WOODSONG AUDIO GARRARD 301 AMAZING MEXICAN COCOBOLO PLINTH Amazing! PANZERHOLZ

Another premium offering from Woodsong Audio! This is possibly the most beautiful Mexican Cocobolo ever to pass through my shop.

Please request the hi-resolution photos of this plinth through my website. Hi-res photos of this plinth can also be seen on the Woodsong Audio Flickr photohosting site, look for it! It is impossible to see the detail and level of craftsmanship, and the level of finish of this plinth in the photos as displayed here on this website.

Truly the highest quality turntable plinths available at any price, anywhere, in every respect. Extreme attention to every last detail is what sets Woodsong Plinths apart from the rest. No expense spared in material selection, the finest woods, the best finish, absolute top level artistry, and still the most well engineered, this is Woodsong Audio.

If you are in the process of deciding on a plinth for your Garrard 301, look very closely at all the details, as all plinths are not created equal. For instance, if you see words like "..raw and cut to order shop grade commercial veneer", ask exactly what that means, because those words, as a description, say absolutely nothing, except maybe a 'fluffy' way of saying that it is commercial veneer! Which is WAY too thin, and of inferior quality. How thick is the veneer, exactly? When was the veneer cut? Was it all cut from the same board, to ensure a consistent color, and grain throughout, this is an example what is important in a description, the critical details that matter.

I am an artist, in a family lineage of engineers. I have been in pursuit of audio bliss since my teens. I am a perfectionist, and personally build every plinth, and do every bit of setup and refurbishment on every deck that leaves my shop. I have been working with the Garrard idler drive turntables for 9 years now, and have built many, many different plinths for them. I truly believe that what I am offering is the very best available, currently, and am proud to have my name associated with my offerings.

The plinth in these photos is sold. Yes, this is an expensive plinth. The cost is due to the amazing Mexican Cocobolo used in the creation of this plinth. This wood is truly unobtanium! In all of my years of woodworking, this is one of the prettiest pieces of wood that I have ever seen, and definitely in the top 2 pieces of Cocobolo that I have worked with. Because of the nature of this plinth, you can choose the configuration, single arm, dual arm, articulating armboard/s, or plinth mount armboard.

I have enough of this veneer left for 2 more plinths. Finding Mexican Cocobolo of this quality is next to impossible, at any price, you just cannot find it anymore. This is top shelf.

This listing is for the plinth only. The Hammertone Garrard 301, the Ortofon tonearm, and Ortofon Cadenza Bronze cartridge are not included, but can be purchased through Woodsong Audio.

This plinth is a true Constrained Layer Damped plinth, made with Panzerholz, Baltic Birch Plywood, and a synthetic bottom.

The finish is Mexican Cocobolo. Mexican Cocobolo is the most highly sought after Cocobolo due to it’s rich color, and amazing grain patterns. Other types of Cocobolo, such as Nicaraguan Cocobolo, or Panamanian Cocobolo, are much more muted in color, still very desirable, but in my opinion, most often not nearly as pretty. Mexican Cocobolo is truly one of the most beautiful woods in the world. I have a number of different veneer offerings in Mexican Cocobolo, so check with me if you prefer a slightly different grain pattern, or color.

This plinth is veneered with shop cut veneer, cut and sanded to thickness here at the Woodsong Audio shop. The side veneer is surfaced to about 1.8 mm (over 1/16" thick) prior to sanding and polishing, the top surfaced to about 2mm. This is vastly higher quality than commercially supplied veneer which is almost exclusively cut at 1/42". I almost never use commercially supplied veneer, as I feel it is inferior, and low quality for a number of reasons. The Cocobolo used for this plinth is cut from billets which were intended to be cut into guitar backs, and sides. This is musical instrument grade wood, and is quartersawn. This is truly amazing wood!

The sides of this plinth are bent in exactly the same manner as the sides of a guitar, and is referred to as ’solid wood sides’ in the instrument industry. If one were to try to just bend this veneer around the radii of this plinth, it would shatter immediately, every time. This is one of the reasons that other manufacturers use paper thin commercial veneer to cover their plinths. Very few woodworkers, outside of luthiers, possess the skills to hand bend wood in this manner. This is a Woodsong exclusive! We never use commercial veneer for plinth sides, ever.

Hand rubbed oil over carefully polished wood is the hallmark Woodsong finish. For most woods, in an application like a turntable plinth, this is by far my preferred finish. It is hands down the most beautiful, and will age much more gracefully than a surface building finish, such as an automotive finish, or lacquer. Woodsong plinths are available finished in top quality, true ’cut-and-rubbed’ , polished automotive or instrument lacquer finish.

The plinth design shown in the photos is compatible with almost any 9" or 12" tonearm. The advantages of an articulating armboard plinth design such as this one are a smaller footprint, and clean, unobstructed cable routing for sensitive tonearm cables. Also, swapping armboards is very easy. This is a proven design, very secure, awesome!

The Garrard 301 chassis is mounted to the plinth with 4 M6, polished slot head machine screws, manufactured for Woodsong Audio to match the original fasteners provided with the deck. (Look at what the other guys use)

Power is connected to the deck through an IEC socket on the rear of the plinth, through a special wiring harness which is provided with the plinth.

Please contact me to discuss all the details prior to buying this plinth.

Watch for the Woodsong Audio Bearing and Platter for the Garrard 301!

More photos of my work, and also of my instrument building can be seen at the Woodsong Audio Flicker photohosting site.

Thank you for looking.

Chris Harban
Woodsong Audio