Lost Worlds Of Lenco

Lencos with heavy platters . . .

Why 'heavy platter'?

From the late 50's, Lenco's turntables were based on two designs - a flagship model with its 9lb non-ferrous heavy platter, and a lower cost 'lightweight' model with a light (pressed-steel) platter.

The heavy-platter models were also (necessarily) fitted with a bigger and better main bearing. Both were engineered to typically exacting Swiss standards, but it's the heavy platter version that is responsible for recent renewed interest, and which has emerged as a Garrard 301/401 challenger at fraction of the price of those more widely revered turntables.

Mounted in a heavy non-resonant plinth, these Lencos are capable of first-rate performance which some consider to be up with the very best. Rumble is not an issue if the motor assembly is in a good state of service, freely suspended, and the idler is in good condition. Certainly my 88 is rumble-free and it is still running its original idler.

There were at least 2 different types of idler wheels used. Plastic (which tend to buckle) and aluminium. Very early Lencos sometimes have a bronze-coloured metal wheel. The rubber on the plastic wheels often ends up very hard and brittle, degrading performance. The metal wheels tend to fare much better, either because they're generally more recent, or the rubber is different, I don't know. I have never seen an L78 with a plastic idler, all the other models sometimes had plastic, sometimes aluminium idler wheels.

Luckily, spares are still available

L60 (1959)
To the best of my knowledge - this was the first of the 'heavy-platter Lenco's. Rare? I've never even seen one.

Speed change lever on the left, off/on/cue-down lever on the right, this was the design that would continue for nearly 20 years! The 60 was finished in grey enamel. The 'radial' rubber mat subsequently used on 59/70/88/99. All the subsequent Lenco idler drives would be based on this one. The L60's bakelite (or plastic) arm looks fantastic, though i have it on good authority (thanks Roger) that it wasn't the turntable's strong point!

A 1959 advertisement here

Got to love that tone-arm!		Source: Hi-Fi Yearbook. 1959

L59 (196?)
Finished in light grey enamel with small silver plate under the off/lift/on lever, this was a very attractive turntable. Platter enameled on top, sometimes a weird green (paint?) underneath.

Beautiful early L59 with burgundy (L78-style) mat and matching speed select lever!		Another absolutely splendid example, this time with the mat with the radial spines.

L70 (1962)
Early models were very similar (the same?) as the L59 with a slightly different arm. 1967 saw a re-style with a new mat, and an unpainted platter, setting the trend for all later models. Want to see a 1965 advertisement? The concurrent 'light-platter' model was the L69.

Lenco L70, looking very similar to the L59		Another absolutely splendid example, this time with the mat with the radial spines.

L77 (1965)
Basically a later-model L70 with a P77 arm (which was available separately) Otherwise identical.

L77 - an L70 with a P77 tone-arm fitted The headshell looks like the same as the later L75's		From a 1967 advertisement

L75 (1970)
Another re-style, the aluminum fascia moved from the side to across the front. now supplied with the L75 arm. L75P had some more cosmetic changes and a different plinth. New rubber mat with aluminum centre-plate.

The L75 was a hugely popular deck. I don't remember the hi-fi press being hot for it, but by the time I was reading hi-fi magazines 'idler' was a dirty word. Nevertheless, the L75 sold well (perhaps buyers were using their ears after all?)

The L75 arm 'featured' a decoupled counterweight, rubber v-blocks and bias compensation. Lenco experimented with some super-spongy V-blocks for a year or two, and these are far worse than the black rubber variety. replacements still available from Technical & General, UK.

Here's an advertisement from a 1972 Hi Fi News, and here's a groovy advert from a German publication

Typical L75 in typically 70's teak veneered plinth.		Albertporter's minimalist and modern take on the L75, fitted with Decca International Unipivot arm. More details here

L78 (1974)
This adds a mechanical auto-stop to the L75. The wiring and phono tags were moved to accommodate this. The platter has a small pin near its centre which is used to trip the spring-loaded cue-up and motor-off switches. (I missed this until someone else pointed it out - and thus I couldn't figure out how the auto-stop worked. This pin is a vital part and you can't view the mechanism in action with the platter removed . . . ) The arm has a wand attached underneath which, in the run-out groove, initiates the whole auto-stop procedure. Nice 301-like (but chunkier) thick rubber mat with concentric circles.

The L78's headshell is a new lightweight version. it's basically the old headshell with a lot of holes drilled in it. Great. Older-style headshells will fit.

Later models lost the aluminium fascia and were finished in black with white lettering. Much better.

Typical early L78 - cosmetically very similar to L75 except the paintwork is much darker.		Later L78 in a groovy 70's white plinth. Aluminium trim has been banished - shades of the L60 here - no bad thing!

In 1974, the Lenco range consisted of the L72, L75, L78 as well as the belt-drive G101 and GL85. Meet the family here.

88 (1962)
Essentially an armless L70 in a small chassis, a poor-man's Garrard 301, perhaps, and similarly, though less beautifully styled. My 88 had its plastic fascia damaged, so I removed it, exposing its attractive cream enamel finish. It's a keeper. And 1963 advertisement here and HFN review here.

My first 88 in my 'Loricraft-style' plinth. Happy here in its new owners home, sporting the beautiful Decca ffss.		Sexy! - my current 88 - plastic fascia removed - modeling a vintage ESL arm. This 88 is wearing an L78 mat - it suits it well . . .

99 (1965)
An 'updated' 88, this time styled to match the Garrard 401. The first (and last?) Lenco idler turntable to depart from the simple and effective speed lever. The 99 used a rotary knob which in turn (sorry) moved the usual idler positioning lever. like the 401, the 99 had a built in strobe - the strobe markings are on the underside rim of the platter, ingeniously viewed via a built-in mirror/neon lamp. My first 99 had click-stops for the usual speeds, the second one did not, relying entirely on the strobe for the correct speed. I can't say which is the more common. I can't help but feel that the speed know was a retrograde step. Still, this is a Lenco, and can still be picked up quite cheaply on Ebay.

Here's an advert from 1967

My second 99. I had intended to keep this - until an 88 turned up . . . shown here with an L75 arm - and you thought you'd escaped . . .		A peep under the bonnet shows identical layout to the other models, although the 99 has no brake.

Any corrections or additions welcome.

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