[TheChairGuy]

Boy, it's been quiet around here of late....not many vinyl-files at AC, I guess.

I have for some time been very curious of Audio by van Alstine's Longhorn modification of the ubiquitous Grado Green cartridge (and earlier Grado budget cartridges before that).  How to do it is all listed on the www.avahifi.com site in the Audio Basics pdf files there.  It's a great read - I skip over many of the technical parts (wasted on me, unfortunately), but still get a lot of benefit from it's no-nonsense posturing.  The 1982 back issues feature the Longhorn mod.

I recently purchased an van Alstine OmegaStar 240/3ex and have been suprised to find it does everything pretty well..some things awfully well.  Most of all I'm struck by it's competence - it doesn't do anything wrong (especially at it's reasonable $1100 price).  The 2 channel version is only $899 (I only utilize 2 channels).  See http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=23862 for more on it.

Anyhow, where there is one competent product - I figure there must be more.  And so it is again with Mr. van Alstine's Longhorn mod.

I have a hi-output Ortofon x5-MC.  It is a 2mv output moving coil that you run right into standard 47K Ohm MM input on your preamp.  It's very light at only 4.1grams, and has no stylus guard or brush attached to it.  Further, as a moving coil, it has a fixed stylus...no play, no slop 'cause it's part of the cartridge body (of course, as are all moving coils)

It also has one more characteristic that makes it a good candidate for the mod...it is an lousy tracker.  It has a very slick Fritz-Geiger hyperelliptical stylus (longer stylus life, at least, for this near-van den hul stylus shape) and it, theoretically, tracks the grooves well.  And it does - with soft acoustic, vocal and classical.  But, when the vinyl strays to complex orchestral, or loud passages in any music, it falls apart.  I have been employing my Audio- Technica AT-440ml more often as it sails better thru demanding passages.  Overall, it's just slightly preferable to the $199.00 Ortofon.  A good deal, incidentally, for $84.99 (just let it cook for 25 hours and you will be rewarded with nice quality).

So, I took the Ortofon and snipped a 1.5" length of 12ga solid core magnet wire (I didn't have anything around of similar size/weight as recommended in Audio Basics). I adhered it to the front of the cartridge with some very tacky, black speaker sealant putty (it's quite tacky) and played a demanding Waltz from Johann Strauss that, earlier without the quasi mod that I fashioned, turned the cartridge to mince meat.

Well, whaddya' know, even without the full mod with a much heavier bar across it's front as Frank recommends, I was rewarded with much better presentation.  Everything got fuller and more solid, with less stridency, and much better imaging. Part of it is the better inertia that creates better tracking for the stylus, the other part is the damping of the plastic-ky cartridge body with the tacky putty.

The mod interferes with my old tripod Ortofon record clamp I used...so I just fashioned a simple 'pig' clamp to stick the record to the record mat a little better - without creating interference for the long bar across the front of the Ortofon.

I'll take some shots when I can of the ugly contraption...but I have to give the $0.00 cost mod a HUGE thumbs up for musical upsmanship.

I am now leaning quite heavily into calling Frank and ordering his much more significantly modded Longhorn Grado Green ($129.00) cartridge.  Not only do they put a 'proper' bar across the front, but the internal pieces are damped (Grado is very prone to microphonics).  The damping alone may be worth the extra cost over the standard $60 Grado Green...the Longhorn stabilizer is simply terrific in its own right.

Way to go Frank - I am simply more amazed at you each day.  Bravo  

[philipp]

Glad to hear the mod worked so well chairguy. I'll have to consider doing that to my cartridge, although I have a Goldring Eroica on a Well Tempered and don't think I have (or hear) much instability in the tracking. Perhaps I'll try a temporary version like you did to see if it makes a difference. FYI, I recently contacted Frank about buying a new longhorn and he told me that they're no longer producing them and he doesn't have a current recommendation to make.

[TheChairGuy]

Glad to hear the mod worked so well chairguy. I'll have to consider doing that to my cartridge, although I have a Goldring Eroica on a Well Tempered and don't think I have (or hear) much instability in the tracking. Perhaps I'll try a temporary version like you did to see if it makes a difference. FYI, I recently contacted Frank about buying a new longhorn and he told me that they're no longer producing them and he doesn't have a current recommendation to make.

