Will fine tune adjustments with protractor help with "brightness?"

Set-up will affect the sound. Period. I suggest that you buy the right equipment right away, and no more guessing. But note that the best installation won't do much for a damaged or malfunctioning tonearm.

Alignment will affect the sound, and is the most obvious candidate for your problem, in my opinion. Lew posted a very good response. A good protractor is worth it's weight in cursing.

So will VTA: higher at the pivot is brighter. There is a distinct point at which the sound changes from bright to mellow.

So will azimuth (looking at the cartridge from the front, the angle at which the stylus meets the record). Exactly vertical is what you want.

So will the exact angle at which the cartridge is installed, especially with more exotic stylus shapes. Good callipers are handy here to install the cartridge exactly parallel to the headshell.

So will torque on the mounting screws. I did not even bother to test such a crazy hypothesis until I saw a posting by a Linn engineer. Then I bought a torque screwdriver, and heard the difference, as did my wife, as did my friends.

Any or all of these might affect the exact problem which you identify. There are too many variables to be sure - the easiest (!!! yeah, but it's true !!) thing, is to do the most accurate installation you can, and try it out on many records. Then make fine adjustments accordingly.

Antiskating and VTF should not affect the situation you describe, unless your tonearm is malfunctioning.

Hey, it's a hobby !

@chakster 
 The Technics alignment gauge does not make it as easy to be accurate with alignment as a precision protractor does.  Especially sighting the cantilever to be parallel with the gauge because the gauge does not have any runway lines.  I wish it did.  
In addition the alignment "flavor" that Technics gives us it the Stevenson alignment which tends to favor the middle to inner grooves- at the expense of the outer grooves. 
I personally prefer the Lofgren alignment which sounds much better in the outer grooves and overall IMHO.  The mint best tractor has a longer overhang consistent with a lofgren alignment.  I love the sound of my 'GR with the mint tractor alignment.  

@avanti1960 maybe it’s just me with a very long experience with those Technics, but when i quickly set-up cart with Technics overhang i am spot on, it’s easy to check with protractor. But if the cantilever of the cartridge is not centered then it’s another story. Technics is not exactly Stevenson, it’s close, but different. Anyway i have tried all 3 alignments on my Dr. Feickert protractor. 

I’m just tried to say that Technics demo was made with ART-1000 and surely with their own alignment. Everybody were impressed, so i do not see any problem to use this first as supposed to be (and to experiement later with different methods).

@knollbrent

I’ve been wondering if there’s a "set up" album for about a week now. I’ve been curious regarding a few albums with the voice placement and thought how nice it would be if there was a record you could test your system to too. Would this album have this voice placement test?

I test with real music, some properly recorded LPs which i know very well, most of them are originals from the 70’s, some Japanese pressings, there are many.

To check channel balance, polarity, or to set up anti-stating i use Hi-Fi Test LP and Cardas Sweep LP. The Hi-Hi Test LP comes with free protractor, also there are tracks to check resonance frequency of your cartridge/arm combo. I do not have any test records anymore.

@terry9 
What setting do you use on your torque screwdriver?

@avanti1960 
When I contacted Yip about a Mint Protractor for my SL-1200G, he said he only supplies the Stevenson alignment, no Lofgren. How were you able to get a Mint Protractor with Lofgren?