Bastin 401

Very nice, congrats!

Nick,

As it happens, I was not getting the scale that I was used to from the previous home of the 401, a home made plinth.

Yesterday I replaced the headshell screws with Allen headed bolts. When I took the cartridge off the old Tonearm (Audio technica AT1007) I hadn't been using washers on the nuts (?). The slots on the Notts Analogue space arm are a fraction wider than on the previous headshell. I was afraid to over tighten the screws, I believe that's were I was losing the bass, and so tinkering with the VTA was essentially a waste of time.

Peter

Yum yum... I've always liked the look of the 401 but that plinth is something else - the whole thing looks excellent. I'd love to hear how it sounds

__________________________
Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.

Dom,

The plinth is made from 19mm Ply in layers all up, assembled, it weighs c. 20kg. So to respond to Nicks remark about a wall shelf, no I haven't risked that. I've got some photos that show the interior, I'll upload them tonight. The cherry veneer is really top class, I've rarely seen better. Infact it's so new that when I lift the dust cover. It's got that still new smell!

I started down the 401 way on a whim and the buzz that I'd picked up from some DIY audiogeek lists back in the 20th century

I've never looked back, a properly set up 401 makes music in the most authoritive and organic way I've ever heard.

Peter

I like that. I like that very much. It looks like the sort of thing that impressed me when I was a lad and impressed by such things. Very nice.

Here's a picture of the bare plinth, showing motor support pylons and the bearing stabiliser.

Peter

Here's one from the other side showing the Space Arm sith armony base.

Peter

It looks very nice, but you say you've lost some scale/bass. I take it that apart from that it sounds much better.

It sounded pretty good before with the right records.



Regards,

Steve.

Hi Peter,
Congrats. Your 401 looks wonderful!

Re: wall shelf
My TD124/DIY plinth (around 20Kg overall) is now proudly sitting on a M**a wall shelf (for over 3 months now). The wall's still upright so far
Must say this has been a good upgrade.

Cheers
Jean-Marc

quote:

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Originally posted by Steven Toy:
It looks very nice, but you say you've lost some scale/bass. I take it that apart from that it sounds much better.

It sounded pretty good before with the right records.

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Steve,

Happy New Year! Still thinking about the bass thing, the bass is definitely better focused and on records with large scale bass, such as 'So' - Peter Gabriel there's nothing to worry about. It seems that it's lost soom boom (you know, the vibrapod effect), so I'm hearing better what's been played on the the bass and drums, definitely sounds more nimble. I'm starting to think it's more honest to the record. Sinatra was in fine voice last night.

Peter

quote:

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Originally posted by Jean-Marc:
My TD124/DIY plinth (around 20Kg overall) is now proudly sitting on a M**a wall shelf (for over 3 months now). The wall's still upright so far
Must say this has been a good upgrade.

Cheers
Jean-Marc

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Mine sits atop a Ash design stand, I suspect it's non optimal, but there's not much room to install another stand, and I don't think the mana wall shelf would meet with my wife's approval.

Peter

Surely if you fit the wall shelf onto a solid wall properly, and then apply your body weight to it, if it survives that, it'll easily take a turntable?

Mind you, I'm only 73 kgs (11s6) so I might possibly be lighter than average

I use a floor stand btw - blooming rented flats....

__________________________
Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.

Peter, it looks marvellous. What made you choose the Spacearm?

John

quote:

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Originally posted by John C:
Peter, it looks marvellous. What made you choose the Spacearm?

John

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John,

Price more than anything and availabilty relative to the plinth, its' about £500. After that it's widely accepted that unipivots make a good match with a 401. The Garrards (301 & 401) are reputed to have a solid warm sound, read great bass b ut less sparkling treble. Unipivots are widely acccepted to be less grunty in the bass than gimbals.

So I took it on the advice of Martin Bastin who's been a mate of Tom Fletcher (Nottingham Analogue) for decades.

Overall it's quite an improvement over the ancient Audio Technica I was using, but I expect an RBxxx would have done that too.

I can turn the volume up louder without stress, there's less boom. But sometimes I'm wondering if there's less bass, but I'm beginning to think it's down to the pressing.

Peter

quote:

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Originally posted by domfjbrown:
Surely if you fit the wall shelf onto a solid wall properly, and then apply your body weight to it, if it survives that, it'll easily take a turntable?.

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Dom,

yeah I expect you're right but the wall on which I would want to put it is reinforced concrete and I don't have the drill for the job. It would also make the TT difficult to get to in the current arrangement of things, which was negotiated over a period of time with my wife, so I think the Wall mount will have to wait.

Peter

As one fellow 401 owner to another, I have to say that your plinth is gorgeous and looks better than the Loricraft plinth which I use.

The Loricraft plinth uses squash balls to support the deck, so there is an element of suspension, but which plinth sounds the best is open to debate.

Once again congratulations, you have something you can keep forever and pass on down the Stockwell line.

Being a presumptuous old bugger, I would like to invite myself along to your place to have a look at it next time I am in Paris. The offer is reversed if ever you are over here.

Regards

Mick

quote:

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I'm starting to think it's more honest to the record.

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Does that mean that Zappa will put me to sleep even faster?

Pareille: Bonne année à toi et à E.



Regards,

Steve.

quote:

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Originally posted by Steven Toy:

Does that mean that Zappa will put me to sleep even _ faster? _

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Zappa one either likes or doesn't, and those that don't really can't stand to hear him. Shame you didn't like 'Stairway to Heaven' but that was a CD played on the old MickyMega, which I've now sold to a fellow in Belgium(!).

I feel that you'd hear more of what is happening on the vinyl, so with luck there's more chance that you'd be converted but I doubt that it would convince you still.

Peter

quote:

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Originally posted by Mick Parry:
...I have to say that your plinth is gorgeous ...

... which plinth sounds the best is open to debate.

... congratulations...

...I would like to invite myself along to your place to have a look at it ... The offer is reversed if ever you are over here.

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Mick,

Thanks you for the felicitations. I would, in fact, enjoy having you take an eye and an ear to the beast.

I bought my 401, from Martin Bastin, in 1998 but I used it in a homemade plinth that was cosmetically as well as technically compromised. When I first took delivery of the 401 from Martin I saw a number of plinths of his in various stages of construction. I also of course saw a finished plinth and one could perceive the ply layers underneath the veneer.

He had at that time essentially a cottage industry in Garrard tweaks. Nowadays the cutting of the plinth's plywood layers is subcontracted to a facility that has computer controlled cutting. The Lid and veneer are also completed by highly skilled artisans. Sadly, and happily for me, this plinth could never be a commercial proposition like Terry's, there's just not enough margin to run a real business.

The finished product is of superb quality and really 'wow' inspiring.

Peter