Rega RP6/ RB303 tonearm attachment

A couple of questions for someone who has had the tonearm off the plinth:

What are the three attachment screws screwed into? Directly into the plinth material (i.e. wood), or do they have a threaded metal counterpart/insert/nut underneath? Are the screws pointed self-cutting/wood screws or are they cylindrical bolts?

The reason I ask is that I plan to put spacers underneath the arm to accommodate a 3rd party cartridge. I know the tonearm has been mucked with and replaced at the dealer's at least once already. As I expect to not get the VTA right on the first try, I wonder how many times the arm can be removed without detrimental effect on the integrity of the attachment. If the screws go directly into the plinth, there must inevitably be wear put on the holes that could compromise integrity of the attachment at some point.

A related question: Is there a definite position of the tonearm or does it have to be centered/free-positioned on the plinth?

Thanks,
Alex

 

The screws screw directly into the mdf plinth--no metal insert. There is a thread on VE where some guys drilled all the way through the braces and plinth of their RP3/6's and used nuts/washers on the bottom side to secure the tonearm. They reported it had sonic benefits as well.

 

If you get right kind of spacers, you will never even have to remove the screws. The ones I bought were a 2 piece construction that allowed me to back off but not remove the screws and slip them in and simply retighten. I felt much better about this than removing the screws altogether, possibly multiple times to get the right height/fit, etc. The brand is Acoustic Signature and Fremer gave them a great write up a while back. They also have the same profile as the base so you don't really even see them installed.

Bought mine from a CDN dealer but they seem to be everywhere now.

http://www.needledoctor.com/Acoustic-Signature-Shim-Set-for-Rega-Tonearm

 

I use the Michell 3-point VTA adjuster. Great hardware. For most PUs you need to increase height by 2-3mm. The below adjuster is 2mm at its lowest setting.
http://www.michell-engineering.co.uk/tonearms/new-rega-3-point-vta-adjuster/

My seller said it's no problems removing the screws many times. You can put back the small MDF left overs into the hole for even tighter fit. I have removed my arm like 3-4 times. No problems. But never tighten the screws to hard. You will feel when it's time to stop

 

As long as you are careful and take your time you will have no issues, it's very straightforward.

 

I used the Acoustic Signature spaces mentioned above for my RP3 and they worked really well. Yes, they are a bit on the expensive side but the advantage is you don't have to remove the screws or tonearm completely from the plinth.

Simply loosen the existing screws enough to allow the tonearm to be lifted slightly. Slide in the desired height spacers and retighten the screws and you're done.

 

This sounds like something Rega should have done in the first place. These wood screws is the only thing I dislike about the RP6. Screws in wood are an inherently risky proposition in regards to repeat removal. Additionally, if you add a 3mm spacer, the original screw will no longer reach into the last 3mm of the original hole. If the screws' thread is conical, as it usually is with wood screws, even the rest of the thread will not be fully tight. As dianos pointed out below, you can improve the tightness by putting some mdf debris into the hole., but nevertheless, nevertheless...
No, I don't like it one bit.

Yes, these are the ones I plan to use. Definitely better than the OEM ones. Still, the concern about loosening the screws applies to some degree. Also, it appears I will have to loosen the cable clamp underneath and let some more cable in to prevent undue tension.

Haven't seen those, thanks.

I hope you are right. I want to put a DV 10x5 on it. Most people say either 2mm or 3mm spacer is needed.

 

I dont recall having to loosen the cable clamp on my P5 and with this 4 piece set, I actually added up to 4mm at one point during my trial and error tweak fest.

 

I use Michael Lim's spacers, and chose the 2.8mm stainless/serrated spacer for my RP6/DV20x2L.
It's perfect.
http://lpturntables.blogspot.ca/2011/06/serrated-3-point-vta-spacer-for-rega.html

Also, don't over think this whole wood screws, the millimeters, etc. Just take your time, be careful and it works just fine. The Rega decks are designed well, and mod well, and most of all they sound great.

 

That's a great resource, thanks. I like that drill-through tweak. Maybe not to do right away, but it is a good emergency backup plan if the OEM screw holes in the mdf should get chewed up and no longer hold.

 

The Rega plinth is very dense, it does not flake at all, there wasn't even any dust taking the screws out, no chewing whatsoever. You will not have an issue if you use a proper screwdriver and take your time.

 

That's good to hear. I know I am probably being overly cautious, but not without reason completely. I have found on the VE forum two reports of dealers messing up the spacer installation. In one, the tonearm was seated crooked (the dealer insisted on using the plastic spacer for some reason - so it is not quite relevant). The other case, however, may be: the brace ended up separating from the plinth - the surmise there was that the screws pulled up some mdf material out of the hole that prevented the brace from lying flat.

In any case, it does not appear as idiot proof as it would seem at first blush. So doing a bit of research before digging in seems prudent.

 

Absolutely.
Also, there are good dealers and not-so-good dealers... sounds like whoever had their dealer do it on the VE forum got the latter.

 

Agreed--the RP6 plinth is actually denser than the RP3 (MDF vs. particle board, respectively), but even when I added the spacer to my RP3, the plinth held up fine with no bits and pieces coming loose. I've actually dome it twice with no problems.