Rear arm on VPI Classic 4 Turntable

Has anyone ever put a rear arm on a VPI Classic 4 turntable? Does a 12 inch arm work comfortably at the back or is a 10 inch arm better? What hardware is needed? How difficult is it to install - and use?

I’m a unipivot wand arm swapper. I have 5 12 inch JMW 12 inch wand arms. I was thinking of adding a 12 inch gimbal to the right sided arm but want to preserve a 12 inch unipivot for my other wandarms.

I am turning to the community for advice because try as I might I cannot get VPI to answer my emails or calls. They seem to have abandoned customer service for some reason I do love the turntable though despite being ghosted.

Useful input appreciated!

ulcerdoc03-05-2026 12:32am

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elliottbnewcombjr Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 7,731 posts 03-05-2026 at 05:51am Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete It's a shame they don't help you, it can get tricky. My long arm, I realized Afterwards I had a few close clearances, just got lucky. And, I had to cut a notch in my dust cover for the 'above plinth' wires. This Classic 4, the rear plate and part of the arm is cantilevered beyond the rear and left side of the plinth, and the cable is not out the bottom of the arm post, i.e. din, it is above the plinth, sticking out much further. Sometimes a VPI Junction Box has to make a transition from delicate tonearm wires to RCA Jacks, I did that with box from NewArtVinyl, later a box from VPI using their mini-din connector. without a dust cover, you can make a bigger mounting plate, or, a huge/heavy dust cover around the Plinth and extended parts Check the height of the gimbal below the dust cover, when the arm post is raised for a tall cartridge, say 22mm, above a thick LP. With a more compact plinth, with a dust cover that sits ON the plinth, thus smaller, lighter, easier to place somewhere during play, be more careful: Don’t forget the length of the counterweight section behind the pivot. a. if removable dust cover, it only has to fit when parked and you put the cover back on b. IF a hinged dust cover, the rear of the arm must clear the portion of the dust cover on it’s outside edge as it pivots: if the rear, the rear face, if right side, the side of the cover or a side hinge. I have seen cutouts to allow an arm to pivot while the dust cover is closed, however many of us believe a cover should be removed, or left raised, so as not to reflect micro-vibrations back down to the LP, arm ...
tablejockey Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 4,403 posts 03-05-2026 at 05:55am Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete It's here https://www.vpiindustries.com/classic4?srsltid=AfmBOorlfqqp0b_JG4E7pJ9BEKjRw9ElXYUzTJU5G1E_HQ3hr1SqAmbF The AI query will add more details
tablejockey Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 4,403 posts 03-05-2026 at 05:59am Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete Yes, you can fit two 12-inch tonearms on a VPI Classic 4 turntable . The Classic 4 was specifically designed with a larger plinth for this purpose. VPI Industries +2 Key details regarding this setup: Capacity: The plinth is large enough to accommodate two 12-inch arms, or a combination of 10-inch and 12-inch arms. Setup: The second armboard typically mounts to the rear of the plinth, often overhanging the edge. Arm Options: The table can be configured with VPI's own 12-inch 3D or Fatboy arms, as well as third-party arms. Recommendation: While it is possible to mount two, users have noted that proper setup of a 12-inch arm requires careful attention to the spindle-to-pivot (S2P) distance and, in some cases, smaller counterweights may be needed to ensure full movement.
elliottbnewcombjr Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 7,731 posts 03-05-2026 at 06:16am Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete Some arms, not many, have heavier weights, often Titanium. That allows a shorter rear counterweight, which might fit on the plinth or inside a dust cover. Also, a small diameter base might be needed if close to something. I found a compact Mission (Jelco) that just barely fit for my third arm which is typically a Mono cartridge. They made a fixed version which I started with, and the one I found later with a removable headshell. I just barely squeezed it on the plinth/under the dust cover when on. I had learned by getting lucky with my 2nd arm.
elliottbnewcombjr Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 7,731 posts 03-05-2026 at 06:21am Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete Anybody want a DD TT81; two arm plinth; awesome UA-7082 arm (11-1/8" effectve length, 270mm spindle to pivot. Listed 2 days ago https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/650211441-victor-tt-81-turntable-quartz-locked-direct-drive-with-long-victor-ua-7082-tonearm/ CAD 1,100 equals $805 usd, the arm alone is worth that. add tax, insurance, shipping, tarriff ..... it still might be a bargain, these plinths don’t pop up so often these days like they did in 2019 when I got mine. My friend is having new veneer applied to his very rare CL-P3 Plinth designed with 3 removable arm boards. That arm is awesome, very smooth ’on the fly’ height refinement and ’on the fly’ anti-skate. I wish it had an adjustable headshell fitting like the Micro Seiki’s, but I have several Audio Technica Headshells with Azimuth Adjustability to solve that. I had my time with a 12-1/2" Effective Length arm, I much prefer this 11-1/8" arm (same exact length as the Micro Seiki MA-505L It’s big: 508mm deep; 565mm wide, special 7 layer construction, see thru the arm cutout. My armboard is OEM, same layered construction, seriously stiff; some replacement arm boards are different. Tis one: rear armboard never drilled, that’s very rare if it’s the OEM board. I had to ease my rear hole a few mm for my Acos Lustre GST-801 arm, and the right board is rotated, original OEM 270mm hole, my little blue level is covering the hole for my 12-1/2" arm. And I made a recess for the 45 adapter that sits in another old hole it came with. I gave that arm to a friend I met here.