Looking for help with a Vintage Black Widow arm.

Raul,

You have many tonearm opinions (as do I), and the can that I open is about throwing out pre-conceptions about compliance matching arm mass to cartridges. I have had several very high mass arms (Walker), Dynavector 505, etc that do not track lower compliance cartridges as well as ultra low mass designs such as SME 3009, Mayware Formula 4, Black Widow. The oldskool thread got me thinking about the passions several posters have for these (I always assumed, ordinary) old Japanese arms. I believe that low mass arms are magical as well. I would like to hear from other brave souls who use ultra low mass arms.
Are there others like me?

Peter

Breuninger,
I am currently running a CF Black Widow with a AT150mlx on my TD-124 and couldn't be happier. I don't have a lot to compare it to, but I like this combo better than an SME 3009 series II improved with an Ortofon Black that I also own. I like the BW with the AT150 so much that I bought another AT150 and a replacement stylus just before the price increase several months ago. I wanted to be sure to have it for a while. Both of these would be high compliance cartridges. I have also tried the Ortofon Black in an Audio Dynamics LMF2, a relatively low mass carbon fiber arm (8G), and still prefer the ultra low mass Black Widow with the AT cart. With a somewhat limited budget, I think it makes sense to try items that can be mixed and matched. That way I can try all combinations. With some items from opposite ends of the spectrum, swapping out cartridges is less likely to be a viable alternative. It is interesting that you have had some success with lower compliance cartridges with this arm. Have you tried any MC carts?

Infinity engineering intended the arm to have as little influence on the cartridge as possible. Marketing offered the thought "as if suspended in air". I had to have one. Infinity literature shows it wearing a Denon 103 but a cartridge with compliance too low may throw the arm around and damage your lp's. I am probably wrong, but think perhaps the arm was made in the U.S., maybe Detroit?
Mine tracks very nicely, is gratifyingly musical with a high compl. cartridge but I think can become a little too warm with the wrong pickup, it really likes bass. Absurdly low arm mass and vertical bearing friction. Every one I have seen has lateral movement in the knife bearings. AT's sound like a good choice. The aluminum arm on mine (went to CF with a damping trough in 1979) tends to microphone physical disturbances to the turntable but remains resistant to feedback. Although I recently replaced it with a low-mass Technics arm, I am keeping the B.W., it would be a choice selection for many vintage turntable builds, Kenwood, AR, etc., I am glad to have it. Please don't take the dates or place of manufacture as fact.
Plenty of SME stuff on that auction site.