Zeta tonearm serial number

You might want to post this on the Pink Fish Media site. Since it's a UK site, several folks over there use the Zeta, and might be able to steer you toward the necessary resources to accurately date your arm. Good listening,

-Richard

Visit www.vinylengine.com You may be able to get additional info there.

Hi Breezer,

I am a fellow Zeta owner, I think the arm is great; too bad I'm one of few that had that opinion. I chose it over the Alphason S shaped arm that was all the rage in the mid 80's.

I purchased it from Reference Monitor International, Carlsbad, Ca. March, 18th, 1986. I have the original box, invoice,and specifications. There is no serial number on the arm. I used a mirror to check on the bottom of the arm block but saw nothing. I plan on installing it on a SOTA Millenium table I bought at the CES. If I find one someplace, I'll let you know.

regards,Ken Fritz

My Zeta's serial number is 8310694. Does that mean it was manufactured in Oct. 1983?

In the meantime i have more than 25 se.no. of Zetas. All of them begins with "8". Some have 6 numbers, and start with 820xxx or 890xxx, and the most have 7 numbers start with 82.., 83.., 84.. or 85.., but the most of them with 830.. or 831...
;aybe these are the years and the running series of the year, as the 3. number is in every time 0 or 1.
But what are the 89... numbers?? I don´t believe, that there was any production in 1989.
The third and second last number could be a running number, as this rises through the whole line...

It was a nice play with the numbers. At the time i had 2 of these nice tonearms i wanted to know if there is any system behind them and how many items were produced. But i have to admit, that i know not more about these things than 10 years ago... :-)

But enjoy these arms, maybe with Kiseki, some Ortofon (Rohmann, Jubilee) or even with Dynavector or Decca/London cartridges.
What do you use, Mdpsk?

Hi Beezer,

I mated an Ortofon Jubilee to the Zeta---simply magic!
Are any of your Zeta arms have van den Hul wiring? If so what is the VdH Zeta arm serial number? What is the last year the Zeta was manufactured by GB tools?

Hi, I no longer have a Zeta but I know they were still being produced in the late '80s. I worked for a US dealer and mine went back to England in '88 I believe. The bearings were changed (to 5 bearing configuration?) and it was rewired with silver VDH. I don't know exactly when GB Tools stopped, but I think it was '90 or a little later.
Regards,

Hi,
i have no Zeta tonearms today. I think, the production run was 82-85, the VdH wired ones maybe just in 84-85, but i am not shure. Maybe they were produced (and serviced) longer.
But you can rewire any Zeta, it is not difficult. Some of them have up to 3 different cables: headshell wires, tonearm tube wires, outer wires. A new continuous cable is worth these nice tonearms.

The Zeta was in high regard in Holland in the 80s and recommended for the Linn LP-12 instead of FR-64s which was considered to be too heavy for the Linn (springs). If I remember well the Zeta was twice as expensive. Even then
the rewiring issue was dominant while nobody mentioned the
bearings problem. Still a very good tonearm but one should consider Audio Origamy (?) in the UK for the bearings check as well for a rewiring option.

Regards,

Hi Breezer, I at last got my back from my son. He thought
it was a present... The nr. is : 8310758.
Will you elaborate on 'you can rewire any Zeta,it is not difficult?'

Regards,