The H.H. Scott 710 Stroboscopic Turntable
This was one of the earliest multi speed turntables to be equipped with a stroboscopic
speed indicator as well as provisions for adjusting the speed of it's three speeds.
In this picture you can see one of the first apearances of this turntable.
This was taken from the October 1955 issue of Popular Electronics.
This turntable was made from 1955 through 1960. The 1955 model could
be had for a paltry $102.00. That was for the turntable and wood base. You had
to supply the tone arm and cartridge. It was priced competitively with it's
contemporaries like Fairchild, Rek-O-Kut, Presto, Weathers, and Thorens.
These were the forerunners of today's modern "high end" turntables.
This turntable is unique and revolutionary in several respects.
First, it has a fully floating suspension. Yep, years before AR, Weathers, and the
like, H.H. Scott had a turntable with a fully floating tone arm mount and
turntable assembly. This totally isolated the motor from the base as well as
from the tone arm mounting plate. Even the platter assembly was
isolated from the motor.
This turntable used an induction motor of similar size to the famous
Rek-O-Kuts of the era, and drove a cone shaped shaft which in turn drove
a series of 3 idlers. the idler for the particular speed you wanted
was selected via a row of polished steel push buttons on the top plate.
When a speed button was pushed it not only engaged that speed's idler it
also turned the motor on via a power switch incorporated in the
speed selector assembly. return springs keep the other two idlers out of the
way while the one selected is working. Individual speed adjustments are
accomplished by a screw for each idler's mount that moves it left or right with
respect to the cone like main drive shaft coming form the motor.
This offers individual speed adjustments for 33, 45, and 78 rpm! The
frame for this assembly is made from a very heavy iron casting.
The speed idlers in turn drive an intermediate shaft which is coupled
to another drive shaft which in turn spins a set of helical gears which
drive a slip clutch assembly which ultimately drives the turntable platter!
Because of this slip clutch, you can stall the platter for cuing while the
motor and the rest of the mechanics is still spinning! A true D.J. turntable
long before "RAP" was even a dream! (of course, Hermon Scott would
probably roll over in his grave at the thought of a 710 being used for rap! UGH!)
The base for this turntable is one of the most attractive I have ever seen to this date.
It is a deep mahogany color, and has a shiny varnished finish. It is narrower
at the base then the top giving a very nice "beveled" appearance. It
is a relatively small turntable measuring only 16.5" x 14" and only
4.5" from the top of the base to the bottom. Because of it's size, the arm has to be
mounted a bit weird. Unlike most turntables where the arm is to the right
of the platter as you face it, the Scott 710 has it's arm mounted across the back.
As you can see, it is rather compact. The top plate is stainless steel, and
looks really sharp. The Knobs to the left are the speed controls for the
three speeds in the top row, and the 33, 45, 78 rpm and off selectors
in the second row.
My 710, pictured here, has a Shure arm from around
1959. It is not the original, and most probably replaced an original Mono
arm. If you look at the corner to the right and down, you will see a black label.
Between that label and the turntable platter is where you can view
the "Stroboscope". By adjusting the speed knob until the dots for
the speed you have selected stop moving relative to the base, you can set
the platter to the exact speed you have selected. This was a neat feature.
Here's a picture of the inner workings of the Scott 710. you can see the
drive motor, the cone like driving shaft, the three capstans, one for each
of the three speeds. The driven "drum" assembly, the dual rubber coupling
drive shaft, and the gear box that holds the helical platter drive gears
and the platter clutch. You can also see the adjustable spring suspension.
Notice how ruggedly this turntable is constructed, and the thickness of
the wood used in the base! Although these pictures don't show it,
the bottom of the base is several inches narrower then the top
making for a very attractive 'beveled" look that was popular
in the 50's and 60's.
This turntable is unique, it was revolutionary for it's time, and is extremely
well made. My 710 is a 1957. It still works 41 years since it was built!
Like my Rek-O-Kuts, this old girl is very heavy, and still plays great!
It is connected to a 99D mono amp, with a 330B AM/FM tuner and an
Electrovoice Marquis cabinet with an original E.V 12" 3 way coax speaker.
This system is a joy to use and listen to and gets looks of amazement every
time I play it and mention it's age!