Mr. R, I concur that most tonearm manufacturer's calibrated A/S or VTF scales are of little use. I pay no more attention to those than I do to test records. The world's best tonearms don't even have such scales, for good reason.
The goal is simple: optimize the behavior of the stylus in the groove when playing music. This is all we care about (or at least all the OP cares about).
The solution is simple: adjust for the conditions we care about, ignore everything else (including blank, ungrooved surfaces, which - as Stringeen noted - do not resemble the conditions we care about).
everything needs to be verified aurally
Hear! Hear! This is the essential step. All else can be dispensed with, saving time, money and distraction.