Advice and recommendations needed for a turntable rig...

Are you sure you will stick with Vinyl?

If not, it is my advice to start modestly, see if you stick with it, then move up.

Audio Technica AT-120 turntable is a great start, it now comes with their AT-VM95e cartridge (elliptical stylus). MM Interchangeable Stylus: You can upgrade the stylus (6 variations fit it). The cartridge body stays factory aligned, an advantage when starting out.

Certainly not excellent sound, but certainly enough to see if you stick with the 'hands on' Vinyl world.

Direct Drive

Internal optional Phono EQ gets you started with no additional expense (my AT-120’s optional eq sounded better to me than my McIntosh C28’s phono).

Removable headshell allows trying better cartridge in the future, then those headshell/cartridges can be used on a future arm, so that investment is transferrable as you move up.

You mentioned this is for ONE of your systems. Therefore, if you stick with vinyl, you could use the starter TT in a less important system or give it away, or sell it.

AT has an outlet store, certified .... even easier to start, find out if you will stick with it.

"I listen to Jazz, Blues and instrument music mostly..."

Another reason to start with an arm with removable headshell.

Jazz and Blues: many, many great Jazz masters were born around the turn of the prior century, made their reputation's 30's 40's 50's prior to Stereo, thus Mono LP's are in your future. Mono recording technics in the 40's and 50's were already very good, some Mono carried into the 60's. you are buying great listenable music, prior to that, 30's you are buying 'history'.

Thus, tonearm with removable headshell makes it easy to get/use a mono cartridge, as I learned here, it is MUCH better than playing a Stereo Cartridge in Mono Mode. Every friend agrees when they listen here. Several have gotten their own Mono Cartridges after that.

Given the inheritance, and memories of your friend, you will ’stick with it’ as I wondered about earlier.

The 1200 ....Technics are highly respected, come with removable headshell, good luck figuring out their many variations/naming

What I personally do not like is their appearance. I started a conversation about Wood Surrounds for these, which changes the appearance enough for me to consider one.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/wood-surround-for-audio-technica-at120-technics-1200-and-technics-1210?highlight=technics%2Bwood

A hint of the AR look (especially if you got a black one, if you do not restore the AR. I would keep the AR, which allows a future restoration.

This VPI, found on hifishark, listed today, has Tonearm with removable headshell

This one, SP-10 mkII has the wonderful Acos Lustre GST-801 arm

Vintage Technics SP15

Plinth for it

cutout for terrific Vintage Micro-Seiki Arm 505, 

here's one, silver wire, from Vlad, whom I bought my JVC Plinth and TT81 from,. I unhesitantly recommend him

That would make a terrific TT.

Usually there are SP-10's and SP-15's, complete in Technics bases, have a look if tempted by Vintage Technics spinners.

Not relevant, just to show this cool thing, in Bavaria, local pickup

has dust cover

krelldreams

thanks for your kind words.

I'm retired, first covid, next I have been homebound with health issues a lot, and I enjoy hopping all over learning about stuff.

I want that TT just to look at it, pet it once in a while.

krelldreams

I meant the Ovaltine Shaped gizmo from Bavaria.

I like your VPI a lot, EXCEPT fixed cartridge tonearm.

............................................

This very positive review included this

"I am glad I had so many different cartridges to play on the Scoutmaster. They helped me characterize its essential quality: accuracy. This turntable does not romanticize, nor does it impose its own sound on the music in any way I can discern. Having swapped out all four cartridges numerous times I can attest to that. I hesitate to use the term neutral because in the ears of some audiophiles it connotes sterility or, worse, a kind of sonic banality. But that’s exactly what you get here. Slap in the Grado and its fulsome midrange comes through the VPI unclouded. Or switch to the Denon (which I like so much) and there is that balanced, unhurried and unflustered sound."

.........................................

I wonder how long it took this reviewer to change these 4 cartridges, on ANY fixed cartridge arm, then he says ’numerous times’.

He probably owns a Jaguar 12 cylinder, a member of the Masochist club, (or a JVC TT-801, masochist membership required).

Disconnect the 4 wires; unscrew the cartridge; screw in the next cartridge (often a nightmare); hook up the 4 wires; adjust overhang; adjust null points; check arm height, adjust? check azimuth, adjust (how with that or most fixed cartridge arm?) adjust tracking weight; adjust tracking force.

4 cartridges-numerous times. I’d run out of curse words and I know plenty of them. (don’t drop any nuts/washers/screws)

numerous times: have some clips, silver solder, soldering skills to replace the cartridge pin clip that broke off. Insulation on clip? Rewire tonearm?

