Refurbish Fidelity Research Tonearms

Disassembled FR-64s by Thomas Schick (Germany) and his opinion about it. READ HERE

I’m gonna refresh the grease in my FR-66fx by myself, luckily the access to the side spring (for dynamic tracking force) is open on my sample (because of the dried glue). After a conversation with Nandric I decided not to “upgrade” anything in my 66fx.


Regarding FR service I’d like to know the price, for some reason many posters prefer not to post any information about the cost of the service like it’s a top secret. If you will proceed please let us know the cost of the upgrade.

Great! Thanks for clarification @edgewear

With modern technology, light armatures and rare earth magnets, stiff compliance cartridges should be a thing of the past as well as the heavy arms needed to hold them correctly. As far as audio is concerned I have no desire to relive the past. There is nothing special about it.

You have to try Miyajima Kansui as an example of modern low compliance design. About Miyajima Cross-Ring patent watch this. The rest in this cartridge is traditional (aluminum cantilever, shibata stylus, wooden body), even specs are “nothing special, but the sound is very special (reviews are crazy about it). Many of those super advanced cartridges with exotic parts and impressive specs in reality are just boring as hell compared to the Miyajima. Those Japanese designers really know what they are doing now, and they knew it 40 years ago too, they don’t need parts from Mars to make their cartridges exceptionally good.


Some of the best analog records recorded and pressed 30-50 years ago, old mastertapes still the best source for audiophile reissues today. The whole analog is technology from the past.

Manufacturers like Miyajima (Otono- Edison Lab.) follow the great Japanese traditions (in cartridge manufacturing), but with their own unique tweaks . They are absolutely fantastic modern low compliance MC with the most involving sound I have ever heard (from MC type)!

And heavy tonearms like FR or Lustre are great for those modern low compliance MC!


Miyajima-San is a big fan of Audio-Technica (Technihard) headshells - his best recommendation for Miyajima cartridges.

BTW those old FR-7f and FR-7fz monsters are also amazing in my opinion. 

The moon was huge last night, I spend several hours listening to my Japanese pressings from the late 70’s. Ramsey Lewis stuff from the late 70’s is so amazing, just superb analog quality.

I decided to mount my silver FR-7f on FR-64fx with N60 and second tonearm was FR-64s with B60 and FR-7fz cartridge.

Both connected to Gold Note PH-10 (0db, 22Ohm loading). Not sure why it’s necessary to load FR-7 carts like than on Gold Note, even with 22 Ohm it’s super detailed.

I really enjoyed FR-7f with FR-64fx! This is rare version of the FR-7f, it’s not black, it’s silver color (serial number with two digits) with a line mark on front side (don’t know why this line wasn’t printed on FR-7fz, it’s great to locate the position of the stylus). The output difference between the FR-7f and FR-7fz is irrelevant in my system.

Both are really great cartridges and both tonearms are great, so I do not support a theory that only 64s is great, the 64fx with B250 counterweight is great tonearm! I am happy to use both!

I think Audio-Technica engineer actually mentioned Victor Direct Couple cartridge in his interview with Mr.Fremer (filmed in Japan during his factory tour). It’s not a secred that AT was inspired by Victor innovative design from the past, but the AT panent is slightly different, they actually improved it. Victor’s printed micro coil was very fragile. AT design is much better!

I only tried MC1 and MCL10, it was very hard to find a NOS sample of MCL10 and it was great cartridge. However, MCL1000 often has the same problem (one channel malfunction).

and the cost is .... ? 

-64s is copper if you don’t have a sticker on the armtube with "silver wire" words.

-64 is different (much cheaper) tonearm.

64fx can be silver wired too, but there must be a sticker if it’s silver.

You can always look for Ikeda IT-345 tonearm from the 90s for use without any upgrade, rewiring and all that sh...

The FR-64fx and its mkII version from the 80s are great too and not so old as the 64s from the 70s.

Ikeda IT-345 is made later but every comparison I - or others - made, the 64s always was the winner. Better in Tone, much better in physical presence ... well, it is the way it is. I think, the 345 is much cheaper made ... and that counts finally.

