Tonearm recomendations

Thanks for recomendations, I will read on and I welcome any other input.

I am looking for advice on arm length and types of arms. I have been searching but have not found the right articles yet.
Having owned my current table for 17 years, have not had the pleasure of interacting with many different arms to learn about them. If a tonearm is a tonearm... why so many and why the big price spread, what extra do you get for the 1k or 2k arm?

Cheers

WOW
Pretty snobby over here in vinyl land.... guess I'll just crawl back to my cave and light the tubes.

Not doing a diy tonearm at this point, just want some input on tone arms in general to help me select one to use with this adventure. I guess i could post this in the giant home depot thread.

Thanks and keep on keepin vinyl alive!

Patrickamory,

I am seeking a tonearm that will have a classic look and cohesiveness with the Rek o kut, and deliver the sound quality that this super heavy plinth table should be capable of.(if i do my home work correctly)
With respect to length what is the advantage of the 12" over shorter arms?
The way I see this project is to find a shorter arm that mounts on the platform like the original, or get long arm and mount on plinth. the first one giving a more classic look, but this may not be the best option for ultimate performance.

Thanks

Phill,
Great to hear form you!
I know about turning the deck 90 deg. but I am really seeking a look and feel that prevents this. There are some arms the can be mounted to the orininal location with some minor work. I am also considering more drastic mods to that corner area, or applying some yankee engineering to make it look more like it integrates into the deck and plinth if using a longer arm. I really like the look of the deck and want to compliment this.
I am using birch ply and mdf (free scrap from a cabinet shop next door to our shop), very econmical. I would like to end up around 50 to 60 lbs or even greater. I am also going to do a 3 layer platform under the the plinth, ply,mdf,ply.

Keep me informed of your journey also.
Thanks
Ed

Phill
I think the oe hole in the b12 I have is @ 8.25" or just over 209 mm. I think any arm under 225 could be made to fit and look quite good. The rega arms would most likely be ok but at the long end of the range. I am still collecting my data on some other arms before I make a decision. I may look for some used under rated tables,(good oe arms poor decks) to pull arms from and experiment, or I may decide to go for the gold, and find a really nice older arm like SME, Sumiko, Grace etc.