A suggestion for MM/MC cartridge manufacturers

stereo5-

cough, cough.....eeere...cough,cough

My problem was not during installing the cartridge, it was during aligning it. It was at the stage where you have the place the stylus onto a pin hole in the protractor and then arrange the straightness. If there was a dummy stylus to do that, it would have been much easier and not cause costly mistakes.

My tt is a Linn Sondek with a beefed up Valhalla with Audiomods V arm.

My tt is a Linn Sondek with a beefed up Valhalla with Audiomods V arm.

So you can't buy a cartridge pre-installed on the headshell and aligned for your arm. 

With this arm you can only do it yourself, i would recommend Dr.Feickert Protractor, it's flat, so you can't drag the stylus tip. 

And if it's expensive just buy Hi-Fi Test LP and find a free protractor inside. 

My problem was not during installing the cartridge, it was during aligning it. It was at the stage where you have the place the stylus onto a pin hole in the protractor and then arrange the straightness. If there was a dummy stylus to do that, it would have been much easier and not cause costly mistakes.

Okay so that would be step #11. Its always one, you just never know which one, so I list em all. Please go back and check.

Step 11, place a Q-tip under the cartridge. Fiddle with it a bit and get it to where its just right to hold the stylus above the record exactly where you want it. Done right it will prevent exactly the sort of damage you experienced.

Oh dang, left one out. Forgot to mention tape the platter so it doesn't move and screw everything up.

Then also before trying this again do yourself a favor, get the MoFi Geo-disk. This thing makes alignment a snap. The only "problem" is the alignment dot is kind of big. But this is only a problem for all the anal types out there who think every millimicron makes a difference. Sorry, but it just does not. Sorry also, you toasted a cart trying to do something wasn't even necessary.

Next time remember the Q-tip.