One benefit of removable type. Plus, you can have several cartridges pre-mounted on aligned shells. That makes interchanging them easier.
Mounting carts
- Thread starter pauldrewry
- Start date
In addition to what has been mentioned regarding mounting screws from below, using Allen head bolts can help a lot as the Allen key, usually 2mm, can hold the bolt for you making it much easier than using a screwdriver.
Plus, these knurled nuts are easy to hold onto and they look great.
Plus, these knurled nuts are easy to hold onto and they look great.
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I use the same method on slotted removeable headshells. With this method the cartridge sits belly up(stylus up) resting on the headshell which is itself turned upside down. The bolt comes through the headshell slot from undeneath. If the cartridge is threaded one can get the bolt started on the cartridge thread. For non-threaded cartridge holes just push the bolt though from the underside whilst holding the headshell upside down with the cartridge belly up on the headshell. Once the bolt is through hold it with a finger tight against the headshell or place the headshell on a surface to hold the bolt. Then the free hand can get the nut located on the end of the bolt. Even only slightly threaded for both bolts means that the cartridge is not going to fall more than the length of the bolts.
The advantage over trying to secure the bolt and nut whilst the headshell and cartridge are right way up is twofold. With the right way up method one hand is trying to secure both the bolt and the cartridge to the headshell whilst the other is trying to get the nut some bite on the bolt. Any mishap with the hand holding the bolt/headshell/cartridge and there is the chance the cartridge gets dropped.
Use gravity to help you. Don't allow gravity to separate the elements. I love mounting cartridges. I've been doing it for 47 years and at least now I feel that I'm getting the best results I ever have.
My current arm the optional YSA-1 for the Yamaha GT 2000 uses a different method. The YSA-1 headshell is threaded. I feel that threaded cartridges are incompatible with threaded headshells. I broke my Soundsmith The Voice. Snapped the wooden body because I had one side securely snugged down and in doing the same to the other side instead of the action bringing that side of the cartridge closer to the headshell the action caused the cartridge to climb up on the bolt. This twisted the cartridge body snapping it.
My current Audio Technica ART20 is threaded so I got a spare YSA-1 headshell and had holes drilled through the threaded spots in the headshell. Not going to make that mistake twice on an expensive cartridge. Once was enough.
My current Audio Technica ART20 is threaded so I got a spare YSA-1 headshell and had holes drilled through the threaded spots in the headshell. Not going to make that mistake twice on an expensive cartridge. Once was enough.
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Great point. I've been using Allen head bolts ever since buying my first Linn in 1985 and kinda forgot there was any other kind. I do prefer standard hex nuts over knurled ones, though, since they fit nicely into the headshell slots of the Linn and Rega tonearms I had used for so long. The short end of an Allen key is also pretty handy when, as I believe the OP is doing, you're trying to attach a cartridge to a mounted tonearm with a non-removable headshell. Nice picture of the hardware I like at Rega's page for the Carbon cartridge.
Rega | Carbon MM Cartridge
A high quality, moving magnet pick-up cartridge designed to be simple to set up, easy to install and above all, accurately reproduce music. Made in England.
www.rega.co.uk
NachoTemino
Active Member
We are getting ****ing old!
Grado Nagaoka Audio Technica Ortofon Denon.One benefit of removable type. Plus, you can have several cartridges pre-mounted on aligned shells. That makes interchanging them easier.
Did I get them all right?
flavio81
Turntable technician
Yes you did
The crazy cartridge holder now costs more than some cartridges. I bought two used holders for $50 from Samurai in 2017.