Bummer philipp!  I wonder why Frank isn't making them anymore...if more people knew about it's virtues, he'd probably keep producing them.  But, without volume to keep them in the line, he's got better things to do.  Without Grado Green purchases, it's probably hard for him to put minimim size Grado purchases together of just SR-225 headphones, either.  Perhaps he will modify them if you prodvide the base (Grado Green) to work on??  

Frank, u out there  

Yeah, do try it - it's completely defeatable - my erzatz way.  You might, like me, not know that your cartridge can track better - until you try it.

I just played Vivaldi's Four Seasons (by Roberto Michelucci), and old favorite, and the violins were never expressed with such power and pleasure.  They finally took on the proper 'bite'...without undue stridency.

The (lightly) modded Ortofon X5-MC is now fully better than the A-T 440ml.  Quite a nice upgrade for $0.00  

[ricmon]

Big bummer as I to was planning on buying a Longhrn.  As a matter of fact I started a thread on it a few months ago but no one saild ant thing about AVA not producing them any more.

[skrivis]

Big bummer as I to was planning on buying a Longhrn.  As a matter of fact I started a thread on it a few months ago but no one saild ant thing about AVA not producing them any more.

I've seen some comments from other people that Grado is getting kind of weird and has been dropping a lot of their dealer network. I wonder if that could be it?

Just doing the Longhorn mod to a regular Grado cart is well worthwhile. It's certainly cheap too.

There was also an article in Audio Basics on setting the input resistance of your preamp to the right value for various cartridges. It was a pretty easy calculation if I remember. I did this and felt it sounded better than the standard 47K load.

Hmmm... I wonder if Frank will divulge what else he was doing to the carts if he's no longer going to mod them himself?

[avahifi]

Actually we figured out that I was only paying myself about minimum wage to build the Longhorn Grados, and I have a lot better things to do with my time, such as upgrading the web site, etc, etc, etc, and more.

Here is the link to the 1982 issue of Audio Basics.  The cartrige info is on page 8 and 9 as I remember.

http://www.avahifi.com/root/audio_basics/index.htm

Try it, you will be amazed.  So much for $2000 phono cartridges.

Frank Van Alstine

[TheChairGuy]

Actually we figured out that I was only paying myself about minimum wage to build the Longhorn Grados, and I have a lot better things to do with my time, such as upgrading the web site, etc, etc, etc, and more.

Here is the link to the 1982 issue of Audio Basics.  The cartrige info is on page 8 and 9 as I remember.

http://www.avahifi.com/root/audio_basics/index.htm

Try it, you will be amazed.  So much for $2000 phono cartridges.

Frank Van Alstine

The $2000.00 cartridges were never in my vision of things (even if ChairGuy was selling Costco, Wal-mart, Target and Sam's multiple items simultaneously  ), but thoughts of the $500-$800 range of cartridges are slowly abating.

I just updated my mod with more weight by glueing five 1.5" strips of 12 ga magnet wire together - two on top of two and one more on top of that for good measure. It's held to the cartridge with the gooey speaker damping sealant still.  A little more and I could have a log cabin camped out on the end of my cartridge  

It's just at the limit of exceeding the weight of the end stub, but it balances with it on there.

It's improved a bit more, but the improvement is not quite as great as the original application.  So, a little weight and damping of the cartridge is excellent...a little more helps, but doesn't net a great deal more.  But, the violins are sweeter than ever now....vinyl is taking on many of the benefits of CD now...with the inherent something still there that only vinyl provides.

Frank, maybe you could just charge something for the Longhorn upgrade to Grado's...to any Prestige Series Grado that someone send  in to you.  Charging something that you can live on, of course.  That way you don't have to stock Grado's, but still get a premium product out there at a fair cost to folks.

If not, all I can say is that if li'l ole' non-technical me did it in about 30 minutes, nearly all of you can.  And, is it ever worth it for near $0.00  

[TheChairGuy]

I'll try to take a pic of the ugly mustache my cartridge now has soon...if anyone is out there and lost as to how to do it.  Believe me tho, if I did it, it's SIMPLE  

I should note, because I think Frank's Audio Basics article does not, you should probably use something inherently non-magnetic as your 'Longhorn' outrigger.  Frank mentions a U groove of brass; I used copper magnet-type wire.  If you use something ferrous, you may well interfere with the delicate magnets in your a cartridge body - whether it is moving coil, magnet or iron  

I'm playing the Strauss Waltz again.....and it's really hilarious how much more settled everything is now in listening to it than earlier today.

