HISTORY:
This quality built timber based turntable lidded case used to house a nice old Garrard 60 Series MKII auto turntable from the mid 1960's. The turntable was purchased by a NSW Government department and had the nice timber case custom made by the Government Workshops to suit the turntable (actually it appears from the mounting holes that the case design could have been used with other turntables they used at the time)
The timber used is a mix of solid and veneered (very thick veneer) with 45 degree angle corner joints and all timber used is THICK - this is one very strong case but at the same time it does have a bit of weight.
The top brass hinged lid has a side slide (all metal) locking mechanism, similar to those used on many radiograms of the day.
The front of the lid has a Black ring handle, this is also all metal and in fact there is no plastics used at all in the construction.
I am not a timber expert, so I do not know for sure what type of tree was used for this case. The colour is a Golden Yellow with tints of Browns and Reds with a straight grain and I cannot see any knots at all. The current finish is a satin clear varnish, this has not been stained.
SOME DIMENSIONS:
Case external: 432mm wide x 372mm deep x 210mm height
Lid section external: 432mm wide x 372mm deep x 67mm height
This means the main case which houses the turntable is 143mm external height
The sides of the lower case all appear to be solid timber, and this is very thick at 19mm
The sides of the lid are just slightly thinner at 11mm
The top of the lid looks to be a very thick ply or veneered timber, 19mm thick
The Black metal handle at the front is secured with two bolts accessible from the inside - this can easily be removed.
The underside of the case is open, there is no bottom "plate"
The rear of the case has two "slots" cut for the exit of the power lead and audio lead.
Case internal: 391mm wide x 334mm deep
Internal "platform" for mounting of the turntable lies 70mm down from the top, is level and a massive 25mm thick material which looks to be a plywood.
This platform is a professional, quality fit and I cannot see anyway of changing the height at all - no joints visible, no nails or screws - it looks as though slots may be been cut in the sides and it has been all fitted together - it was not designed to be changed.
The platform height from the top means that manipulating your turntable controls and vinyl records is still easy to do while leaving a good 53mm spare clearance underneath the turntable for motors, gearing etc
The two brass hinges are solid, undamaged and measure 50mm width each
The Chrome plated lid locking mechanism on the right side of the case works very well, Lift the lid to around the full 80 degree opening and it locks the lid open. Push the lid back to beyond 80 degrees and it releases the locking slide. The slide in not pneumatic so don't just drop the lid!
WEIGHT: 6Kg (no turntable installed)
COSMETIC CONDITION:
USED
CLEAN
Absolutely no weakness or stress to any joints, the case is rock solid and if you were so inclined, you can stand on this case and it wouldn't mind a bit!
The finish to all sides, internally and the top of the lid is in very good condition - a couple of very minor marks but nothing serious at all. Depending upon the new owners needs, it is unlikely that any clean up of the finish would be required at all.
NO previous owner (the NSW Government) plaques or stickers anywhere on this case
IMPORTANT INFORMATION!
So here's the rub ... my interest in this case and offering it at no cost is purely from an angle of sustainability. Imagine this ... 60 odd years ago, the Government workshop employee slaved over this creation, made to strict Government standards. To throw away such an item seems almost criminal.
Although the case has NO ITEM COST, the shipping is NOT FREE! .... However "smart cookies" can work around this because if a buyer purchases "other items" on my website which total more than $75 order value AND include this case in their order, then this case will then be included for free shipping anywhere within Australia.
I will leave this case "up" on my website for a limited time, around 4 weeks or so, and then if there is no interest it will go out on the footpath for the local junk collectors to hopefully do something useful with. The last place I want this to end up in is the rubbish tip!
