How to use Feickert Protractor on SME V Tonearm

I've done this with an SME V -- you are right, you do have to adjust both the Feickert and the arm sliding base iteratively but it's not as endless as it seems -- you sort of reach a space pretty quickly where the stylus reaches the target point and the Feickert downpoint is on the pivot. It's bit like trying to adjust a length of telescoping tube by pulling out both ends at the same time, if that makes sense. Just try it and you'll see. And be sure to double check the stylus and the pivot settings each time.

Now what exact pivot to stylus distance you end up with by doing this will not likely match any pre- specified length but you will have your cartridge fitting the target of the Feickert design. Compare it with where the alignment is set using other methods then give it a listen.

Oscar44, thanks. That is what I thought but wanted to hear from somebody that has used the Feickert with a SME V arm. Anybody else who has the SME V arm and uses the Feickert have any other advice? Should I start out the alignment setting the arm to 215mm and then go from there?

If you like the chosen alignment for the protractor that SME supplies, that is a precise way to get the alignment right. I like those bespoke protractors that require you to get the arm to align with a profile of the arm that is drawn on the protractor. The Basis Vector utilizes such a protractor and if you are off by just a fraction of a millimeter, the image will be off by a significant amount.

I bought the SME V arm used and its missing the rubber grommet that fits onto the SME provided protractor alignment tool which fits it to the spindle, plus I have read that the Feickert protractor is much more accurate than that tool.

Hartonr,

Without the grommet or a means to perfectly fit the protractor around the spindle, your SME-supplied protractor will not be very accurate. If you have the spindle to pivot distance accurately measured, I think that the Mint protractor mentioned above by others is the best way to go. They will make a protractor for that specific distance and with the correct diameter for the spindle hole for your turntable (spindle sizes vary by a significant amount (up to 2mm in diameter). What I really like about the Mint is that the mirrored surface is designed so that the lines come into sharp focus (no double images of the lines) only when you have moved your head into the correct position to correctly view the cantilever alignment to the markings. This correct head positioning IS critical to a super accurate measurement. Also, because the protractor is made specifically for your spindle to pivot distance, the placement of the null points is such that you do not have to iteratively move the protractor. It is the easiest thing to use and VERY accurate.