Need helping mounting cartridge in WT Classic tonearm

hansdejong · « **on:** 15 Jan 2016, 01:26 pm »

My WT Classic is almost ready to play vinyl again...remaining issue is the mounting of the cartridge...
The tonearm I have doesn't have the fixed headshell. It has a screw on fingerlift plate, which has three holes. The holes on the side are for the cartridge bolts, and the middle hole is for a small bolt that connects to the tonearm. The tonearm has a rectangular hole which allows the cartridge to be moved back and forth a couple of mm's before securing the bolt tightly.

The problem is the center bolt - it runs through both the tonearm and the fingerlift plate, and protrudes too much to allow the cartridges to be mounted. Is there, or am I doing, something wrong with the bolt?

Also, I have seen some pictures of the WT tonearm with cartridges installed off-centre: the cartridge is attached to the tonearm with one bolt only, running through one of the holes on the cartridge and the hole in the tonearm. Can this be done without comprimising the function of both cartridge and tonearm, or are there perhaps benefits in mounting it this way?

Any opinions and tips are very welcome!

blownrx7 · « **Reply #1 on:** 15 Jan 2016, 02:02 pm »

Do you have a photo? That would help us see what you are talking about.

hansdejong · « **Reply #2 on:** 15 Jan 2016, 07:26 pm »

Here's a picture of the tonearm and fingerlift. You can clearly see the bolt and nut used to hold the fingerlift in place. The bolt is too long, leaving no room for the cartridge to be mounted flush under the tonearm.

ADiG · « **Reply #3 on:** 16 Jan 2016, 07:58 am »

read manual:

http://www.vinylengine.com/library/well-tempered/arm.shtml

hansdejong · « **Reply #4 on:** 17 Jan 2016, 12:46 pm »

Thanks. I checked the manual on Vinyl Engine, and although it has a drawing in it with both ways of attaching the cartridge underneath the tonearm, it isn't described in the text itself. There is no explanation for, or mentioning of benefits of, mounting the cartridge off-centre with one bolt only.

The described way of mounting the cartridge says that the fingerlift should be positioned between the toneam and the cartridge, but this doesn't seem to be possible in my case since the bolt is in the way! Pretty frustrating, this. Are there any members with the same tonearm who can help?

SteveFord · « **Reply #5 on:** 17 Jan 2016, 03:18 pm »

Pardon the dust, somebody has neglected their wifely duties.

sunnydaze · « **Reply #6 on:** 17 Jan 2016, 03:39 pm »

The photos above show exactly how I've always seen it, including photos on arm box and in arm documentation.

Wonder why the middle hole? Are there carts with narrower screw spacing than the traditional half inch mount? If so, maybe to accommodate them?

hansdejong · « **Reply #7 on:** 19 Jan 2016, 09:07 am »

Thanks! I will try mounting the cartridge like on the photographs!

SteveFord · « **Reply #8 on:** 19 Jan 2016, 12:02 pm »

You're welcome, enjoy your turntable.

Erocka2000 · « **Reply #9 on:** 19 Jan 2016, 01:43 pm »

I wouldn't mount that cartridge to the side like that. It should be centered on the tonearm. Perhaps you need a different bolt for the center of the headshell.

sunnydaze · « **Reply #10 on:** 19 Jan 2016, 03:37 pm »

Quote from: Erocka2000 on 19 Jan 2016, 01:43 pm

I wouldn't mount that cartridge to the side like that. It should be centered on the tonearm. Perhaps you need a different bolt for the center of the headshell.

Why would you say this when that is exactly how the designer instructs you to do it?

This photo from the actual WT Tonearm Manual clearly shows it mounted to the side:

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/messages/82/822397.html

Erocka2000 · « **Reply #11 on:** 19 Jan 2016, 10:22 pm »

Most of the pictures I've seen on the Google machine have it centered on the arm. It just seems like it wouldn't stay aligned only being screwed into one side of the cartridge.

threadkiller · « **Reply #12 on:** 20 Jan 2016, 12:05 am »

Take this all with a grain of salt, but my first Classic I bought back in the mid-80's had pretty crappy cartridges on it, Sumiko Blue Point, Audio Technica, maybe a shitey Grado. None of them were mounted off screw as your photo shows. All were mounted normally with the arm perpendicular to the cartridge body center. And later on the Dynavectors were.

beta14ok · « **Reply #13 on:** 22 Jan 2016, 08:32 pm »

Following this thread..............

I understand from the manual that the front edge of the arm should line-up with the front edge of the center circle.

Where should the stylus align? Should the actual stylus align with that front edge of the circle also, or should the stylus align with the center of the spindle? I should think that it should matter.

SteveFord · « **Reply #14 on:** 22 Jan 2016, 11:10 pm »

WT Classic (round motor set in plinth) cartridge mounting:

threadkiller · « **Reply #15 on:** 22 Jan 2016, 11:45 pm »

Thanks, Steve!
That's exactly how I remember mine looking, albeit it with an equally crap cartridge.
Does the OP not have his headshell? Looks like the end of a big knitting needle...

SteveFord · « **Reply #16 on:** 22 Jan 2016, 11:57 pm »

I knew that buying two turntables would come in handy!
I think that we're looking at early and late versions of the arm design.
Then I believe it went to a carbon fiber tube on the Reference.

ACHiPo · « **Reply #17 on:** 23 Jan 2016, 12:18 am »

Quote from: SteveFord on 22 Jan 2016, 11:10 pm

WT Classic (round motor set in plinth) cartridge mounting:

This is how my WTT Reference tonearm and cartridge mount looks like.

beta14ok · « **Reply #18 on:** 23 Jan 2016, 02:18 pm »

^ WT Classic (round motor set in plinth) cartridge mounting !! Mine too.

I'm new here.......I'm not sure of the etiquette here, so apologies OP for jumping in here.......I figger it's better to jump-in on a topic that is exactly what I'm interested in rather than start a parallel thread on the same topic.

Help us (me) understand.......In the first case, (non-headshell version), the alignment starts with the arm platform's mounting on the plinth-backpost, and rotating the platform to get the edge of the arm mount aligned with the front edge of the circle on the protractor.

Does this strategy also apply to the "headshell" version above also? I don't see this covered in the instructions.

......is the goal for the stylus to be maintained on an arc aligned to the center of the spindle, or to the edge of the circle around the spindle, or does it not matter? How do you determine the correct distance that the stylus should sit along the axis of the arm relative to the end of the arm's mount.

[Backstory: I've been an owner of a WTL Classic since the ' mid-90s. I recently moved and there was damage and a big mess, (despite my fervent instructions that I would transport the unit myself), that required me to take everything off of the plinth, clean, and reassemble. Of course I have lost all of the documentation over the years.....but I found this site and you guys. So I'm starting fresh with this alignment stuff, it is all back together now and beautiful, just gotta get the cart mounted correctly.....just like the OP.]

beta14ok · « **Reply #19 on:** 25 Jan 2016, 06:05 pm »

Interesting discussion here:

http://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?t=31660

Leads me to believe that arm length (adjusted by rotation of the platform) and position of the cartridge (adjusted fore or aft relative to the end of the arm), is of less importance than the cartridge alignment at the two grid positions on the protractor.