Grace F9 id help/advice needed please

[Muddywaters]

I need some Grace cartridge experts/owners to offer some thoughts and identification help on my recent purchases.

Just last week I purchased two (different sources) Grace F-9's listed as F9-E's which are in the pictures below. Both have the F-9 designation but have different body color and a different stylus grip profile and color. One I know is definitely an E from all the images I've tracked down tonight on the web. It is the one on the right and top in the photos with a black body silver mounting frame and more greenish tint blunt stylus grip .

The other with the gold body and black frame and more yellowish tint angular stylus grip, I believe is a F-9L body but with an "E" marking on the stylus. I think the F-9L came with a clear stylus. The black frame is not quite as substantial (thick) and is plastic whereas the silver framed E seems to metal. Also the suspect black framed cart has a very thin metal frame visible and grounding strap on the output pin end of the body.

Knowing that cart mfg's sometimes change things in production runs can any of you confirm my suspicions on the bodies and id the yellowish angular "E" as an original Grace stylus? Is it possibly an aftermarket stylus not of Grace origin?

The innards of the F-9 should be the same correct? Or are there different generations that might vary in some way?

Thanks for any insight you have on these cartridges!

 

[Graceman]

Hi Scott, As far as I am aware, all the bodies are the same, though with some cosmetic differences. I think all the different stylus grips are the same shape and the colour is to identify the tip profile. All the stylus types are interchangeable. I have a list of the colours somewhere, I just can't find it at present!! You will find a list of all the profiles on Vinyl Engine.

 

[Muddywaters]

Hi Scott, As far as I am aware, all the bodies are the same, though with some cosmetic differences. I think all the different stylus grips are the same shape and the colour is to identify the tip profile. All the stylus types are interchangeable. I have a list of the colours somewhere, I just can't find it at present!! You will find a list of all the profiles on Vinyl Engine.

Hi Graceman, yes the internals on the F-9's are the same as far as I've found so far. The stylus grips do vary in color depending on the tip profile. I was a little concerned about the different shape and variation in the coloration of my gold body F-9's stylus but continued searching leads me to believe that late versions of the styli may have changed the shape. At least that's the consensus conjecture.

The Grace catalog pdf from VE does have pictures of 6 versions. The only gold body like mine is a F-9L all the others have the silver frame (aluminum?) and black body. According to the data sheet/manual from VE the L version has a higher output of 5.5 mv. All the others have 3.5 mv. impedance is the same at 2.4. Mass of the cart is lower by .2 g.The freq response spec of the F-9L is slightly lower though the E & L share the same tip profile, Elliptical 0.2 x 0.8 Vital. Compliance is higher - 14 vs 12 on the L but since mine isn't the clear grip original stylus some of that would be moot.

I think the black frame on mine is plastic (maybe for mass reduction due to the slightly higher compliance) not metal like the silver this is probably why it has the ground strap and the silver doesn't.

Anyone have any datasheet or literature specific to the F-9L?