I do what he did, numerous times, without hesitation, no masochist me:

with my alternate cartridges pre-mounted in their own headshells. Overhang and null points done, azimuth done. If arm height is not right, my Acos Lustre GST-801 arm has the smoothest easiest arm height I ever touched, I adjust it while playing. I’m pretty quick at tracking weight, and use a blank LP for anti-skate.

What I really advocate is a TT with TWO Tonearms, two cartridges ready to go; one arm with removable headshell, that arm with easy arm height adjustment.

That’s why I think this Technics SP-10 MKII, with Acos arm is a terrific combo, on eBay, $2,995. + shipping

Technics Sp-10 Mkii Turn Table W/sh-10b3 Obsidian Base & Lustre Gst-801

US Audio Mart

Luxman 441. Acos 801 arm, asking $2,300.

ad says ’air bearing’. it is not, it uses the magnetic field of the Direct Drive motor to raise/reduce the bearing force. 1/4" thick iron plate within.

....................................................

I helped my friend get the wider PD-444 (two tonearms), this one on eBay, $1,990. delivered, 60 day returns. Add one arm now, 2nd arm later if desired.

LUXMAN PD444 record player Quartz lock direct drive Arm USED Japan #4903

We put two Micro-Seiki 505s on it (one long). Removable headshell and adjustable fitting for azimuth.

Had I known about it, I would have chosen it over my JVC Plinth, which is deeper rather than wider: I had a deeper 2nd glass top hanging over the back made

The Luxman fits anywhere there is enough width.

I squeezed a 3rd arm on my JVC, couldn’t do that with the Luxman

Luxman has hinged (removable) dust cover (you can play with it raised. My JVC, I lift the big factory dust cover off, and have a nearby spot for it, you need to plan for that to be easy and avoid scuffs with removable ones.

lewm

I am being blocked when trying to post a link,

it's on ebay, item # 266622682282

krelldreams

I live 35 minutes away from VAS, have become friends with Steve Leung and his son Ray, both terrific people. Steve's TT is a big VPI with the uni-pivot removable arm wands, he has several arm wands with pre-mounted cartridges, and when you buy a cartridge or have him build you a cartridge, if you pick it up, he demo's it on that TT.

dogberry

"I can change a cartridge and set up the replacement in twenty minutes. If I change the headshell on the one tonearm I have that uses interchangeable headshells, it takes about 10-15 minutes including the set-up of the new cartridge (the SME 309 headshells don’t allow for individual overhang: that must be set by moving the arm"

Good skills! There is no way most people could change/setup a cartridge on a fixed arm in 20 minutes. My friend knows how, has the tools, but waits for me, I supervise, he does it. Takes longer that way.

And, a heck of a lot of people do not have any cartridge mount/align skills,

the fixed arm comes with factory aligned cartridge, UNTIL ,,, stylus is worn.

If MM, switch stylus, the cartridge body remains in-place/aligned, takes seconds.

IF MC, everything must be mounted/all alignments, with a few inexpensive tools, and some skills practiced enough to be confident. Or have a friend or hired person do it. Give yourself a lifetime gift by learning/doing it yourself.

.............................

As you say, some arms, you move the base in/out.

Typical ’standard’ removable headshell with slots, (allowing prior overhang and null points adjustments) stay aligned, change the headshell in seconds: all that is needed: verify azimuth (headshell fitting allows minor azimuth adjustment prior to final tightening, takes seconds) then set tracking weight and anti-skate: (altogether less than 5 minutes).

I buy headshells with allen key clamps, allowing the initial azimuth adjustment while in the arm fitting. Micro-Seiki 505 arms allow you to adjust the fitting on the arm for azimuth, a terrific feature.

Alternate Mono Cartridge; Alternate Stereo Cartridge: same as MC: mount/overhang/2 null points/azimuth/vta/ all pre-aligned once. simply adjust tracking weight/anti-skate when you want to use that pre-aligned cartridge.

The majority get anti-skate wrong, re-builders and makers say the majority of stylus they check are worn on one edge only! Using Hudson Hifi alignment LP with other side blank allows easy and accurate anti-skate to be set with visual confirmation, very quickly.

Arm Height: VTA. Refined VTA is for perfectionists, most of us get very good results with ’parallel arm method. Tonearm parallel to LP when stylus is in the groove (cantilever flexed by tracking weight), that is why it is important or very important to have an arm with easy height adjustment.

For me: changeable headshell/easy height adjustment, I haven’t seen anything as easy and smooth as the Acos Lustre GST-801.