Mounting Graham 2.2

The Graham off-table cartridge mounting jig ASSUMES that spindle-to-pivot distance has been set, precisely, using their setup tool.

If pivot-to-spindle distance is off by 1/4" (!!!), setting overhang with the Graham mounting jig will result in a stylus and cantilever that are SEVERELY non-tangent to the record grooves. This will result in extraordinarily high levels of tracking distrortion, uneven and improper stylus and suspension wear and perhaps even record damage.

You have two choices:

1) Accept the 1/4" error in spindle-to-pivot. Align your cartridge with a platter-mounted protractor rather than the Graham jig. If proper alignment is possible (it may not be with such a huge tonearm mounting error) the cartridge will be at a very large angle to the headshell, but at the proper angle to the record. This would be sub-optimal but should not do any damage.

2) Obtain a proper armboard for your Hyperspace that allows mounting the Graham at the proper distance.

Solution (1) is marginal at best, and IMO a waste of your time and the money you spent on this rig. Do the job right.

Doug

Doug: Thanks for your thoughts -- as it turns out, I over-estimated the difference -- it is only about 2-3 mm's -- not good, I know, but much better than 1/4 inch it seems. I'm looking for a temporary fix while Nottingham figures out how to make me an arm base -- Nottingham's literature indicates it makes an arm base for my set-up but as it turns out it never got around to designing it. I'm supposed to hear something next week -- but I've been told that before; if I do hear back it will still be sometime before I get anything. So, that's why the silly question -- I'm looking for something to work until Nottingham comes through. Do you think a 2-3 mm offset can be compensated for by stylus position without causing as serious a tracking problem than a 1/4 inch offset would cause? Thanks again.

The safe way to mount a cartridge in these circumstances will be my suggestion #1. You need a cartridge alignment protractor you can place on the platter to get the cartridge zenith angle correct. The Graham jig will be useless.

Depending on your cartridge screws-to-stylus length, some cartridges may not reach the null points on some two point protractors. You might have better luck (though inferior sound on inner and outer grooves) with a single point protrator.

If you don't have an alignment protractor you can download freebies from www.vinylengine.com, or use the one that comes with the HFN&RR test record if you have that.