VPI anti-skate device

I would recommend you return the thing and go back to the wire twist for anti-skate. There are multiple issues (problems) with the design and you will frustrate yourself needlessly while failing to obtain better sound. I played with mine for about a month and finally decided it was one of the most poorly designed add ons I'd ever come across.

Hmm. The wire will loose it's tension. Nope. Now, let's deal with the devise in question. The weight Harry has chosen to use is far too heavy for the application and therefore does not allow for the fine adjustment of anti-skate as needed in this application. Just try sliding the weight up and down the shaft to see what I mean. Also, the string which provides the tension is the incorrect length and therefore does not provide proper anti-skate tension throughout the arm travel and has a tendency to flop the whole assembly over when the arm goes into the lead out grooves. I experimented with several different lengths to no avail. (Basically, there is no "correct" length for the string line) Listen, I went all over the map on this thing until I finally got an admission from someone at VPI that the thing was useless and that the wire twist is the preferred (though flawed) means of applying anti-skate force (which is itself an ambiguous phenomenon) to the JMW9 tonearm.

Maczurak: Your post confirms exactly what I am saying (however inelegantly) about the VPI anti-skate devise--that it is poorly designed. The mere fact that you (like myself) had to "play with it...for the past several months" and have had to modify both the devise itself and the installation instructions provided by the manufacturer suggests that something is truly amiss. I applaud your persistence but (respectfully) suggest that you remove the devise, twist the wire and see whether you have really gained anything for all your trouble. This devise is for "tweakers" who like to play around with their equipment--a legitimate pursuit for sure. But if you are (like me) part of the "set it and forget it" crowd I'd avoid the anti-skate like the plague.