HYDRAULICS - THE LEGENDARY LEGACY

The Hydraulic Reference and it's precursor, the "Dry-pitch" Reference, were developed and produced by David Gammon's Transcriptor Ltd from 1962 until 1973, when J.A. Michell fully took over production in the Irish factory, ending in 1977.

So we divide them into two categories, the Transcriptor Hydraulics and the Michell Hydraulics, because they are badged that way.

1977 Michell started producing their own line, starting with the Electronic Reference, with an option for either Electronic or Hydraulic control, thus recreating the Hydraulic Reference. These types are of lesser importance to us, as they are more Michell than Transcriptor based. Their badges generally don't carry the Transcriptor name anymore (one or two exceptions will be in our portfolio).

DEVIATIONS

The "Dry-pitch" Reference you will find under the Transcriptors, and they carry the numbers 1, 2, 9 & 18. 18 was slightly questionable as it came to us with both a "Donut" and a "Dry-pitch" capstain, but without the corresponding strobewheel, we opted to use it as a Hydraulic Reference. It was not badged and had its connector/print mounted in the chassis (see pics).

Numbers 13, 16 and 18 have no fusebox and are considered early stage HR's, whereas 3, 4, 5 and 6 have a square fusebox with a separate voltage selector.

In the Michell section we make a slight distinction between the ones with the three feet instead of the later brackets, this because the former were more Transcriptor based.

Here 7 is a recreated Hydraulic by Michell, number 14 is badged as a Michell Transrotor Hydraulic but uses a "Donut" as control. Monday morning at the plant and just a wrong badge or something else?

10 is the remaining one of our "coloured" projects, the Bronze. The Silver Surfer and Black Widow have changed owners before the forming of this collection and are therefore not shown as such, the Michells 7 (Spain) & 12 (Belgium) and number (Australia) afterwards so they are still mentioned and depicted, but with the heading sold (see archive blogs).

We hope to give you an impression of the changes the Hydraulic Reference has gone through, with minor detail changes documented in the fact sheets of the different turntables. And of the impact it had on development of other turntables (the Offspring). If you think you have anything to add to our knowledge database feel free to comment by means of the forms attached or as a registered member on the community. The blog archieves contain some articles with conclusions based upon the differences between certain types. Here you can react only as member on the community.