The Technics SL-1200 GAE/G/GR general questions thread

And have the mat thicknesses been measured to verify the differential? Funk Firm says their mat is 5mm thick, and Technics says their mat is 3mm thick, but I wouldn’t count on a precise 2mm difference between them without actually getting a calipers out and comparing for myself.

 

It looks like the arm tube is slightly rotated counterclockwise as viewed from the front. It is attached to the pivot assembly with two sheet metal screws from below, as shown in red circle in image below of an old 1200 model. Rotating it would lead to the azimuth problem you show, and would also make the headshell point down slightly in the front leading to your leveling issue. Just a thought, may be wrong ...

 

Agreed. Personally I think FF stuff is suspect and would not use it or trust it. If I were OP I would get a Tech 6mm mat, set the VTA to zero and go from there. If necessary or fixated on VTA then get a 1-1.5mm light spacer for the cart. I would then return or chuck that Wally Crap in the trash.

 

That would definitely cause his issues.

Absolutely.

 

I don’t think the calibration of the VTA adjustment is correct. That would assume the tone arm not the table itself is wrong

 

I’m almost certain the azimuth issue is with the headshell and not the arm. The mat is flat.

 

I measured them both. Both are 3 and 5mm

 

Just as an aside I never look at the numbers, I only focus on what the tonearm and headshell cartridge are doing.
It could be on 7 or 12 for all I know...

 

The numbers aren’t important but are most used as starting point. My problem is I can’t get the headshell level front to back.

 

I personally really like the FF mat over the stock and so do many others. The 6mm still won’t solve the issue and thanks to the Wally crap I’ve been able to identify an major problem with the table. How is fixating on VTA not a really important part of the cart setup process? If you can’t start with a level headshell the rest of the set up is pointless.

 

Isn't the arm tube drilled? That would mean the drilling is off if the arm tube is rotated? While that could be a possibility, I think the more common possibility is that the stock headshell was not assembled correctly. This has been reported several times on here over the past few years. In all that time I have maybe seen one arm that was not assembled correctly, which was a 1500C IIRC.

 

I posted an article upthread. Have fun running in circles.

 

You’re right. It’s the headshell. Not really a big problem as I have replaced it with the DS Audio.

 

There's a tolerance on the drilling, plus they are self-tapping screws, and the holes in the pivot assembly have clearance too. Things can add up, a machine can be out of tolerance, or near the end of calibration cycle, tube bent slightly wrong, whole lot of possible issues.

 

The VTA adjustment guide in the manual is only a rough guide. There is only 6mm of adjustment on any 1200 no matter which way you slice it. There is also only one way to mount the arm.

 

Hard pass thanks

 

Sure, entirely possible but I haven't seen it. OP can send the deck for warranty service or exchange/return with the retailer if it bothers them that much and they are that confident there is a real issue. Several of the VTA complaints I've seen though are a combo of not understanding the quirks of the VTA adjuster and user error...

 

You should buy a turntable with micrometer VTA adjustment and adjust for every record as well as any record anomalies.

/s

 

The wally thing looks like it's well thought out. Is there something wrong with it?

 

It's an overpriced piece of 3D printed plastic that no one needs to set up a cartridge. Unfortunately Dirty 'Ol Uncle Mike and his acolytes have tricked all these middle aged and old men (who have hearing that worsens with each passing year) into thinking they need special "precision" tools to set up a cart when it is far from necessary. Records simply are not very precise no matter where they are made which can be seen on careful inspection with the naked eye. Yet people are fretting over minutia for a format that is far from perfect. The worst part about all these USB scopes and other crap is that they can lead people to do wacky things with their turntable set up.

 

So the people who bought it are old and were 'tricked' or suckered into buying it due to a lack of knowledge and a 'Pied Piper'. But you know better.
ok

 

You are right that it's overpriced. I checked out the website and was shocked. I would buy it for 30 bucks. I would treat it as an "approximation" device and not a "precision" device.

 

Oh wow, I had never really looked at these… For about $260 less, I got a laser-etched acrylic block that serves the same purpose. Spend it if ya’ got it, I guess, but I couldn’t justify any of the prices I’m seeing for the tools on their site for setting up a 1200 arm. I could maybe see it for arms that are more fiddly to get adjusted, but alignment on my GR has never taken me more than maybe 20 minutes using more basic, much less expensive tools, and that was the first time, when I was just figuring out what I was doing. The last time I mounted a cartridge to a headshell, I think it was more like 10 minutes to get everything dead on the nuts, verified with a free arc protractor and my ears.

 

40 years old
Once you get the hang of it very precise.
Overhang
Azimuth (using cartridge body)
Aligns tip to suspension
no VTA or rake

imo azimuth is best done measuring output.

 

Even 30 bucks is too much. It’s 10 cents of plastic. Put a profit margin on it of 1000% and you’re just over 1 buck.
The remaining 274 bucks can be used in a more useful way, like lighting a campfire or as toilet paper.