Tips to install cartridge

Yeah, isn't it a bitch when cartridges don't come w/ threaded holes ?#@*! Anyhow, there are many ways to solve this problem. Here are two:

1. Get a long-ish bolt (>3/4") that you thread halfway into the nut. Wrap a piece of tape around the bolt behind the nut so it can't thread itself on any further. Use this assembly to position the nut under the mounting bolt (coming down from the headshell) threading it into the top of the nut. Hold the nut with your finger tip, tweezers, or small needle nose while you remove the long bolt (finger tip is safest believe it or not) then thread the top bolt in the rest of the way.

2. Place a small piece (like 1/4" square) of double-sided tape on the flat end of a plastic swizzle stick, coffee stirrer, or wooden ice cream stick, etc. and then press the nut onto the tape as close to the end of the stick as possible. Hold the nut in position while you thread the bolt in from the top.

BTW, as long as you have a good stylus guard in place, you can use some 3M 1/4" wide (you might have to make it from 1/2" wide) Post-It tape and wrap it around the cartridge-and-headshell several times (avoiding the mounting holes of course!) to hold everything together while you install the bolts. It'll come off very easily when you're through.

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Try hooking up the tone arm leads to the cart first. If you slip, the cart will dangle there rather than hitting the plinth or ground.

Get the dealer to set it up.

Here's the easy way. Make a minor investment in some Mortite (plumber's putty) or Fun-Tak. Take a small hunk of it and roll it between your fingers until you end up with a cylindrical piece that's maybe an inch long and a quarter-inch (or less) in diameter. Use this to pick up the nut and hold it onto the end of the screw and then turn either the nut or the screw until the connection is made. A little practice and you can do this in seconds. Good luck, Dave.

Thanks for the great suggestions. Now I can approach my task with confidence!