Feickert Woodpecker
The Woodpecker occupies a sweet spot in the Feickert lineup.
Stepping up from the Volare, you'll experience a notable improvement in the platter, along with the flexibility to mount long tonearms.
Key to our recommending the Feickert are the design principles embraced - principles which have proven their worth in our own turntable designs over the past two decades.
Design Philosophy
One design element most manufacturers overlook is that of interoperability. Many manufacturers design in a vacuum - perhaps in an attempt to lock their customers into their ecosystem.
Feickert does not agree.
Their architecture is predicated on flexibility and compatibility. Of course, there are some elements which are specific to an individual design (you can't avoid this), but Feickert's modular approach (i.e. external power supply) is to be lauded.
Their armboard architecture is second to none with respect to flexibility.
As with all Feickerts, the Woodpecker is unsuspended.
If you're familiar with our philosophy, you'll know that in our designs, we prioritize better coupling between the drive system and the platter, and this mandates a non-suspended turntable.
Eliminating suspension is one key element to taking vinyl playback to the next level, and we would not be recommending Feickerts if the drive system was decoupled from the chassis with springs.
On our drive system F.A.Q. page, we discuss our priorities at Galibier for our own drive systems, and these priorities are embraced by Feickert in their designs as well. It's about much more than perceived pitch stability, and Feickert gets this. The benefits may not show up in your speed software, but they are clearly audible.
If we had the production cost benefits of manufacturing in Eastern Europe, we'd be building a turntable very much like the Woodpecker. Sure, we'd add our own spin on the concept (couldn't resist the pun), but as delivered the Woodpecker delivers the goods.
Pricing
(effective June 1, 2022)
Item | Price |
---|---|
Woodpecker with no tonearm, drilled for your arm. Standard finish is Nextel Black. Choose silver or black top/bottom plates. | $5,295 |
Linear Power Supply Upgrade | $995 |
Inertia Platter - Delrin platter with brass inserts for improved speed stability | $550 |
Premium veneer finish: Tineo, Walnut, Palisander, or Zebrano with clearcoat. | $450 |
Piano lacquer: high gloss black or white | $550 |
High gloss veneer: Tineo, Walnut, or Zebrano | $800 |
Packages
Woodpecker / Schick: $8,495
- Woodpecker turntable
- MoFi Schick tonearm (9.6" or 10.5") with graphite headshell Mofi Iridium 5-Pin DIN cable
- Inertia platter upgrade
- Choice of premium veneer finish (gloss or non-gloss)
- Specify black or silver top/bottom plates
Woodpecker / Kuzma Stogi S/VTA: $9,295
- Substitute Kuzma Stogi S, 12" arm with VTA tower for Schick tonearm/headshell/cable
Woodpecker / Kuzma 4Point (11"): $14,295
- Substitute Kuzma 4Point arm (11") with Crystal Cable Silver/Gold wire (straight run from cartridge clips to RCA or XLR plugs)
Note: the MoFi Schick and the Thomas Schick versions differ as follows:
- The MoFi version has a DIN connector (supply your own tonearm cable) whereas the Schick versions have a straight run of cable from the cartridge clips to the RCA/XLR plugs.
- The MoFi version is anodized black. The standard Schick version is offered in gold, matte silver, and matte black.
About the Linear Supply
With both our Galibier turntables and the Feickerts, the benefits of feeding the drive system with clean DC power is significant.
This goes back to virtues we reference above in our drive systems F.A.Q. page.
The Feickert linear supply is available as an upgrade option for your Woodpecker, and frankly, we consider it mandatory on a cost for performance basis.
You might want to consider a power supply upgrade before upgrading your cartridge. It's that good.