Fidelity Research FR-54 Tonearm. ANTI-SKATE???

my anti-skate test equipment

1. use cds/digital/reel to reel, to verify system balance, prior to evaluating/refining your LP anti-skate by ear.

2. test records if you can stand it

3. extremely enjoyable music

https://www.amazon.com/Friday-Night-Francisco-MCLAUGHLIN-LUCIA/dp/B076FCFZ4N/ref=tmm_vnl_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

side 2, tracks 2 and 3 (the only tracks all 3 guitarists play.

the guitars are different types, different string types, it helps to be familiar, tells you a lot about your system, and, vary your anti-skate, the imaging of the 3 guitars can be good, great, perfect.

4. extremely easy to hear/balance l/r center

https://smile.amazon.com/1984-love-big-brother-LP/dp/B000091OVI/ref=tmm_vnl_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Annie Lennox is not wandering a stage, she is dead center.

Dave Stewart plays with left to right, at matching levels, at long repeated sequences. Not your most enjoyable Eurythmics album, but very easy to use. You can lift the needle, adjust, drop the needle, no need to try and go back to some starting place, long repeated sequences make it easy.

5. More Enjoyable Eurythmics album, also dead center Annie, many matching sound effects

https://smile.amazon.com/Sweet-Dreams-Are-Made-This/dp/B077KGZ4L6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=228M9D9A4L9HG&keywords=sweet+dreams+vinyl&qid=1579921282&s=music&sprefix=sweet+dre%2Cpopular%2C134&sr=1-1

6. LOADED with Sounds by Quincy Jones

https://smile.amazon.com/Thriller-Michael-Jackson/dp/B01B2M9H76/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1YU7XDWNQGMFZ&keywords=thriller+michael+jackson+vinyl&qid=1579921396&s=music&sprefix=thriller%2Cpopular%2C141&sr=1-1

7. Live Albums, Applause can sometimes be revealing, but, like memorex, is it real?

Fuggetaboutit

no disrespect, but my slide rule is in the drawer, for life. there’s no point in discussing science or physics,

"What IS, IS"

prior 1.5g down/2.5g out ’sounds darn good’ was about mono cartridge, mono lp, as I said, both new to me, on an arm unfamiliar to me, with no anti-skate adjustments

no matter what, this is about getting stylus floating equally: to prevent uneven groove wear, uneven stylus wear, especially long time effect of uneven force on cantilever. I’m not sure how much it will affect the mono sound.
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tested using this, got answers..

https://www.amazon.com/Friday-Night-Francisco-MCLAUGHLIN-LUCIA/dp/B076FCFZ4N/ref=tmm_vnl_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

side 2, tracks 2 and 3 (the only tracks all 3 guitarists play.
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1. I listened with Stereo Cartridge on Stereo Arm with adjustable anti-skate, alignment previously refined, confirmed stylus clean, got the music freshly in my brain. Magnificent Imaging! I am extremely familiar with this music.

Stereo Arm: Acos Lustre GST-801, I LOVE this arm. You can adjust both VTA and Anti-Skate while playing. Shure V15VxMR body with new Jico Stylus, SAS on Boron cantilever.

**** Brush Up for Tests **** to get and play accurate 1.5g down

2. I moved the stereo headshell into FR-54 rear arm.

Place anti-skate weight on top of flat tonearm lift to eliminate it’s force.

Balance, tracking force 1.5g

Release dangling 2.5g weight.

3. Play, left WEAK, left and center guitars both moved right, you might not even realize it was 3 guitars.

The 2.5g weight is DEFINITELY and OBVIOUSLY pulling more than 1.5g. (somewhere between 1.5g and 2.5g?)

4. Listen with no anti-skate.

Put weight on top of flat tonearm lift.

Play, right WEAK, right and center guitarists moved left. I think a bit worse than the reverse when using the weight,

5. Conclusion: 1.5g in/no weight is worse than 1.5g down/2.5g weight dangling (which, at max would be +1g out???).

6. Solution: I have many lead sinkers, I need some very fine line, I will make a couple alternate lighter weights.

Success, first trial, tied a nut on fish line,

1.36g home made anti-skate weight (factory weight is 2.5g)

Shure V15VxMR down 1.52g (the weight my Grado ME+ Mono Cartridge wants 1.5g) 

Instant, no strained listening needed, 3 guitarist as finely imaged as I am used to.

Who knows what changes my slightly thicker fish line makes?

I will get some finer line, make a permanent dangling 1.35 weight. Perhaps I will make an intermediate 1.75 g weight while I have my tools out.

1.35; 1.75; 2.5 collection! Maybe I should get rich selling them.
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It is my NON-SCIENTIFIC opinion that the weight, attached 1/2" forward of the center of the pivot, exerts a force slightly more than it’s own weight,

which is why I decided to start with 1.35g trial.

WHAT IS, IS

Color Me Happy!

Color my Grado’s Stylus Cantilever Still Happy years from now!
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I set Shure to track it's recommended 1.25g on the main stereo arm.

I think. The Jico SAS/Boron replacement stylus has a brush, (not damped like Shure).

Shure says when used, it's brush pushes up .5g, so set 1.75 for resultant 1.25g.

Jico, using it's brush, I am using 1.6g. Just an instinctive guess for a near 1.25 result.

 I would never challenge the result of your listening tests. I am happy that you have arrived at what appears to be a satisfactory amount of anti-skate. However, please don’t deny the laws of physics. No matter how many grams you put on the end of your string, the resulting AS force at the stylus tip will be much less, in grams. What you have really demonstrated is that the amount of AS needed is much less than the VTF, in grams. A few other people besides me mentioned that at the beginning of this thread.