Does anything better Jelco arm ~$1000

I will read up on the Victor UA-7045. What vintage is typically available and are they all the same?

You have to look for UA-7045 or 7082 index only.
make sure to check side image or the armwand and counterweight in the extreme position on the end. If the counterweight is in line with the armwand then you’re fine (on the bad samples the counterweight is bent down). And if everything else is fine then it’s a nice tonearm. And believe me they are underrated, it’s reflected in the price, which is amazing for the buyers who knows what it is and how good it is. Highly competitive with much more expensive tonearms! Only the rubber in this tube that supported counterweight is a weak part, but i’ve owned 2 perfect samles without this problem. Tonearm is easy to use and it’s easy to swap and adjust cartridges on it (VTA on the fly etc). Not every tonearm will give you this feelings, and only for $750 max. It’s a bargain!

7082 is long version, rare and normally overpriced a bit (compared to 7045) when it turns up for sale. No difference, just slightly higher effective mass and length.

For both models there is an additional small counterweight to screw in on the back for heavier carts. I've never used this option, but it's good to have it if the shell and cart is on the heavy side.  

There’s a Victor UA-7082 for sale on ebay from Japan. $730 w/ free shipping.  Also a seller refurbed UA-7045 for $700 from Japan.

@sbank - I cannot offer an opinion on the Jelco arm, but I do own an Audiomods Classic II arm with the bead-blast finish - since 2013.

I have the version with the micrometer VTA - which allows for precise resetting of the VTA back to a pre-defined "norm", something very handy to have if you like to change cartridges frequently. I also have the Silver litz wiring loom with KLE Absolute Harmony RCAs

The quality is more like a "Bentley" and Jeff is very good at what he does. Fitting and setup was a doddle and the features on the arm allows for very precise adjustments.

I had the Rega RB250 arm with the Cardas loom prior to the Audiomods and right off the bat you could feel the difference in the bearings between the two arms when placing the stylus over the album - the Audiomods was much smoother.

The counter-weight, although it looks normal, is "loaded" towards the bottom, which lowers the centre of gravity and there is an additional very small weight that allows for extremely fine tuning.

If you place an order, jeff will email you to ascertain what TT/cartridge you will be using - he will telll you if it is a good match to the arm. He will even make a mounting plate if required

I doubt I will change the arm in my lifetime and other owners that I have conversed with feel the same.

Here is a review I conducted of my arm
http://image99.net/blog/files/f233eea773cbc47d311b80d32702da48-40.html

I’m currently using it with a Soundsmith modified Denon 103 caridge with their ruby cantilever and Optimized Contour Contact line stylus

The sound is extremely detailed and the cartridge tracks very well

One incident occured in transit - something had fallen onto the package with some force and put a dent in the wooden box the arm came in - even through the exterior packaging. I contacted Jeff anf after explaining the damage he assured me the arm would not have suffered any damage - in his words " The arm and bearings are much stronger than they look"

It has been on my TT ever since and has operated flawlessly.

A good friend has the Series Five on an SL1200 with a Van den Hul cartridge and is extremely happy with it

Only thing left to say - It’s no "Saab" :-)

Regards - Steve

@bpoletti thanks I saw those. If the length isn't too long, it's an option. Having most recently owned another great vintage arm, the Technics EPA-250, I do like the on-the-fly VTA. The fact that this one was refurbished recently is clearly a bonus.

@williewonka Thanks for the comments. I enjoyed reading your review too. It's great to hear that Jeff is so in tune with his customers' specific situations. The details matter; for example my Nagra BPS has RCA inputs pretty close together, so larger RCA plugs might have a tough time fitting. In that spirit I confirmed via Jeff's manual online that S2P distance of 222mm would fit. I also saw one user mention using a Series V on a Sota table. Cheers,
Spencer