The Fender x MoFi PrecisionDeck is a limited-edition turntable developed by MoFi Electronics, the hardware arm of Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, together with guitar maker Fender. Based on MoFi's UltraDeck, it replaces the standard plinth with 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. Production was limited to 1,000 units, each individually numbered with a nameplate modelled on Fender's serial-number plates.
Key specs that matter
The PrecisionDeck is a belt-driven turntable with a 300rpm isolated AC synchronous motor and a stepped Delrin pulley for 33 1/3 and 45rpm. The 3.1kg, 33mm-thick Delrin platter turns on a hardened-steel inverted bearing with a sapphire thrust pad. Wow and flutter is 0.017% to 0.025% and signal-to-noise ratio is 74dB. The 10-inch straight aluminium Ultra tonearm uses 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. It comes fitted with MoFi's MasterTracker moving-magnet cartridge (3mV output). The deck measures 527 x 152 x 394mm and weighs 11.6kg.
Engineering and use context
A guitar body is meant to resonate, a turntable plinth is not, so MoFi worked with Mike Latvis of Harmonic Resolution Systems (HRS) to tame the ash plinth. Attachment points and resonance-control cuts are machined into its underside to MoFi's specification before Fender finishes it, and the deck stands on anti-vibration feet co-developed with HRS for its weight. The AC motor is decoupled from the plinth with damping materials to keep vibration away from the platter and stylus, and speed is changed by moving the belt between pulley steps. Delrin was chosen for the platter because its density and crystalline structure couple well with vinyl, while the added mass helps speed stability. The 10-inch arm reduces tracking-angle error compared with a 9-inch arm, and it adjusts for tracking force, anti-skate, azimuth and VTA. The MasterTracker cartridge uses MoFi's V-Twin dual-magnet generator, arranged to mirror the cutter head on a lacquer lathe, with a Micro-Line stylus on a tapered cantilever and Ohno continuous-cast copper coils. The RCA connectors sit inside a copper-foil box that screens out RF noise, and a hinged dust cover is supplied. The deck is built in MoFi's Michigan factory.
Pairing
The PrecisionDeck needs an external phono stage, and the MasterTracker suits any moving-magnet input. The adjustable tonearm accepts many upgrade cartridges.
Alternatives
MoFi's own UltraDeck is the standard model this edition is based on, with a conventional plinth finish.