Turntables — MoFi Electronics FENDER X MOFI PRECISIONDECK LIMITED EDITION

The Fender x MoFi PrecisionDeck is a limited-edition turntable built by MoFi Electronics, the hardware arm of Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, together with guitar maker Fender. It is based on MoFi's UltraDeck, but the standard plinth gives way to one made by Fender and finished in Fender's three-colour sunburst, the same hand-painted urethane finish used on Stratocaster, Telecaster and Precision Bass guitars. Only 1,000 units were made, each individually numbered on a nameplate modelled on Fender's serial-number plates.

Key specs that matter

The PrecisionDeck uses belt drive from an isolated 300rpm AC synchronous motor and a stepped Delrin pulley for 33 1/3 and 45rpm. The 3.1kg Delrin platter is 33mm thick and turns on an inverted hardened-steel bearing with a sapphire thrust pad. Wow and flutter is 0.017% to 0.025% and signal-to-noise ratio is 74dB. The straight 10-inch aluminium Ultra tonearm has gimbaled ball bearings, Cardas Audio wiring and gold-plated RCA outputs, with 18mm overhang, a 22.8-degree offset angle and a cartridge weight range of 5 to 10g. A MoFi MasterTracker moving-magnet cartridge with 3mV output comes fitted. The deck measures 527 x 152 x 394mm and weighs 11.6kg.

Engineering and use context

A guitar body is meant to resonate and a turntable plinth is not, so MoFi brought in Mike Latvis of Harmonic Resolution Systems (HRS) to control the ash plinth. Attachment points and resonance-control cuts are machined into its underside to MoFi's specification before Fender applies the finish, and the deck rests on anti-vibration feet co-developed with HRS for its weight. Damping materials decouple the AC motor from the plinth to keep vibration away from the platter and stylus, and the speed is changed by moving the belt to the other pulley step. MoFi picked Delrin for the platter because its density and crystalline structure couple well with vinyl, and the extra mass helps speed stability. Compared with a 9-inch arm, the 10-inch arm has less tracking-angle error, and it adjusts for tracking force, anti-skate, azimuth and VTA. The MasterTracker uses MoFi's V-Twin dual-magnet generator, laid out to mirror the cutter head of a lacquer lathe, with a Micro-Line stylus on a tapered cantilever and Ohno continuous-cast copper coils. The RCA connectors sit in a copper-foil box that screens out RF noise, and a hinged dust cover is included. Production takes place in MoFi's Michigan factory.

Pairing

An external phono stage is required, since none is built in, and the MasterTracker works with any moving-magnet input. Thanks to its adjustable arm, the deck also accepts many upgrade cartridges.

Alternatives

The MoFi UltraDeck is the standard turntable this edition is derived from, with a conventional plinth finish.