Technics SL1200: standard overhang gauge or MintLP

Please state your needle shape.
Technics tonearm was designed with 52mm (from the tonearm tube end) to the stylus in mind, giving less distortion at the end of the LP then Baerwald (equal distortion) approach. I don't care how you measure this distance of 52mm: swiss caliper, micrometer, Technics gauge, etc...Looks like you changed this design assumption and your results can be better or worse depending on particular music material dynamic range and its location on particular LP. For example: for 12" singles it makes sense to user system that gives least tracking angle error on outer radius and disregard the high distortion inside.

Hello Siniy123,

As you can read to the link I wrote above I was the N°1 of sceptical about different null points for the Technics SL12xx and I promised Tvad to buy the MintLP Best Tractor just to test if he was right.
Well Siniy , I did it .. I have bought the Tractor from MintLP and I have set my Grado Prestige Gold first and my Grado Statement Master after .. thanks to two different stock headshells I have
Believe me the SL1210 sounds totally different from before and trust me I'm able to set cartridges perfectly also with the white plastic Technics gauge because I align the cantilever thanks to "carta millimetrata" (kinda paper with millimeters lines) so no doubt that was a perfect setup too.
Tvad insists there is less distortion with MintLP.. yes I agree but the big improvment isn't in less distortion but as way to sound!!
The SL1200 is claimed to give a narrow soundstage .. well this is true but now I know it is refferred to the Technics alignement (52mm.) not to the whole turntable way to sound!
When you listen with MintLP setup you partially lose the dance rhythm that made famous the SL1200 but you gain the audiophile way to sound of the great turntables
The soundstage becomes so large I have sound outer my Thiels 2.4 .. so hight sometime i watch the ceiling (3 meters height) so deep and clearly deep! you can count the numbers of distant Timpanis in Glory (LP soundtrack of movie) you can listen armonics from the so further trumpets etc..etc... never heard also with my old SME20/A with Koetsu Rosewood Signature and Van den Hul Grasshopper IV
Trust me Siniy you should try it , like I did , to understand what this tractor is able to do on the SL1200 (I haven't tried with other arms-tuurntables!).
I apologize my terrible english written and I'm not able to describe exactly what I want but I strongly suggest you (and the whole SL1200 troup!) to buy this Tractor
I don't have any reason to support MintLP , I don't know personally the person behind MintLP , I don't live in Singapore but I live in Italy .. pratically I don't have any increase or gain supporting MintLP

Sincerely

Curio

Could some one please explain the differences between the MintLP and the Vynilengine protractors?

Is it an ease of use issue or are they basically different?

Thanks, Ken

There is a cheaper version from Turntable Basics that uses the same mirror type setup. It works very well and the mirror has many other good uses as well. I got my SL1200 set up great with that version.
Good luck, John