Feickert analogue protractor....Owners impressions

The Feickert is a two-point tool and appears to be quite well made with a great ruler for measuring spindle-to-pivot distance. For a slightly different take (which includes a few comments on the Feickert), here is an interesting read on Arc Style alignment protractors. Be prepared to enter the world of cartridge setup. The diagram at the Feickert site is helpful to have on hand to keep straight the key terminology/measurements of Pivot-Spindle distance, Overhang, and Offset. Once you have those planted in your mind, the discussion is easy to follow.

Arc Style examples include the Wally Tractor, the MintLP protractor, and the Ken Willis protractor.

I'm tempted to say use what you're most comfortable with, but until you've done it a few times and fiddled with the tool, you can't really gauge which is easiest to use. My best results come from using the Wally - it is easy to use and its mirrored lines are the best I've found for getting the stylus/cantilever in the proper offset angle. Placing the cartridge body square to a grid is better than nothing, but imo its optimal to align on the cantilever.
 
I can appreciate the trepidation that comes with setting up a cartridge, especially an expensive one. If you have an older cartridge, you might use it to gain initial experience with whatever set-up tool you choose.

- 4X and 10X magnifiers are really good to have at hand.
- A light, especially with a flexible stem (such as the LittlLight) is valuable. Light and magnification are your friends.
- Proper setup can make a huge difference - Give yourself plenty of time, take little breaks to ease tension, and don't forget to breath. :-) It will be worth it.

Tim

I concur with Palasr's account of first using the Feickert to obtain a highly accurate pivot to spindle distance and then using an arc protractor to get the overhang spot on.

A protractor with a tonearm specific arc etched into a mirrored surface yields a satisfingly definitive result - you will set the effective length correctly or not - as Yoda might say, 'there is no close'. The etched groove is just wide enough to take a stylus and the stylus will be in the groove across the arc or not. To that end, results are accurately repeatable.

This is not to say one can't obtain excellent alignment with the Feickert, just that with it there is opportunity for greater 'operator variability' because of the thickness of it markings. And the Feickert 'spots' do not obviously accomodate fractions, one must do less than whole numbers by eyeball. Yes, its crazy dealing with fractions of a millimeter, which is why 'in the groove or not' removes approximation.

Likewise, the centering spot on the Feickert offset grid is a bit thick - guesstimating its at least 3X the width of a line contact stylus. This means it is easy to hit the bullseye in different places between the inner and outer grids yet still be off by seveal grooves of a record. An etched offset aligner is again as unequivocal as an etched arc, and the mirrored surface gives a positive indicator that one is looking at the cantilever in exactly the right position to gauge if it is aligned on center. You can do it with the Feickert, but repeatability becomes partly the result of operator skill rather than positively getting the stylus in the groove (or not).

All these words may not mean much until you actually go through the process a few times and see the point of the stylus through a magnifier, sitting on a dot or in a groove.

And I don't think you wasted your money on the Feickert. It is a quality, well made tool. Coupled with an arc style protractor (together less than 10% the cost of a top flight moving coil) one has a complete toolkit for doing cartridge alignment. Uh, well, except perhaps for azimuth. (If you have a voltmeter, there all you'll need is something like the Cardas Sweep test record, or you can do it by ear.)

Best of luck with your first cartridge setup - you'll do fine.

Tim

Tom - I'm probably gonna display my ignorance here so kindly bear with me regarding the SME, ... if the stylus perfectly traces the arc in a Wally or other arc-style protractor, why does it matter that you can't change the overhang because of no slots in the headshell? With my SME V on a Teres I can set up different carts with the same Wally.

(And SOA may be a lifestyle choice for some, but its still a Gartner product living out its own cycle of hype - one man's abstraction layer is another man's pot of beans. :-)

Tim
 

Smoffatt - the best way to get a cart aligned in an SME V, imo, is with a Wallytractor. I haven't seen the Mint, but if its the same design and quality as a Wally, then it will work as well. For me, the arc style protractor is much easier than a two-pointer, but those can work. (Say what you will, Wally deserves a boatload of credit for bringing his mirrored arc style tractor to us audiophiles - like many others on this forum, he's a generous contributor to our hobby.)

The fine gradient movement of the SME's sled makes small adjustments simple to dial the stylus in the arc across its length - much easier than manually shifting the cartridge in head shell slots and then tightening the cartridge bolts without changing anything. This, imo, is one of the design's real strengths. Once the tone arm is mounted, the sled makes pivot-to-spindle distance somewhat of a moot point.

If your cantilever (and ultimately your stylus) is at right angles to a line drawn through the headshell bolts, then there should be no need for cartridge adjustment to hit the proper offset on the protractor's grid lines. Otherwise the soft head shell metal makes it simple to *very slightly* enlarge the holes in the headshell enough for minor adjustment. (I did this turning a drill by hand - let me know if you need the bit size, I've got it somewhere in my notes at home.)

Tom - thanks for the follow-up!

Tim

Wouldn’t you be defeating the purpose of a custom protractor by changing the spindle to pivot distance as an adjustment?

My admittedly limited and possibly flawed understanding is that pivot-to-spindle distance + overhang = a spot on the arc of a protractor designed for a specific pivot-to-spindle distance, 233.15 on the SME V. The way to adjust a cartridge in an SME V/IV is by moving the entire arm via its sled. If by moving the tonearm via the sled I cause the stylus to perfectly trace the arc on a protractor designed for the tonearm, doesn't that equate to proper setup? If I follow that method, is my cartridge not aligned correctly? (Genuine question, not rhetorical).

Tim

Because right now I believe I just dialed in my cartridge beyond what the Feickert could ever do.

Congratulations. Do you hear a difference?

FWIW - for holding platters and protractors in place, I use that blue painters tape used to mask off edges and borders - works like a charm and easy to remove with no marks left.

I just re-read the first several messages in this thread - been a bit of journey since the last 10 days of June, eh. :)
 
Tim
 

Good job on the comparo Shane - thanks for the writeup.

Palasr - I know exactly what you're saying about the Wally and in that knowing find a little care avoids any issue. Overall, ime, the groove on the Wally gives a clear assurance of proper setup.

Speedy - your enthusiasm is catchy - I'll enjoy hearing more about your new Phantom with the O!