So many great golden era DD tables out there, what do you recommend for $1000?

@bimasta

This is Victor UA-7045 tonearm and standard SME type Victor headshell from this arm. Great tonearm if the counterweight is not sag down as we can see on so many used samples. BUT This is a perfect NOS sample. I’ve been using at least 3 different samples of the UA-7045 and now using UA-7082 instead.

https://www.vinylengine.com/library/grace/g-545f.shtml

Chakster, As I have pointed out to you many times, the CW is OK to sag a little bit. The rubbery joint between the CW arm and the pivot is meant to decouple the CW from the effective mass of the tonearm. Also, a little bit of sag does help to place the center of mass of the CW more closely aligned with the plane of the surface of the LP. This helps to reduce the change in VTF produced by warps. However, you’re quite right that that joint does wear over time, producing excessive sag in some cases. But a little sag is just fine. What’s important is to maintain the decoupling effect. (If the rubber washer were to be worn away or falls out, then there’s a problem.) Many if not most vintage Japanese tonearms have a straight and rigid connection between pivot and CW, wherein the CW cannot possibly sag below a straight line with the main arm tube. Modern tonearms in general have tended to decouple the CW from the main arm. So, I think of the 7045 as a particularly modern design when compared to that of its peers.
Thanks for your photo of the Victor headshell.  I don't have the original headshell with my own UA7045, so I could not address the question at hand about the collar/headshell joint.  What I see in your photo is that the original headshell looks much like any other standard SME-type joint.  Is that the point you wish to make?

lewm" the CW is OK to sag a little bit. The rubbery joint between the CW arm and the pivot is meant to decouple the CW from the effective mass of the tonearm. Also, a little bit of sag does help"

That sounds like a poorly conceived, engineered, and executed design that results in an inherently, inescapeably, and permanently defective product. 

@lewm @bimasta the Victor headshell is nothing special, just standard. What they call "Chucking Lock Headplug" is also standard SME type.

When i’m talking about counterweight sag i mean defective samples with 20 or even 45 degree sag down of the counterweight and this is not normal (my advice to stay away from them), look at my arm and see what was the idea when this arm was designed, this is the best sample i have ever seen (unused). The counterweight on my long UA-7082 is the same. So when you have a perfect samples on hands you realize what is good and bad (compared to defective samples). The problem with defective samples became obvious with heavy MC cartridges, in this case the original victor subweight must be screwed to the armtube on the back, to balance such cartridges the counterweight position is not close to the armshaft and if the rubber part is weak then it's a disaster!