Wunderbar, Mr. van Alstine - your hermitage up in snowy MN produces a veritable treasure trove of good ideas. Many thanks from me.

[randytsuch]

Hey Chairguy
Thanks for starting this thread, and trying this tweak.
Looks like I need to go find a piece of brass u-channel bar to try this with.

Randy

[TheChairGuy]

Not one to leave well enough alone.....I shorned my Audio-Technica AT-440ml with a Longhorn.

Wow, much better overall.  The Ortofon X5-MC is just a lightweight suited light jazz, nothing demanding with or without Longhorn (tho improved a lot), but the Audio-Technica is leagues better with the Longhorn. fyi - I took the stylus guard off do add the 'Horn - per Frank's strong suggestion.

Unfortunately, as I have learned in Audio Basics, it has a rather high coil inductance of 490 mH.  Terminated into the standard 47K input of my preamp, means no matter what you do you get a hi frequency hump in it's output.  So, it's compromised at the start - no matter the improvement of the Longhorn.  Most have said that the AT-440ml tends towards brightness...now I know why.  I don't know what my total capacitance of my TT tonearm and cable (it's all one length) is, but I've done what little I could to minimize capacitance (by prying apart the two conductors from one another from TT to termination into the preamp).

At least, minimizing total capacitance, the frequency response might fall outside of 20Khz...or at least hi enough that that statistic won't bother me for now.  

Soooo Frank, now that I finally understand why I'd want to buy a cheapie (low coil inductance) Grado - you go and discontinue the most cost effective improvements to it; damping the microphonic bits inside (and there are a bunch in Grado's) and application of a  Longhorn stabilizer.   My timing stinks  

Holy crap - I'm talking technical now    Someone, please insert a fart joke or something in this topic  

[ohenry]

So Frank...have you (or would you) described the methods for the internal damping of the cartridge for those of us wanting to take a risk with a Grado; or is that micro-surgery way beyond my ability?

I have to snicker at myself for being stupid.  I've been somewhat interested in the Longhorn Grado for serveral years and never ordered one.  Now that I've been denied, it seems that my interest has increased. Human nature is entertaining...

[ricmon]

So Frank...have you (or would you) described the methods for the internal damping of the cartridge for those of us wanting to take a risk with a Grado; or is that micro-surgery way beyond my ability?

I have to snicker at myself for being stupid.  I've been somewhat interested in the Longhorn Grado for serveral years and never ordered one.  Now that I've been denied, it seems that my interest has increased. Human nature is entertaining...

ditto, what a bummer.  I bought my TR7 in 04 and a TT in 05.  Started listining to some platters I had in storage.  Then I retubed my whole system (sorry Mr. VanAltine but the stock tube suck and I understand that u are not about to muck around with inconsistant and expensive tube for production runs) put on a platter and BAM music.  now i'm like all apeshit about lp's and TT performance.  what's a music lover to do.  Please help with the Longhorn.  I don't want to spend more then neccessary to achieve near results.

[randytsuch]

So Frank...have you (or would you) described the methods for the internal damping of the cartridge for those of us wanting to take a risk with a Grado; or is that micro-surgery way beyond my ability?

I have to snicker at myself for being stupid.  I've been somewhat interested in the Longhorn Grado for serveral years and never ordered one.  Now that I've been denied, it seems that my interest has increased. Human nature is entertaining...

Hey Henry
I am about to buy a Keith Monks RCM that is really more money than I want to spend.  One of the reasons I am probably going to buy it is, this will probably be my only chance to get one at a price I can afford at all, and if I don't buy it, I will regret it, and wish I had one for the rest of my live.
I always seem to be looking for stuff that has gone out of production, but is still in retail channels, for the same reason.

But, if the longhorn mod is just adding the brass uchannel, and adding some blutak where the body meets the removable stylus, as Frank described in his paper, then this seems like a reasonable DIY job.

I am going to try it on my "naked" 10x5.  The only problem is because my cartridge is naked, the stylus is very exposed, and I don't want to put a longhorn right above the stylus, too worried about breaking it.  I will have to move the longhorn up a bit, not in an optimal position, but I still hope it will help.

