I've recently got a MintLP Tractor after having used the Graham alignment jig for about 18yrs. I've read lots of posts of how time consuming and frustrating the MintLP tractor could be, and I wasn't exactly looking forward to using it.
In actual fact I found it a breeze. It probably helped that I have a large window directly behind the turntable to flood with natural light - but I had no trouble getting exacting alignment in less than half an hour.....including lots of rechecking. I didn't use the optional 10x loupe I got from Yip. The standard (lighted) 3x magnifier worked much better and provided plenty of magnification for my eyes to see exactly what was going on.
I'm truly impressed with the absolute precision possible with the Mint. My (early) Graham jig has marking lines far to thick too get anything like the same accuracy - and the there are no lines present to exactly position the stylus on. Not to mention the inaccuracy of the tilt on the flip over plate, not using true playing VTF, no parallax error correction and freeplay in the actual jig itself.
Given the above, it was hardly surprising that the Mint was more accurate - but I still couldn't believe the major improvement in sound quality.
Much better consistency of sound from beginning to end of the record. Improved focus, lower colouration, better soundstaging and, most importantly, greater sense of naturalness/ease and musical flow. The previous observations were true for both my Uwe bodied 103R and Ortofon Jubilee - taking both cartridges to new heights in my system.
The best $100 I've spent on my analogue setup!
FWIW, I still love the brilliant concept and ease of use of the Graham tool (and maybe later jigs are improved?). I'm a long-term Graham user and remain a huge fan of Bob Graham's designs. However it is hard to argue with the results provided by the MintLP tractor.
In actual fact I found it a breeze. It probably helped that I have a large window directly behind the turntable to flood with natural light - but I had no trouble getting exacting alignment in less than half an hour.....including lots of rechecking. I didn't use the optional 10x loupe I got from Yip. The standard (lighted) 3x magnifier worked much better and provided plenty of magnification for my eyes to see exactly what was going on.
I'm truly impressed with the absolute precision possible with the Mint. My (early) Graham jig has marking lines far to thick too get anything like the same accuracy - and the there are no lines present to exactly position the stylus on. Not to mention the inaccuracy of the tilt on the flip over plate, not using true playing VTF, no parallax error correction and freeplay in the actual jig itself.
Given the above, it was hardly surprising that the Mint was more accurate - but I still couldn't believe the major improvement in sound quality.
Much better consistency of sound from beginning to end of the record. Improved focus, lower colouration, better soundstaging and, most importantly, greater sense of naturalness/ease and musical flow. The previous observations were true for both my Uwe bodied 103R and Ortofon Jubilee - taking both cartridges to new heights in my system.
The best $100 I've spent on my analogue setup!
FWIW, I still love the brilliant concept and ease of use of the Graham tool (and maybe later jigs are improved?). I'm a long-term Graham user and remain a huge fan of Bob Graham's designs. However it is hard to argue with the results provided by the MintLP tractor.