Spindle-To-Pivot Distance

@Lewm.  If you think it sounds OK with 10mm too much overhang that's fine with me.  Just don't bother us.

Guys, forget the null point issue. It is not the problem. Overhang is the problem. Getting the right overhang would require sliding the cartridge back in the head shell towards the bearing. There is no arm I know of that is that adjustable given the limits set by the turntable. Running a tonearm with an overhang 0.5 cm over spec increases the skating force. The force vector will shift clockwise as the tonearm travels towards the spindle and eventually the stylus will pop right out of the groove and arm will zing right across the record with obvious results. 

You will either have to manufacture a special tonearm board as jasonbourne52 recommends or get a 9 inch arm that will fit. Long arms are not a panacea. They do lower tracking error but at  significant expense. Many of us, myself included think it is a raw deal. 

Dear @lewm : ""  I have to wonder what Baerwald and Lofgren heard with what must have been...""

that does not changes in any way the orthodox alignments.

In the other side I know you are not deaf and as you I owned the RS tonearm that I bought by some kind of " curiosity " but never was for me something other than " interesting " and was sold.

As you and I posted at least twice in otjher threads I made once a mistake with the overhang set up, I made it longer and was unawarte of that mistake.
I did it with a very well know ( for me ) cartridge quaklity performance and I was listened to it by 5-6days and I took in account that for " whatever " unknow reason the high frequency range performs better than ever with more definition and " transparency " but at the same time something was not good enough at the other frequency extreme where lives the music foundation and I was very sensible to that range as with the other one.
My common sense told me that something weird could be happening down there and I recheck the tonearm cartridge alignment at found out my error.
After fix it " things " settle down but I tested on purpose with other cartridges and results were similar.
Can I live with? of course I can it sounds really good but that bass range performs better under the rules.

R.

Dear @tomwh : " but music reproduction has far to many variables to be able..."

Rigth and we have to add to those variables the ones that comes with any cartridge/tonearm/TT set up and that are different cartridge by cartridge, tonearm by tonearm and TT by TT.

I owned 2-3 linear tracking tonearms and all gone because its bass range quality performance was and is a little better with pivoted tonearm designs, yes other frequency ranges sounds spectacular.

So the issue could be: which are each one of us the best choosed trade-offs that could mates better with our room/system MUSIC reproduction targets?

I learned a lot with unorthodox changes/up date/up grade in my system but till today nothing of what I already experienced in the subject tells me the way to go is with pivoted straight tonearm designs ( underhung ), I’m orthodox in this specific regards.

Can I move in the near future from there? could be, I’m married not with my room/system way of thinking set up but only with MUSIC, this is my compromise always make " moves " in favor of MUSIC no matter what.

Btw, : " I have not heard any wild distortion issues..." of course not and that is the issue for this controversial " situation ": off set angle or no angle at all.
In a blind tests probably several of us can't detect which one has no off-set and only the ones that know very specific what to look for through the LP tracks could do it and I mean using cartridges and LP track knowed by the listener under test.

R.

Rauliruegas  it is simple  do the test I wrote  about.  The rest is possible  hypothesis.   Also  , while your at it , let's know at what level of distortion  you hear  things going to hell in a hand basket.  Remember  the 2 null spot are just that.  So only twice in a very brief  period  of time do we have the distortion  free  music.

Enjoy the ride
Tom