Anti skate and tonearm damping query

Agree with all the above.

With regard to your question, on most unipivots that offer fluid damping in the bearing well, the fluid must actually touch the upper (movable) portion of the bearing to have much audible effect. Just damping the well isn't going to do much. I haven't played with the damping on a JMW, but if your well is tall enough to allow it, that's the right idea.

That said, I'd heed Nsgarch's sage analysis regarding damping with this particular cartridge/arm combo. Your bass and dynamics response are borderline now. Even a little damping might impair them noticeably.

Of course you could try it and hear for yourself. Just remember, once you've added enough fluid to touch the upper (free) part of the bearing, adjust in TINY amounts. Dertonarm's suggestion to use thinner fluid than what's considered normal makes excellent sense (again, because of your arm/cart combo).

Dertonearm,

I do not understand why you assert that skating force is "null at any zero error point". If you're saying that skating force is null at points of zero tracking angle error (e.g., at the Baerwald or Loefgren points), that is simply untrue.

Skating force exists ANY time the axis of the cantilever is not aimed directly at the pivot point of the tonearm. Therefore, EVERY tonearm with a fixed pivot point and an offset cartridge mounting angle encounters skating force at all points that the stylus is riding on a spinning record.

Don't take my word for it, and let's not argue theory. Just try this simple experiment: find a record that's ungrooved (flat) at the null points of your particular alignment scheme. Set A/S to zero, spin up the record (the faster the better) and drop the stylus at one of the null points.

Unless you're using a linear tracker or a pivoting arm with no offset angle I guarantee it will "skate" inward.

Once you've performed this simple experiment you will revise your theory, because it doesn't meet observed phenomena.

If I've misunderstood your assertion, please explain in other words if you can. I fear your current assertion is potentially misleading for the less experienced.

Axel,

Try your experiment using a pivoting arm having zero offset angle (like a transcription arm). Provided the cantilever is aimed correctly (i.e., directly at the pivot point of the tonearm), skating force will be zero. This will be true regardless of overhang.

Skating force is generated when we mount a cartridge at an angle in the headshell such that the cantilever is NOT aimed at the tonearm pivot (in a word, offset). Overhang has nothing to do with it.

Using that transcription tonearm (which has zero offset by design) you could still create an inward skating force by mounting a cartridge at an inward angle, just as on a regular tonearm that has built in offset. You could even create an OUTWARD skating force by mounting the cartridge at an outward angle. Again, you could do either of these regardless of overhang.