Calling All (Any) Cartridge Alignment Experts in Western North Carolina

@waltersalas,

Sent a PM

 I guarantee you a stiff neck, bleary eyeballs, and frustration if you use the Mint.

This is why a USB microscope (with a small stand attachment) is so helpful. Once you have the alignment and focus of the microscope set, it’s very easy to confirm alignment of the cantilever and physical azimuth. Plus there’s no stiff neck, bleary eyeballs or frustration. Sure, using a ‘scope may yield “better” results, but for the love of all things holy, don’t let really, really good be the enemy of great. 

This is why a USB microscope (with a small stand attachment) is so helpful. Once you have the alignment and focus of the microscope set, it’s very easy to confirm alignment of the cantilever and physical azimuth. Plus there’s no stiff neck, bleary eyeballs or frustration. Sure, using a ‘scope may yield “better” results, but for the love of all things holy, don’t let really, really good be the enemy of great.

I used one of those too. Good luck getting the scope in the position you need to check parallax (Yip’s clever method). The plinth usually manages to get in the way. The gooseneck stands are simply not long enough or stable enough. And again, what about VTF, VTA, SRA, and azimuth? The Mint does nothing for those parameters.
And way too many make the mistake with the Mint of relying upon the manufacturer’s stated P-S. And yes, VPI is the worst-that I know of-for being sloppy or disregarding their own spec.
I echo the recommendation of a SmartTractor along with a very accurate VTF gauge (Riverstone).

My USB stand is very small and sits on the platter itself. Took me probably 90 seconds to position the scope, set focus, and rotate for relative perspective. 
The Technics 1200G table (presumably with stock arm and headshell) is a pretty known table...there’s enough practical experience to determine the appropriate parameters for an arc protractor. 
You seem to be very defensive about Yip and the MintLP product. I apologize if I’ve struck a nerve. I have no dog in this hunt. Respectfully, I just don’t think a SMARTractor will deliver 4x the benefit at 4x the cost (especially if you’re not frequently setting-up a litany of tables, swapping tonearm and cartridges, or experimenting with different alignment geometries). 
Also not sure how a SMARTractor is any better at VTA / SRA, azimuth, or....VTF(?) than the Mint offering.

Sure, a ‘scope can help optimize those parameters, but as we’ve established, that type of resource may not be practical.

I for one would recommend becoming confident enough and with investment of great tools to DIY. However there is a lot of value to having two like minds getting together for hours of listening and Q & A.