[Otis]

I don't see it on the site anymore.

[Tone Depth]

.

[avahifi]

Yes the Longhorn Grados are discontinued. They were a labor intensive process and since we lost a valued employee, we don't have the spare time to build them any more.

I do have one each Longhorn Green and Longhorn Gold available to ship right now.

Frank Van Alstine

[rlee8394]

What a loss! I was planning on getting a new Pro-Ject turntable in a couple of months and fitting it with the Longhorn Gold.
Frank, has the process changed from that of when you first posted in Audio Basics? I think the AB article defined the stabilizer bar portion of the Longhorn. Do you have the process for damping the coils?

Ron

[Hydro]

I have a brand new Longhorn Gold that I would let go of. I put it on my SOTA turntable and it hummed too bad to use, tried some emf shielding and it helped a little, only one or two tracks played on the needle and the records were cleaned using a nitty gritty.

[rlee8394]

Anyone know if there is a problem with Grado cartridges and Pro-Ject / Music Hall turntables? Hydro, PM me with price of your Longhorn Gold.

Thanks,
Ron

[jtwrace]

Yes the Longhorn Grados are discontinued. They were a labor intensive process and since we lost a valued employee, we don't have the spare time to build them any more.

Frank Van Alstine

I thought "wayner" did them?  Is he not around anymore?

[Wayner]

Anyone know if there is a problem with Grado cartridges and Pro-Ject / Music Hall turntables? Hydro, PM me with price of your Longhorn Gold.

Thanks,
Ron

There is a problem using the Grado on the Pro-Ject tables. The motor is not well shielded and the combination will hum.

Wayner

[Wayner]

I thought "wayner" did them?  Is he not around anymore?

I am still around here. If you must know, Frank and I got into some "philosophical" differences with design and the future as it relates to AVA, so I thought it be best if I stepped aside. It is difficult to design products when there are distances between parties. I felt that we had grown apart on our opinions of design, and well, everything seemed to shut down on my part.

I feel bad that it happened, but things, over time do change. I have deep respect for Frank and hope him and his crew the best. Sadly, that means no more Longhorns. At least for now.

Wayner

[jtwrace]

I am still around here. If you must know, Frank and I got into some "philosophical" differences with design and the future as it relates to AVA, so I thought it be best if I stepped aside. It is difficult to design products when there are distances between parties. I felt that we had grown apart on our opinions of design, and well, everything seemed to shut down on my part.

I feel bad that it happened, but things, over time do change. I have deep respect for Frank and hope him and his crew the best. Sadly, that means no more Longhorns. At least for now.

Wayner

Oh, thanks for your honesty.  I must ask this though.  If AVA isn't going to do Longhorns why can you just do them for people?  Will Frank not allow this?  It's a shame for both AVA and you to not offer a high performing cartridge mod.  I guess I wouldn't understand why it would be bad for either of you. 

Either way, good luck to you and I'm sure you'll still be around. 

[Charles Calkins]

Hi Guys:
  I have a Longhorn Grado Gold I installed on a Rega P3 turntable a few years ago. Thanks to Wayne and his expert help I finally got it set up and running to sound very good.  Unfortunately as we all know nobody is into vinyl  these days. It all seems to be PC music servers. I'm into that and CD's.
 For a more natural sound recorded on an LP done by a top of the line recording company I prefer vinyl. To just kick back and listen to hours of music and have a couple of martini's I prefer a music server. Very hard for me to say which method sounds better. It would have to be the listeners choice.
 Just my two cents worth of B.S.

                                            Cheers
                                        Charlie

[NIGHTFALL1970]

Wayner,
sorry to hear about you and Frank.  I hope that things go well for both of you.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that Wayner made all of AVAs sheet metal bodies.

[Brett Buck]

Oh, thanks for your honesty.  I must ask this though.  If AVA isn't going to do Longhorns why can you just do them for people?  Will Frank not allow this?  It's a shame for both AVA and you to not offer a high performing cartridge mod.  I guess I wouldn't understand why it would be bad for either of you. 

   Just add the longhorn yourself, it's a few minutes job!  The instructions are in Audio Basics.

    Brett

[jtwrace]

Wayner,
sorry to hear about you and Frank.  I hope that things go well for both of you.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that Wayner made all of AVAs sheet metal bodies.

I think he did the CAD work for them. 

   Just add the longhorn yourself, it's a few minutes job!  The instructions are in Audio Basics.

    Brett

That's what I've heard.

[Wayner]

Wayner,
sorry to hear about you and Frank.  I hope that things go well for both of you.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that Wayner made all of AVAs sheet metal bodies.

I did the metal design work (if you want to call that CAD), did the Longhorns and also designed the CAT-TWO alignment system (also discontinued). I did not make any parts, but was involved with those that made the parts. Frank designs all of the circuit boards, and several people (Larry, Bob, Dean) assemble the amps, preamps and DACs.

For folks to think that I could simply start making Longhorns, well, that isn't how the business world works. First, I'd probably need to get incorporated, then get a dealership for Grado products. To just make Longhorns, it would not be practical.

I will not make Longhorns for people on the side either, because there is always the danger of damaging the stylus during the process. So it's just not going to happen.

Wayner

[Funnehaha]

Hi Wayner,

  I respect your position and decision with Frank. I was following this thread because I'm finally getting to the point in modifying my second AR XA that I need to think about cartridges. I've added a Sound Of The Wood motor and am about to install a Rega RB 303 that I got last weekend from Raskin's. I would like your opinion as to whether a Grado would work [not hum] on this setup. I've had good luck with an OC9 on my SOTA, so an alternative could also be an AT cartridge. I'm not wedded to MM or MC or MI at this point, I just want a fairly reasonable cartridge so I can hear whether my baby can sing.
I know you've modified ARs before, so that's why I'm asking your opinion. Anybody else out there [in here] can add their two cents if they wish also.

Thanks,

F. Haha

[Wayner]

I have heard that the SOTWs motor is well shielded, so the Grado may work very well. It works on the regular AR turntable because that motor is of such low torque, that the magnetic field around it is very small.

For those that think they can contain a magnetic field, all I would say is "good luck".

I would contact SOTW folks and ask for a more definitive answer to the compatibility of the two.

Wayner

[rlee8394]

   Just add the longhorn yourself, it's a few minutes job!  The instructions are in Audio Basics.

    Brett

It's not adding the Longhorn itself, it's dampening the coils with the silicone fluid. What size syringe, how many drops, etc.

Ron

[Wayner]

Also damping the stylus assembly........

[Brett Buck]

It's not adding the Longhorn itself, it's dampening the coils with the silicone fluid. What size syringe, how many drops, etc.

    The stabilizer part is a huge fraction of the improvement. Back when it was new, everybody added a longhorn to every cartridge we had.

    Brett