Cartridge Alignment

[MylesBAstor]

So how many use the Feickert, Fozgometer, Audio Technica, etc for azimuth?

[rockitman]

I use a 8mm diameter bullseye bubble level (weighs .28g) on the headshell to get basic level(vertical/perpendicular) to record surface and then fine tune by fozgometer/ear

[MylesBAstor]

I use a 8mm diameter bullseye bubble level (weighs .28g) on the headshell to get basic level(vertical/perpendicular) to record surface and then fine tune by fozgometer/ear

You are in a little special circumstance with your Graham and that jig. I saw Bob set up at Rowland Complement back in the mid '90s in five minutes with that jig. That belongs in the Guiness Book of world records. Do you compensate for the little bit of cantilever deflection from the plastic piece in the alignment jig?

Ever get a hankering for another arm on your AF?

[rockitman]

You are in a little special circumstance with your Graham and that jig. I saw Bob set up at Rowland Complement back in the mid '90s in five minutes with that jig. That belongs in the Guiness sBook of world records. Do you compensate for the little bit of cantilever deflection from the plastic piece in the alignment jig?

Ever get a hankering for another arm on your AF?

The plastic alignment plate slides up and down allowing it to be parallel (level) with the cart....in a manner of speaking correct VTA/SRA. So yes, you can compensate. the plastic plate weighs less than .5g so the vertical deflection isn't much. It is an easy way to align and a lot quicker than a mint.

This will sound controversial but the precision you can align with the Mint may be greater than any other way...but that added accuracy doesn't really matter if your anti-skate is off by a little bit and horizontally deflects (a small amount) your mint aligned cantilever anyway. In truth I want pivot to spindle dead on . In terms of cantilever alignment and skating forces, I think there is more room for error. The record still tracks great with small cantilever horizontal force defection. Of course VTA/SRA should be correct for various record thicknesses...another area where Graham makes this easy to do with the pivot tower spirit level. The idea is to do the best you can..stop obsessing and listen to music.

[MylesBAstor]

The plastic alignment plate slides up and down allowing it to be parallel (level) with the cart....in a manner of speaking correct VTA/SRA. So yes, you can compensate. the plastic plate weighs less than .5g so the vertical deflection isn't much. It is an easy way to align and a lot quicker than a mint.

This will sound controversial but the precision you can align with the Mint may be greater than any other way...but that added accuracy doesn't really matter if your anti-skate is off by a little bit and horizontally deflects (a small amount) your mint aligned cantilever anyway. In truth I want pivot to spindle dead on . In terms of cantilever alignment and skating forces, I think there is more room for error. The record still tracks great with small cantilever horizontal force defection. Of course VTA/SRA should be correct for various record thicknesses...another area where Graham makes this easy to do with the pivot tower spirit level. The idea is to do the best you can..stop obsessing and listen to music.

I also like how Bob has the marking on the side of the tower so it's really easy to go back to where you were. Not like the VPI where you have to write down how many fractions of a turn or turns you did. And there's always a smidge of slop so it's never quite exact.

[Patsuh]

Hi myles, how do you adjust antiskate mechanism in vpi classic 3 turntable, it is really akward to do, the base mechanism is difficult to align properly with the sedal filament

[MylesBAstor]

I don't use the VPI anti-skate. Tried it and the sound just became worst. I look at the twist in the wire and cantilever deflection and then use my ears for the center image.

[Rob]

I use the Feickert. With the Graham I use his jig and with the immedia/Spiral Grove I use the ingenious jig Allen provides, sort of an inverse version of the Graham, its sits on the platter instead of attaching to the headshell.

[MylesBAstor]

I use the Feickert. With the Graham I use his jig and with the immedia/Spiral Grove I use the ingenious jig Allen provides, sort of an inverse version of the Graham, its sits on the platter instead of attaching to the headshell.