Randy

[skrivis]

Hey Henry
I am about to buy a Keith Monks RCM that is really more money than I want to spend.  One of the reasons I am probably going to buy it is, this will probably be my only chance to get one at a price I can afford at all, and if I don't buy it, I will regret it, and wish I had one for the rest of my live.
I always seem to be looking for stuff that has gone out of production, but is still in retail channels, for the same reason.

But, if the longhorn mod is just adding the brass uchannel, and addin ...

First off, when I got the u channel, I did get it at a local hobby store. I also got some brass angle stock and played with that too. the u channel looks something like: http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXR882&P=7

As for the blutak between the stylus carrier and cart body, I thought that Grado was using some kind of black sticky gunk there already?

[TheChairGuy]

Henry's comment is funny about human nature - I concur completely.

Randy, the tackiest stuff I found was some speaker sealing caulk I bought at Parts Express...but, I don't see it in their catalog any longer.  I also tried Plast-i-Clay, Mortite or Dennis Rope Caulk - not quite enough stick to them.  QuakeHold (oddly popular in SF   ... you might be able to find in LA, too) was second most tacky stuff....never tried Blu-Tak, but it's probably similar.

You just don't want a several gram bar coming down on your precious vinyl - anything that adheres well should do make it work fine.

[skrivis]

Henry's comment is funny about human nature - I concur completely.

Randy, the tackiest stuff I found was some speaker sealing caulk I bought at Parts Express...but, I don't see it in their catalog any longer.  I also tried Plast-i-Clay, Mortite or Dennis Rope Caulk - not quite enough stick to them.  QuakeHold (oddly popular in SF   ... you might be able to find in LA, too) was second most tacky stuff....never tried Blu-Tak, but it's probably similar.

You just don't want a several gram bar coming down on your precious vinyl - anything that adheres well should do make it work fine.

I used superglue, but that's not so good for temporary attachment.

[randytsuch]

Henry's comment is funny about human nature - I concur completely.

Randy, the tackiest stuff I found was some speaker sealing caulk I bought at Parts Express...but, I don't see it in their catalog any longer.  I also tried Plast-i-Clay, Mortite or Dennis Rope Caulk - not quite enough stick to them.  QuakeHold (oddly popular in SF   ... you might be able to find in LA, too) was second most tacky stuff....never tried Blu-Tak, but it's probably similar.

You just don't want a several gram bar coming down on your precious vinyl - anything that adheres well should do make it work fine.

Yes, I know about Quakehold, that is actually what I use when Blutak or something similiar is called for.  It is easily availabe down here, although it is kind of expensive if you need a lot of it.

I am really worried about a several gram bar coming down on my precious stylus.  I would not like to lose a record, but I would be really upset to break my Dynavector 10X5.

Randy

[mgalusha]

You might try some thin double sided tape. Not the stuff that's only a couple mils like scotch tape but the black stuff that's about 2 mm thick. Since you will be at the hobby shop buying the u channel anyway, ask them for some "servo tape". They will know what you are talking about. It's often used in RC cars to mount servos and receivers.

Should work great for this. It's very sticky but still removable.

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXK199&P=7

[avahifi]

We notch the U-Channel for a press on fit to the Grado body and fasten with a small amount of 5 minute epoxy.  Before installing the bar, we fill the ends with lead (solder) and polish it down for a nice looking finish.  After installation, we pack the remaining open part of the bar with plasti-clay.  The cartridge body gets a few drop of 1000 centistroke liquid silicon silicon into the coils.  Then the cartridge stylus gets one drop of the liquid silicon into the opening where the stylus comes out of the "hole" (metal ring) in the plastic stylus carrier.  It would be interesting to hear just how nice an expensive version of the Grado would sound with these engineering improvements.

That is it, the complete secret to making a Longhorn Grado.  Go ahead and go into business for yourself, as Dynaco did when they copied the Double 400 and Super Fet Pat-5 and as B&K did when they copied the first generation Mos-Fet 150.  I am getting to old to care any more.  Bad pain day  

Frank Van Alstine

[WEEZ]

..yeah, a Grado Gold with the Longhorn mod would be interesting....  

Ah yes, the Dyna 416. I remember reading about that one.

WEEZ