TJN Grease Bearing MKII for heavy platter Lencos

There are many reviews of my work but this one by Mono & Stereo provides a good introduction and history as the man who introduced the world to the superiority of the idler via the Lenco: https://www.monoandstereo.com/jean-nantais-reference-lenco-mkii-turntable-review/

The first review of one of my pieces with the new Reference Grease Bearing MKII, a '70s Clkassic Lenco Super, review is here: "Jean,Took the headshell w/Shelter 501 MkII off the Technics 1200 where it had been aligned a long time ago using a 2 point protractor (cardboard?) or some other alignment method (I have had a bunch over the years). Checked it out a few weeks ago with a newly obtained 'Dr. Feickert' protractor that is really easy to use as it includes the pivot to spindle measurement arm that makes sure the protractor is exactly pointed at the pivot point which I have a problem with using just the Geo-Disc. Short version:  The Shelter 501 Mk II in a light headshell is a perfect match for this arm and the Sorane is a perfect match for this TT. After much fiddling and the use of a digital, hand held, microscope, I got lucky with the alignment (pic. below).  Then off the play records. How does it sound?  You know the answer! All of those 'Cult of Lenco' stories are true for good reason. Count me in as a 'cult' member. It's like going from a $100 MM cartridge to a $10,000 MC cartridge, but it's the same cartridge. Everything in my system suddenly sounds better.  Things one normally would not expect from 'just' a major TT upgrade. Most noticeable (and expected from a really good idler table) is impact.  Everything has IMPACT.  And, of course, with 106 dB horns, any 'slam' is going to be heard. The beginning of every note starts exactly as it should.  On time. The beginning of a note is the hardest to get right which is why the piano (a percussion instrument) is one of the hardest instruments to record and play back.  Every time a stick hits a cymbal or drum head the sound jumps out at you.  Even very soft notes are there and distinct. Have no idea how a TT should have this much effect on soundstage, especially when compared to other decent sources.  Each instrument and/or voice is locked into position; not blurred with all the others. And, of course, PRAT!  Some I know call it 'jump factor'. Some credit to the arm.  No wobbly unipivot here!  Solid as a rock and does the job of keeping the stylus in the groove!  Also easy to cue as doesn't drift about over the record in an attempt to trash the stylus by falling off the side of the record. Reminds me a bit (performance wise) of the Tri-Planar arm, but with a lot less mechanical nonsense. It's a winner and worth the wait. And I waited over 25 years. That's from the time I saw my first well-restored hammer-tone grease bearing 301 at CES in Las Vegas.  Poor guy was using it as a source for the speakers and/or amps he was trying to sell and all anyone


I have spent years developing, in stages, a new grease bearing for Lencos. This came about by my rebuilding Garrards, which I have been doing since 2004, specifically a Garrard 301 grease bearing, and hearing a new grease which was sonically head and shoulders above any other grease I have ever tried or made. From this point I developed a grease bearing for my Classic Lenco MKII model (Classic Lenco MKII Grease Bearing $275) and for my Reference Grease Bearing (not available except for clients of my full rebuilds). 

This development finally freed me to look at the shafts and their associated parts, specifically the SOUND of shafts and their associated parts (thrust plate, pad etc.). Like all of my work, this new bearing is based on the principle of Constrained Layer Damping, different materials with different sounds working together to produce something extraordinary. This took months of work and many prototypes before recently being declared ready.  The reports are on my Facebook page here: Facebook

One section begins: "ANNOUNCING THE FIRST MAJOR UPGRADE SINCE I DESIGNED THE ULTIMATE LENCO, A NEW GAME-CHANGING SHAFT FOR ALL MY BEARINGS. All my customers over the years can expect a MAJOR increase in sound quality, contact me for further details on price (different prices for Classic Lenco Bearings; Reference Bearings; and Ultimate Bearings)."

The other section ends: "What the results with the new shaft and associated parts reveals is not so much that the new version is revolutionary (which it actually is) but instead that the main bearing is the bridge between the plinth/body and machine and its parts. The original shaft and associated parts, good as they were, had long ago been outstripped by the improvements to the plinth and to the machine, effectively becoming a roadblock. I added a rough illustration in the photos to make the point clearer. By introducing the new shaft and parts I opened the floodgates to years of improvements which had been waiting all this time to express themselves fully and clearly!"

At the moment only my clients get the Reference Lenco Grease Bearing MKII and the Ultimate Bearing MKII. The New Classic Lenco MKII Grease Bearing will be available generally at $550 USD, $400 if you send me your old Lenco Bearing. It will realize the potential of all heavy platter Lencos. Customers already owning one of my improved Classic Lenco MKII bearings contact me for a trade-in at a better price.

All my prior clients contact me to upgrade your bearings.

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