Cartridge alignment with non slotted headshell?

Yeah, luckily headshells are relatively cheap to buy many.

Something what i like:

Grace HS-8 mid mass
Grace HS-6 Carbon-Fiber light mass  
Audio-Craft (heavy one) AS-3PL cart still can be twisted

another excellend mid mass Audio-Craft headshell, actually thus type is cret, because the fingerlift has treated holes to avoid nuts, cart screwed from from underneath, this is clever design! 

And this is just an illustration of the yamaha shell with 4 teated holes, impossible to twist a cartridge, but the overhand and azimuth is fully.  adjustable. Same on AT Technihard models. 

hahaha, audiogon classics  

I use Dr.Feickert protractor latest version to verify my FR-7fz on FR tonearms (same with SPU on this arm), there is no damage and cantilever is straight as it should be, the stylus tip is spot on if the PS distance is correct. Very easy.

When you're using tonearm and cartridge made by the same manufacturer there is no risk, they are designed for use together. 

EMT headshell integrated must be perfect on EMT tonearm too

No matter when it was designed today or 40 years ago, if same person design tonearm and cartridge this is a perfect match and you don't have to kill time with alignments. 

I remember SPU on my ex Schick "12 tonearm and since this tonearm was designed primarily for SPU i can't remember any problem in setup, the alignment method was Baerwald, but the sound is not better than my SPU on FR-64fx with Stevenson. Actually the latest combination was much more impressive and Ikeda designed his tonearms and cartridges for use with Stevenson alignment. 

Conventional cartridges and heashells with slots are easy to align using whatever method. It's a cure if you can twist a cartridge in the headshell if the cantilever is off-centered, so you can alight by the cantilever, not by the cartridge body as a result cartridge body will be twisted left or right. 

But a perfect cartridge is the one with perfect cantilever (not off-centered cantilever) it can be turned left or right if you want to use different geometry (not the one that a tonearm designer expected). Everyone is free to use whatever method, but i always use what tonearm designer suggested first.  



  

You don’t have to (and you can’t) twist headshell-integrated cartridges like SPU and FR7f type, they are fixed with correct overhang and if you will check them with Dr.Feickert protractor they’re spot on (with one of 3 possible methods) if your PS distance is correct.

If you have conventional cartridge screwed to the headshell without slots but with treated holes then it’s nice to have overhang adjustment on the headshell (like AT Technihard, Stax and others). 

Even if there are no lots there are at least 2-3 pairs of fixed treated holes for mounting screws and this is how you can adjust overhang altering position of the cartridge, but you can;t twist it. This is indeed not ideal if your cantilever is off-centered.

Headshell with slots, azimuth and overhand adjustment will give you everything, but it is not rigid as the shell without those options.

Well, when you're using SPU cartridges all you have to check is Pivot to Spindle on your tonearm. You don't have to adjust SPU type of cartridges, you have to adjust tonearm PS distance only. For example: on FR tonearms SPU will be spot on with Stevenson alignment, with modern tonearm it will be spot on with Baerwald alignment, depends on tonearm design (geometry). 

For conventional cartridge all you have to do is to buy nice headshell with slots (if other type of shell without slot is not accurate with your cartridge/tonearm). Some sheadshell without lots designed for specific tonearm from the same brand.