New Maplenoll Ariadne owner needing advice

I believe I got you the first time but it still doesn't follow for me. If you don't use the pin to lock in the position of the overhang adjustment guide, anchoring the guide only at the platter spindle, overhang remains your only adjustment that effects tangency so long as you adjust the guide to the appropriate angle of the arms traverse. By definition, tangency is defined only by arm traverse and overhang.

BTW, Bob was famous for his casual approach to details of execution. I have done quite a bit to clean up my 'noll, as you know.

The use of terms is whats mudding up the water. So lets drop them all . What Graves was relaying is simply:
What adjustments you make at the end of the tone-arm are dependent on on weither the manifold is square to the table. A fraction of a degree off presents significant challenges. Graves is one of many reviewers who made similar observations.

Thanks for your input. Perhaps I would do better to put out a E-Book complete with pics, history , reprints , manuals, Q&A, etc. and of course input from folks like you--What do you think ? The only problem is that so few 'Nolls were manufactured. Mr. D is quoted @ 1,700+ about 18 months before production stopped I doubt the effort is worth it.

The operative here is how you use the overhang adjustment guide. If you use it the way I do, only in relation to the arm traverse and spindle, the issue you're talking about becomes irrelevent, in that the only thing that matters is whether the cartridge is aligned with the arm traverse and the spindle, not to the plinth.

Piedpiper :

Lets re-think.

For visuals look at your owners manual page 7 , fig 6. , Tonearm/Spindle Layout. All Graves reported is that if your air manifold that holds the spindle is ever so slightly cocked to the "northerly" ( to the top of the page) or southerly ( to the bottom of the page) , the Tonearm/Spindle's relationship to the alignment guide has changed.

In a cocked position , the tonearm's relationship to the fixed position of the alignment guide is off, thereby, all other adjustment's are subject to error. Bring the manifold into proper square in relationship to the plith changes the tonearm's-headleshell's relationship via the fixed position of the alignment pin, thereby, all headshell cartridge adjustments made are now more accurate with less a chance for error.

Less error , less distortion, less cartridge wiggel more music. A fraction of a degree change in the position of the arm manifold ( ie squared) is the key to extracting the last ioda of sound from the 'Noll.

Graves noted that this and other adjustments need to be re-checked. A protractor/ruler or a T a square make the job a breeze. One can even "eyeball" the adjustment.

The challenge is getting access to the bolt-heads on the underside of the plith that usually means breaking the table down to make the adjustment easier to complete, re-assembleing the table before the other adjustments pages 8-15 can be completed.

I have, over time, re-aligned my manifold several times when I have worked on the table, but only for asthetic reasons. Again, if you use the alignment pin to anchor the right end of the overhang guide, then what you're saying is correct. I am just pointing out that it is possible to not anchor the guide with the pin and, although it is slightly trickier, you can align the overhang and tangency by swiveling the alignment guide, anchored only at the spindle end, at the same time as moving the cartridge on the headshell until the stylus is aligned all the way along the line, while keeping the alignment guide stationary, once you've found the appropriate position. Although this is evidently tricky to communicate, it is quite easy to do and precludes having to make the adjustment you're talking about.

Sorry to invoke such long winded confusion. I just thought it was worth mentioning.