David Gammon

David was born in Coventry, England in 1933, to parents Harriet and Wilfred Gammon. His father was a carpenter and his mother a teacher. He had two brother and two sisters, Stephen, Anthony, Lilac and Edith. Edith would go on to be a concert pianist in Vienna.

Company Formation

Transcriptors is formed and the first products to released would be classic accessories of the sweep arm, stylus brush & stylus scales. Almer Components would manufacture the first batch of parts, ironically the same company David workd for as chief engineer and also rented an office within the company.

Company Registration

Transcriptors is registered at companies house and commences trading as a limited company, together witgh David's brother Anthony as company secretary.

Did You Know ?

Did you know that we were the first British turntable manufacturer to introduce the belt-drive system to Europe, to which we and many other manufacturers still use to this day.

Reference Turntable

The Reference turntable was released and featured variable speed control from 19 r.p.m to 80 r.p.m, stroboscope speed indicator, inertia platter weights and would feature a belt-drive system, the first for a European manufacturer.

Hydraulic Reference Turntable

Based on the 1963 Reference turntable, the hydraulic reference took the design further with 24k gold plated inertia weights, mariine grade plywood plinth and using a silicone fluid well for overall speed control.

Borehamwood

David movews into new premsies at 2 Theobald Street, Borehamwood. Production of the Hydraulic Reference continues and the introduction of the Saturn turntable.

Saturn Turntable

The Saturn turntable was David's first turntable to featured a sprung-chassis with adjustable isolation feet that could be rotated so that the plinth could be stiffened or softened. A new tonearm was also fitted as standard. Two versions were produced, one which had a lift on/lift of lid and a second version which featured a hinged lid mounted on the steady-bar and fitted with a gavity swing leg lid support. Production ended in 1973.

MoMa

David gifts a Hydraulic Reference to the Museum Of Modern Art in New York and can be view to this very day.

A Clockwork Orange

David supplied a Hydraulic Reference turntable to the late Stanley Kubrick for use in his classic film ater a visit to his Borehamwood factory. Chief engineer Bill Cheney was sent by David to take the turntable to Elstree film studios. After filming had finished, the turntable disappeared from the set and its whereabouts remain a mystery to this very day.

DId You Know ?

Did you know that David was inspired by his interest in clocks and watches which led him to visually expose all the components of his turntables, which started way back in 1963 with the Reference turntable. This design ethos has since been replicatied by audio manufacturers all over the world.

Design Award

David recevied an invitation from the London Design Council, to collect a design award for his Hydraulic Reference turntable. His award was presented to him from the late HRH Princess Margaret.

J.H Nelson Audio

Joan Nelson was David's secretary and was appointed sole agents for the Uk until 1981. Her office was based at Mycott House, Station Road in Borehamwood.

The Michell Connection

Transcriptors relocated to Carlow in Ireland after David was offered a brand new factory wich would allow him to have all production in-house without the need of third-party companies. Davdi and John signed a contract which was known as the 'Technical Agreement' with Joan Nelson as witness. John purchased an 'off the peg' company called Groatrealm Limited in 1973 which he would change to J A Michell Engineering in April of the same year. and would start manufacturing the Hydraulic Reference under license. Some of the branded Michell units are actually Transcriptors units which David left John to get started in the turntable industry. The agreement ran form April 1973 until it was cancelled in Novemember 1977.

Skeleton Turntable

The Skeleton was the first Transcriptors turntable to feature the use of toughened glass due to the oil crisis in 1973. David found a local company called 'Triplex' who manufactured automotive glass which worked more cost effective than acrylic sheets. Based on the Saturn turntable, it featured a three leg spyder chassis which sat on sprung isolation supports. The motor unit was also indepently sprung and the only connection between the two, was a neoprene drive belt. Also fitted was the unique Vestigal tonearm fitted as standard.

Round Turntable

The price of hi-fi components in 1973 were getting more expensive and to address this, the Round table was released. Completely round in its design, it featured a polyurethane chassis fitted with a reduced length Skeleton main bearing and a sprung motor plate. The lid was clear acrylic with a unique tonearm mounted. There was no on-board mains swsitch to keep costs down and speed selection was achieved by moving the belt from one pulley to the other.

Transcriber Turntable

The Transcriber was the first parallel tracking turntable in the world to move the platter to the tonearm. As with the Skeleton it was mounted in a toughened glass case. The platter was moved on rails and was triggered by the sensor on the microtracer. Controls were and on/off switch and a fast-traverse switch for fast cueing and track selection.

The End?

Due to the demise of vinyl and turntable sales along with the approach of compact disc in 1982, David decided to closed the company for good. His original intention was to re-tool the factory to make servo motors but the cost to do this would have been in excess of half a million pounds and the banks advised him that it would not be financially viable. David hired a JCB and dug a big hole next to the factory and threw spares, parts, manuals and drawings and filled it over. All the employees were given a turntable and plenty of spares and David anf his family would relocate back to Nottinghamshire in the UK.

Sadly David passed away after a long battle in 2005 with lung cancer and was cremated. He is buried at Sutton Cemetery, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire.