Technics SL1200: standard overhang gauge or MintLP

I'll come out and say it:

I hate the Turntable Basics protractor.

I wouldn't say the Turntable Basics protractor is *inaccurate*, but it is not very *precise*. Set up your geometry using the Turntable Basics protractor, and everything will appear aligned properly. Then check it with a more precise protractor - it *may* appear way off. Realign with that more precise protractor, then double-check with the Turntable Basics protractor. It will still appear properly aligned.

I would love to have someone with a MintLP protractor compare their results with an arc protractor that I've created using MS Visio and the John Elison "Enjoy the Music" Excel spreadsheet that calculates Baerwald & Lofgren geometries. It takes about 10 minutes to generate a new protractor with a different Effective Length. The one I have generated is for a Rega / Origin Live tonearm (240 mm Effective Length). It would be even better if someone could show me how to generate a MS Visio file automatically from calculated values in an Excel spreadsheet. :)

To take this free protractor to the next level, print this protractor on an transparent plastic sheet and place it on top of a mirror. This may be my low-cost activity this weekend.

Anyone care to try it? Just PM me. I'm interested in knowing how much I'm "leaving on the table" (pun intended) by not dropping $110.00 on another protractor).

I hear you, Mark. The point I'm trying to make is that, just like everything else in this hobby, there is a a point of diminishing returns from the dollar spent. And I believe a bit of understanding can not only yield great satisfaction in terms of turntable setup, but also save some serious money. Plus, it takes a bit of the mystery out of analog reproduction.

Take a simple free, downloadable arc protractor (with 2 null points) - not unlike the one I've created, take it to Kinkos and have them print it out on an overhead transparancy. This will cost you $0.75 + tax. Make sure they have Page Scaling set to "None".

Then hit a Michael's or Hobby Lobby and purchase a 5" round mirror for $0.99 + tax. Assuming you have an Exacto knife ($4.99 + tax) and a steady enough hand to cut a hole for the spindle, you're probably 99% to 99.9% the way to the MintLP protractor for somewhere between $2 and $8.

I just did this, and quite frankly, even with the parallax advantage of the mirror, I did not change my setup over simply aligning it via a simple printout of the protractor. Maybe I've hit the accuracy limit of this approach. Maybe I just got lucky.

Unfortunately, the overhead transparancies are not crystal clear. I'm going to stay on the lookout for some that are.

My other point I'm trying to make is that we, as a collective, can help educate each-other on some low-cost, common sense things that can improve our systems (like the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser). Assuming I'm not way off-base, if this can help one person improve their turntable setup *without* spending $110, then I feel I've contributed in a positive way to the audio community.