SME release new Garrard 301

noromance:

You’ll notice that the platter will spin more freely thus faster when going from the stock bearing to a Kokomo or any other better bearing. If everything else is mechanically up to spec, you will most likely need to turn the breaking power up (slow the platter down) a little.

noromance:

I checked out your system profile. I love your man cave. I bet you’ve got good sound. Also I noted your a Decca fan :) I also have a London Ref in my stable and its on my 401 at this time on a Jelco. Trying to figure out if it will work better with a Kuzma Airline, 14” 4 Point or my EPA 100 mk2 which is being redone with lab grade ruby bearings.

Those speakers can sound live like nothing else, and with your Decca I can only imagine!

My 301 has been modded with the Peak HiFi (which I believe is CTC) brass bearing, CTC brass platter, and the PSU from Ray at ClassicHiFi. With the PSU, you disable the eddy brake. With the [much] heavier platter, there is no reason to induce drag as the eddy brake was designed to do. When Brian Walsh checked my platter speed with the Feickert Adjust+ software system, my speed was spot-on with very little wow or flutter. 
I am a bit puzzled by Audiofun's comment about the platter "spinning freely". At least on my 301, the platter will not spin freely-the idler wheel-mine is the Audiosliente btw-is always engaged against the inside platter rim. The Garrard (unless I am mistaken) was not designed to engage and disengage as the Thorens TD124 was. The "on" lever simply engages the motor and does not trigger engagement of the idler. 

@fsonicsmith The idler does not rest on the inner platter rim. When in the Off position, the idler is pulled away from both the rim and the pulley.

Well noromance, I don't doubt you but I know that my TD124 continues to spin after I turn it off and my 301 platter stops immediately when I turn it off. My 301 platter also does not rotate freely when it is off. Therefore, when installing and aligning cartridges on my TD124 I have to be careful to wedge something against the platter so it will not move. No such need on my 301. This is my first 301 and I don't claim to know how it ought to be, I only know how mine operates. This was true when I was using it with the OEM platter and when I replaced the OEM with teh CTC brass platter. Needless to say, the brass platter has a tremendous amount of inertia weighing 26 lbs, so what accounts for it stopping immediately-or almost-within a quarter rotation at least-when the motor is disengaged?