Garrard 301 Precision Eddy Brake Disc Woodsong Audio Exclusive

Addressing one of the weak links in the venerable Garrard 301, here is the first aftermarket replacement precision Eddy Brake disc, made exclusively by Woodsong Audio, maker of fine crafted plinths for the Garrard and Linn. Look for us on the web!

This replacement Eddy Brake disc works exactly as the original, with the same range of speed control as the original Garrard made part, only with significantly lower vibration. This will make your Garrard 301 noticeably quieter in operation.

Included with the Eddy brake disc is a hex wrench for tightening the 4 allen screws that secure the eddy disc to the motor shaft, 2 precision shims to aid in the proper positioning of the eddy brake disk relative to the magnetic eddy brake arm assembly, a small container of the correct lubricant for your 301 motor bushings, a micro pipette for delivering the lubricant to the bushings without making a mess, and a free 60hz 301 drive pulley.

This disc is for the Garrard 301 only. It will not fit on the 401.

The Woodsong Audio Garrard 401 Precision Eddy Brake is almost complete, please contact me for availability if you are interested in a 401 eddy brake disc now.

As a re-builder of these decks for the past 9 years, more than half of the decks that come through my shop have had bent, or damaged Eddy Brake discs. The original Garrard eddy brake disc was never a precision item to begin with. Spin the motor shaft of your Garrard, look at the spinning eddy brake disc and see for yourself. That out of round that is visible on every original eddy disc I have ever seen, is causing unnecessary vibration, vibration that ends up in your music in the form of increased levels of mechanical noise.

This is a must have upgrade.

The original Garrard eddy brake disc was made by pressing a brass hub into a disc of pure aluminum like a rivet, then drilling the bore for the motor shaft so that it was relatively concentric with the disc perimeter. Because pure aluminum is very soft, (but ideal for eddy current brake disc application, due to it's conductivity) the brass hub did not go in without some shifting, and many of them shifting quite badly, often by as much as 0.020"! . This leaves the brass hub acting like an eccentric cam on your motor shaft, a mini vibrator, if you will, and not at all ideal for a turntable drive application. You can see for yourself by removing the platter on your 301, spinning the motor pulley, and watching the brass hub in the middle of the original eddy brake disc. It is easy to see that the original disc is not precision made. It is also very likely that you will see rise and fall at the perimeter of the original eddy disc, another source for vibration.

Pure aluminum is too soft for the eddy brake disc hub, for holding the set screws against the motor shaft without loosening over time, which is why we use a much stronger alloy for the integral hub. The actual disc on the Woodsong Audio eddy current disc is made from pure aluminum, while the hub is made from a stronger alloy. Other aluminum alloys including 6061-T651 were readily available and much easier to machine back in the day when Garrard was manufacturing the Garrard 301. There is a good reason why pure aluminum is used for the eddy current disc, and using 6061-T651 or almost any other aluminum alloy for the eddy current disc, will result in a diminished speed control range.

The center of the disc is reinforced, and more than twice as thick as the original disc where it meets the mounting hub, so it is less likely to be damaged in the future, though proper care should be taken when moving or shipping a Garrard to prevent damage to the eddy brake disc. The three oiling holes in these discs are angled inward for enhanced access to the oiling points on the Garrard 301 motor.

The bore of the hub hub is precision honed to size for a smooth and precision fit.

This replacement eddy disc is the result of years of thought, and six months of research, prototyping, and testing, and it is a superb upgrade piece!

The Woodsong Audio 301 Eddy Brake Disc is a drop-in replacement for your existing eddy brake disc. It functions exactly as the original disc, with the same range of speed control.

The disc is a slip fit onto the motor shaft, and secures with 4 socket head set screws, and the matching hex key is included with purchase.

This is typical feedback from people using the Woodsong Audio eddy current disc:

"Hi Chris,
I installed the brakes today and it is a nice upgrade. Thankfully there are no negative, just positives. The sound is purer and a bit quieter too. The whole presentation seems to be just more stable (less nervous) with more precise images. Very nice!
Regards
Pani"

"

"Hi Chris,

I installed the brake and pulley and like it very much. I would like to purchase another brake and pulley. Can I do this directly through Woodsong?

I am using a beta version of Bill Carlin’s Phoenix Engineering Eagle controller (25W version) together with his tach. The controller dramatically reduces motor noise. The controller allows one to run the Garrard 301 without the brake. This makes one realize how much noise the original brake contributes. Unfortunately, without the brake the Garrard sound loses some of its mid-range weight. With your brake and pulley I can run some braking without the excessive noise. You have done an excellent job on these components.

Best Regards,
Duane "

Shipping is included in the cost, within the US.

International shipping is $20, anywhere in the world.

Thank you for looking!