Well, the IT-345 matte finishing (not later CR version) is much better made than FR-64s, absolutely no questions about it, I have both. Even FR-64fx is much better made than FR-64s.

Users who own both 64s and 64fx commented on this forum before, it's hard to decide which one is better, the difference is not so clear ass you are trying to say. The FX and old IKEDA are more expensive tonearms than older 64s. In my opinion the FX series (64fx and 66fx) is better made than 64s and more user friendly.

Ikeda-San designed his IT-345 series with better understanding of the 64s issues, read J.Carr’s posts on audiogon (he knew Ikeda-San personally).

The mirror finish CR latest IKEDA are different, I don’t like them.

Maybe, but I want to say that I’m happy with 64s, fx, fx pro, IT-345 tonearms. I like them all. 

Unrelated question, the clasp that holds the arm tube to the arm rest rotates 360 degrees and is in the way of the lift lever when operating it up or down. I hold the clasp out of the way while I use the lever. Is this normal?

No, it’s not normal. You have to loose and rotate the armlift mechanism then tight it up again when the position is right. They do not have to touch each other in any way with the arm lock.

You have no reason to send 64fx anywhere, it’s next generation of FR tonearms and if it’s not broken do to waste your money on all these nonsense. I have 64fx and 64fx PRO, prior to this I sold one fx. All of them are perfect compared to much older 64s where armlift with its pad is garbage. The bearings on 64fx are absolutely perfect if the arm is  NOS or like new (not damaged). 

DIN connector is amazing option to swap different phono cables! If someone will tell you silver is better than copper you have to try both, I like copper cables.

@syntax when there is a problem with bearings on 64s I can understand it (this is a complicated job, indeed) and very old tonearm, but a poster above asked for FX model in mint condition!


Tonearm rewire is very simple process, replacement of the DIN is also very simple process for technicians. I remember how we rewired/refurbished my Lustre GST-801 tonearm and replaced DIN connector with a friend. Took one hour or so, cost nothing. Any tech can do that for $100-150.



I gonna replace the grease on my FR-66fx myself, it’s very simple once you know the type of the grease and have an access to the vtf side spring (I have).



Reading this thread: some people may think it’s necessary to pay $800-1000 for some new bearings and some new wires for FR tonearms, but it’s NOT. No matter what you think. Especially newer models like FX, PRO, MKII. Refurbishing is absolutely nonsense for Ikeda tonearms (unless it’s broken).



For people who just bought them my advice is to use them as is, until there is an audible (or mechanical) problem.



For people like you FR tonearm is like a religion, it’s fine. Probably your 64s or 66s were used for 20-30 years by yourself. But there are almost unused or nos FX or Ikeda on the market, harder to find unused 64s are there too.


Any tonearm can be maintained, refurbished, rewired, but in most cases it’s just not necessary, especially when the cost just for the service is close to 50% of the tonearm market value today! This is just a bit of common sense (just my opinion). I like FR 64s and fx tonearms, Ikeda tonearm too. I must admit that Lustre GST-801 is another great tonearm from the same era, when I bought a NOS sample, my rewired sample went to a friend, but I enjoy NOS on the higher level now. 


There are always people who think they know better what to do, I posted earlier as an example that Dynamic VTF on FR 64s considered as evil by many “experts”, one of them is Thimas Schick, but you said you don’t care. 



When Isamu Ikeda explained why IT-347 is different from 64s you said you don’t care about designer’s opinion about his product. 

Now when I say $800-1000 for rewiring/refurshing is “nonsense” you are not happy about such comment. 

Ruby Ball Bearings associated with Technics EPA-100 tonearm series, but not with Fidelity-Research. 

Not the right thread to talk about EPA or Reed design. I just tried to say that Ruby Ball Bearings is the whole different concept and it has nothing to do with FR 64s. Those arm are completely different, but both can be used with MM or MC, technics also made MC cartridges for their best tonearms (but they are not a low compliance MC, of course).

You’d better find Lustre GST-801 tonearm, cheaper than 64s or 64fx, but this Lustre is excellent tonearm and already have VTA base on the fly (while for FR this base alone is $1500 secondhand).