Could you show a pic of Allen's jig? One issue for other table manufacturers is that Bob has a patent on his ingenious design and won't make it for other arms. He thinks it would give other arms a leg up. Personally, I think he could make a fortune doing it for other popular arms. Whatever.

[1morerecord2clean]

So how many use the Feickert, Fozgometer, Audio Technica, etc for azimuth?

Fozgometer with Triplanar and Transfiguration Proteus.

[GaryB]

One issue for other table manufacturers is that Bob has a patent on his ingenious design and won't make it for other arms.

Myles,
Do you have a patent # for the Graham jig? Just curious to give it a quick scan and see if it's still in its active period. Patents do expire.

Regarding alignment jigs, I use one that came with my Immedia RPM tonearm. I also have an old Cart-a-lign which I use. And various jigs that can be printed off of the internet.
And I've got Feikert Adjust+ for azimuth alignment.

---Gary

[Rob]

Could you show a pic of Allen's jig? One issue for other table manufacturers is that Bob has a patent on his ingenious design and won't make it for other arms. He thinks it would give other arms a leg up. Personally, I think he could make a fortune doing it for other popular arms. Whatever.

ill try to take a pic with my phone. There are at least two maybe more versions of Allen's jig, Sterling Trayle or Allen could verify this. I had the first version and 2nd version. Its mirrored plastic with engravings for lining up the stylus and references for the cart body. There's a single target for the stylus for overhang, what makes its stupid proof are two spaced vertical rods inserted into the jig that provide the proper alignment for the armwand relative to the stylus position on the jig.

the Graham design uses locating pins with corresponding holes drilled into the headshell. the only way to 'borrow' this design is with an arm that uses a detachable arm wand and a fixture of some sort of aligning the jig to the headshell. You also need to make sure the pivot to spindle distance is dead nuts on or you won't be able to get the overhang right. For this reason the "one size fits all" Feickert makes it indispensable because you have to verify the spindle to pivot distance before doing anything else.

[MylesBAstor]

Myles,
Do you have a patent # for the Graham jig? Just curious to give it a quick scan and see if it's still in its active period. Patents do expire.

Regarding alignment jigs, I use one that came with my Immedia RPM tonearm. I also have an old Cart-a-lign which I use. And various jigs that can be printed off of the internet.
And I've got Feikert Adjust+ for azimuth alignment.

---Gary

No I don't but the jig has to go back to the mid-90s.

[GaryB]

No I don't but the jig has to go back to the mid-90s.

A quick search on google patents turns up the following Bob Graham patents:
US4587646 - Tone Arm Assembly; Filed April 25, 1983; Priority date August 17, 1979.
US4686664 - Tone Arm Assembly; Filed May 5, 1986; Priority date August 17, 1979 - this one seems to cover the alignment jig
US7382713 - Method and Apparatus for Tonearm Magnetic Stabilization and Damping System; Filed March 11, 2005; I assume this is the Phantom tonearm patent

So any concerns about patent protection for the "jig" can be safely shelved since the patents for this are long expired. I see a business opportunity for you Myles!

[microstrip]

I also really appreciate the Graham jig - setting the 2.2 was a ten minute job. But setting the SMEV in the standard way was also quick and straightforward. The Forsell and the ET2's are a child game - you just need a rule with an hole and a very sharp line!

IMHO the most critical adjustment is lateral azimuth - and for this one I always used a test record and an osciloscope or a soundcard based spectrometer.

[MylesBAstor]

I also really appreciate the Graham jig - setting the 2.2 was a ten minute job. But setting the SMEV in the standard way was also quick and straightforward. The Forsell and the ET2's are a child game - you just need a rule with an hole and a very sharp line!

IMHO the most critical adjustment is lateral azimuth - and for this one I always used a test record and an osciloscope or a soundcard based spectrometer.

Could you expand on that for me.

[JackD201]

I only set up my Grahams myself. For the other arms (4 Point and Tri 7 U2) I make like the game show and use my "Call a Friend" lifeline

I can do it but he's just so much better at it!