Audio Technica AT-PL120 Questions


(Please bear with me, as I am new to vinyl).

How do I know what height to put the tone arm at? What is the correct height? I am not looking to DJ- just to listen to my records.

What is the best brush+fluid to use to clean records? I might not even be using the fluid; it's not heavy, heavy cleaning, although I may be using the fluid sometimes.

Will a cartridge alignment tool come with instructions on how to use it? Or rather, how do I align the cartridge? I just ordered an Ortofon 2M Blue from Needle Doctor, it's on its way.

Thanks!
fond_but_not_in_love
Generally, you'll want to adjust the height so the tonearm is level when it sits down on the average record. You might want to experiment to fine tune the arm height to your listening preference. Usually level or with the fulcrum a tiny bit lower than the headshell is desirable.

If you don't want to get into a lot of money, Audio Technica's own record cleaning kit is very good. My local needle/turntable guru recommended it over many similar other ones. He said the AT brush has finer filaments and scrubs out the groove better. AT's replacement cleaning fluid is rather expensive, but you can find plenty of excellent, less expensive replacement cleaning fluids here and many other places (Needle Doctor, MusicDirect, Acoustic Sounds, etc.).

I believe the the PL-120 comes with a cartridge alignment jig, which should get it close enough to get you going. Another alternative is to access the alignment protractors at Vinyl Engine here. Since the PL-120 is such a close copy of the Technics SL1200, I suspect you can use the Technics protractor on this page. Otherwise, just use one of the universal protractors. Make sure you set your printing preferences to "full size" or "100%" when printing it out, because accurate scale is everything with alignment protractors. Vinyl Engine includes instructions for many of these.

You should get a lot of enjoyment out of that rig. Not only are the PL-120 and 2M Blue two of the better components at their price points, that turntable and that cart work together particularly well.
When I set the tonearm height to 0, the back part of the arm is still higher in the air than the needle on the record. What I mean is, the lowest setting does not make the arm parallel with the record.
06-04-09: Fond_but_not_in_love
When I set the tonearm height to 0, the back part of the arm is still higher in the air than the needle on the record. What I mean is, the lowest setting does not make the arm parallel with the record.
You need to either get a thicker record mat or put shims or spacers between the cartridge and the headshell.

Some cartridges come with spacers in the form of little sleeves. You slide the sleeves over the mounting bolts between the cartridge and headshell to raise the front of the tonearm when the stylus hits the groove.

You may even be able to find what you need at Home Depot or Ace Hardware.