up a touch.. .to over £30k..

 

https://www.fanthorpes.co.uk/hi-fi-separates/turntables-and-accessories/turntables/sme-model-30-2-turntable/?gclid=CjwKCAjwtKmaBhBMEiwAyINuwKruIyLccAH2o_lAG0vD_hKI3jXsEdDWw7Z2aZ6Lna8x_OUh-cKoqBoCjzIQAvD_BwE

 

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I think my friend paid about £9k a good few years ago. That is peanuts to him.

Noticed yesterday that there is now an SME 60 model at £49950...:)

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@loppylugs you are right,  our first house in 1966 cost £3000 and that included all it’s contents!  It was a very nice 3 bedroom End of terrace with a sizeable back garden.  This was in Leicester.

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I bought my first property, new build 2 bed semi bungalow in Kirkby in 1972 for £2250.

Couldn't afford the optional central heating for £150 extra or the optional garage put those in myself later.

3 Bed detatched 60's bungalows, with heating, in Arnold were £3000 at the time, couldn't afford those either.

 

Couldn't afford anything to play records on either.

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First decent stereo system.  Rogers amp  30+ pounds,  two Wharfdale speakers. 15 pounds each,  Thorens Td150 turntable 30+ pounds.  Total outlay approx'  200 pounds all brand new.  Wimpey house in Basford. 3150.00 pounds.  it was all I could afford in 1966.   Couldn't afford the pickup arm now.

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We brought our first house when master was 40. When we married in the 65 we needed £100deposit and all we had was £75 but at the time to brower money for a house you had to be earning 3 times your weekly wage, and even though I was a qualified hair stylist my money did not help as my wages was only  £5 00 a week. So when the opportunity came up for us to go and live and work in South Africa we went and we have never looked back, we returned to the UK in the 70s

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I was a new electrician in 66 average wage about 20 quid a week.  So 200 pounds was a good chunk of change.  Like you, Mary, married 1965.  Good year.  New semi detached averaged 3000 so things were pretty tight.  Electricians pay in Canada much better.  (One of the reasons we went)  Took my hi-fi system with us though.   Do they still even make Dansettes?

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On 10/18/2022 at 7:24 AM, mary1947 said:

yes but where do you get stylst from ?    (not sure spelling Needle or Stylest)

I believe you're referring to 'Stylus 'Mary1947.  :rolleyes:

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