Refurbish Fidelity Research Tonearms


Would like to refurbish my FR-64s .... Has someone made it? Experience? Who? 
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Yes, the s in FR-64s is for steel armtube. No matter what you think about better or not, when 2 with/without are available, the FR-64s will go much faster in resale and I think, it sounds much better too.
Standard wire inside was copper, most have copper wire inside. The buyer had the choice to get it with silver wire inside instead (then you have the sticker for it onto the armtube and also onto the Box).
Taste is different, but when there are 2, the one with silver leads inside is much faster in resale and of course, you hear a difference.
When you go the way with cable change, he has a few to choose (also Kondo...), I ordered his seven strand 34 awg pure silver wire. It has a lower capacitance than the Nordost ODIN 2. Or that one in copper.

Ikeda IT-345 is made later but every comparison I - or others - made, the 64s always was the winner. Better in Tone, much better in physical presence ... well, it is the way it is. I think, the 345 is much cheaper made ... and that counts finally.
When you like your existing Arm...all I can say, yes, the refurbish kicked the Arm into a different sonic league. I had problems to imagine before sending it, but after ...phhh, unbelievable.
Before you buy some nonsense, which is nice until the end of day ... when you think, your Arm is your choice, the refurbish is worth it. In every sonic area you get more ... and more. That is my impression from Mr. Mak.
Others offer also something, but I have doubts they will reach that Standard. My decision was for him and not Ikeda (it is not the old Ikeda and no idea what they really do and how long it will last) or other DIY guys.

The chance to hear it in its full glory is possible with the refurbish. I think, it was a sonic earthquake when it came out and after all these years with all owner changes .... you can listen to a lot and you are probably not a Fan of it for whatever reasons...but I can say, MY Arm now beats everything I ever listened to.
I was late to see this thread, but I am the one that had my FR64S refurbished/greased/rewired at IKEDA/Japan, in Japan.

They rewired using IKEDA silver wire.
Total cost was just under $900.00, which included shipping both ways.

Very glad to see that AnalogMagik provides the same service much closer to home, as I’m in the US.

I have not yet done any close listening to the newly rebuilt arm, as I don’t have all my system set up due to remodeling.... that seems to go on forever.

Just sent my SP10 MK3 off to ’JP’ yesterday, to have him go completely through it.... then will mount and try the arm.

Ikeda IT-345 is made later but every comparison I - or others - made, the 64s always was the winner. Better in Tone, much better in physical presence ... well, it is the way it is. I think, the 345 is much cheaper made ... and that counts finally.


Well, the IT-345 matte finishing (not later CR version) is much better made than FR-64s, absolutely no questions about it, I have both. Even FR-64fx is much better made than FR-64s.

Users who own both 64s and 64fx commented on this forum before, it's hard to decide which one is better, the difference is not so clear ass you are trying to say. The FX and old IKEDA are more expensive tonearms than older 64s. In my opinion the FX series (64fx and 66fx) is better made than 64s and more user friendly.

Ikeda-San designed his IT-345 series with better understanding of the 64s issues, read J.Carr’s posts on audiogon (he knew Ikeda-San personally).

The mirror finish CR latest IKEDA are different, I don’t like them.
Everyone has his own Point of view. I also did own 345 and sold it after comparison. For some it may important to quote wisdoms from a Designer but i am not interested what they say. They have to live from their product and the latest is always better than the former one.
The worst sounding preamps i ever listened to came from Lyra … so each his own. A complicated and expensive arm is always a problem in numbers of sale…
after all these years i do that, the more i know that most excellent designs are based on pure luck, there are endless examples out there, that the next one 
didn’t bite the bullet. But it is fixed in the marketing later.