Has anyoe had problems using the mint LP tractor

Sorry to go a bit of topic. I am interested in the mint LP tractor. However I'm a bit worried. I have never ever setup a tonearm myself, is it newbie friendly? My other concern is that I might want to upgrade my JMW9 to a JMW9 sig one day. Will I still be able to use the mint LP tractor?

Hi Mordante,

You may have an "easier" time by starting with a Mint (or any arc protractor) - at least easier in the sense of an easier time getting it right.

The level of precision achievable by the Mint means that anyone using it will be fiddling around quite a bit. Differences of .2mm pivot to spindle distance will be apparent, and will frustrate you until you get the "grok" of how to use it.

For someone who has never aligned a cartridge, learning how to use a 2-point protractor will its own source of grief. You'll have difficulty visualizing how to approach the adjustment - whether the pivot to spindle distance needs correction, the effective length (fore/aft movement in the headshell) or offset angle (rotation in the headshell).

To a certain extent, understanding a two-point protractor will confuse you even more than an arc protractor will. Two-point protractors can confuse even the experienced user.

So, starting with the Mint is the way to go ... might as well pay your dues learning how to use a great tool instead of a merely adequate one.

And ... yes, the Mint uses Baerwaald alignment. It checks out against the arc protractors I prototyped last year.

Cheers,
Thom

I just rec'd my Tractor for the VPI 10.5i arm. I'll have to find some quality time this weekend to get into it.

With the proper lights and the magnifiers, I hope to get it going without too much hair loss. I can see right away that the VPI jig is very different alignment wise from the Mint.

I'll post with results soon.

I've recently got a MintLP Tractor after having used the Graham alignment jig for about 18yrs. I've read lots of posts of how time consuming and frustrating the MintLP tractor could be, and I wasn't exactly looking forward to using it.

In actual fact I found it a breeze. It probably helped that I have a large window directly behind the turntable to flood with natural light - but I had no trouble getting exacting alignment in less than half an hour.....including lots of rechecking. I didn't use the optional 10x loupe I got from Yip. The standard (lighted) 3x magnifier worked much better and provided plenty of magnification for my eyes to see exactly what was going on.

I'm truly impressed with the absolute precision possible with the Mint. My (early) Graham jig has marking lines far to thick too get anything like the same accuracy - and the there are no lines present to exactly position the stylus on. Not to mention the inaccuracy of the tilt on the flip over plate, not using true playing VTF, no parallax error correction and freeplay in the actual jig itself.

Given the above, it was hardly surprising that the Mint was more accurate - but I still couldn't believe the major improvement in sound quality.
Much better consistency of sound from beginning to end of the record. Improved focus, lower colouration, better soundstaging and, most importantly, greater sense of naturalness/ease and musical flow. The previous observations were true for both my Uwe bodied 103R and Ortofon Jubilee - taking both cartridges to new heights in my system.
The best $100 I've spent on my analogue setup!

FWIW, I still love the brilliant concept and ease of use of the Graham tool (and maybe later jigs are improved?). I'm a long-term Graham user and remain a huge fan of Bob Graham's designs. However it is hard to argue with the results provided by the MintLP tractor.