VPI 3D arm question

A friend obtained a new VPI 3D arm for his Prime table. The bearing cup is higher in the housing than his original bearing cup was so the azimuth ring under the pivot tower is almost in contact with the dogleg of the mounting platform. Should he raise the pivot spike or pry off the cap on top of the housing to get at the hex nut and lower the bearing cup? Or does it matter which method he uses?

Thanks

 

The VPI Forum might be the best place to ask this question.

 

I asked there too but it’s nowhere near as active as the Steve Hoffman forum is. Lots a VPI guys here that are just as knowledgeable.

 

Don't know why he'd even think about going 3rd party (I've read some of the posts at the VPI "forum)
Contact VPI
I recently had to myself regarding one of my RCMs - great people
Michael

 

This IS a musical hardware forum. In case you haven’t noticed guys ask questions here about hundreds of different manufacturers products on this forum. If you don’t have experience with a product it’s okay if you don’t reply. Really it is.

 

[moderator edit]
a new tonearm issue is something you should take up with the maker before you start "prying" on it - not asking a bunch of random people at a forum what to do
I mean it's like Mat Weisfeld is only an email or a phone call away
Michael

Here's the very best answer to your hardware inquiry there is - good luck with your friend's tonearm:

VPI Industries
77 Cliffwood Ave. #5D
Cliffwood, NJ 07721
[email protected]
732-583-6895

 

This is an add question, since the Prime TT comes with a 3d arm. In any event, what to do if you replace an older VPI arm with a new 3d arm.

The answer is simple, the new 3d arms are incompatible with the cup and spike lower bearing of older arms. You must purchase a new longer spike (without the cup) and install it in place of your lower bearing. If you have the spike-only lower bearing and it doesn't work, you have to lower the upper bearing. Getting to the hex nut is easy. Alternatively you can measure the height of the spike and see if VPI sells a taller one. That should cover it.

 

Just in case you don't get the help you need here you can try the Facebook VPI group. I love my VPI turntable

 

or he can call the guy who created the arm
can't think of a better, smarter or safer way to go
the folks at VPI are super accessible and super helpful
Michael

 

I'd suggest posting pictures. For myself, this is too ambiguous to follow. Pics would be far easier for me to understand the issue. I own a VPI Prime with that arm and might be able to help.

 

I’d post a picture or two if my image hosting Flickr hadn’t locked me out. Anyhow, the story is a friend bought a new Prime and the tonearm lead to the Lemo was too short by over an inch. Finally he sent the original 3D arm to VPI who replaced the entire arm to get him up and running quickly. So the new arm sits so low on the pivot spike that the azimuth ring almost contacts the dogleg and the side weights were now contacting the dogleg of the mounting platform. I took a picture of where my own 3D arm rests on the spike and there’s almost 1/8” gap from the bottom of the azimuth ring to the dogleg. I told him he could either try raising the spike or lowering the cup to get that arm where it should be. He raised the spike and all seems well but some research we have since done seems to point to adjusting the bearing cup as being the recommended method.

From a couple of responses I did get from the VPI forum it seems either method will work fine but the bearing cup method is better for fine tuning the height.

Hopefully this will be of assistance to others who may have similar questions about their VPI tables.

Thanks !

 

Adjusting the bearing cup is more common, and as you note easier to fine tune, but it’s often difficult to turn, which concerns some people, so raising the spike is the alternate method. There is no specified distance between the dog leg and the bottom of the tonearm, so IMO adjusting the spike is just fine.

John K.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself
Michael
https://www.vpiindustries.com/faq-s

https://www.vpiindustries.com/about

VPI Industries
77 Cliffwood Ave. #5D
Cliffwood, NJ 07721
[email protected]
732-583-6895

 

Thank you. I have heard getting that bearing cup screw moving can be tough at first. The idea of applying torque to that fine 3D arm scares me lol. I have seen what rough handling them through a certain shipper can do, personally.

 

Sometimes it takes two or three days just to get a question posted on the VPI site. It's pretty bad.

 

It’s a great site and a great resource even just browsing through threads there. But it’s mostly
just VPI product owners or the VPI curious that visit the site. Therefore it may not have as members online at any given time as this forum. I guess.

 

Hmmmm. Not really but your choice.

 

The VPI Facebook page is much more active than the VPI Forum.

I love my VPI turntable

 

The consensus at the VPI forum is that a bit of mild Loctite is used on the cup screw during manufacture--which is why it's difficult at first to move--but I'm not sure I've seen that confirmed by Harry or Mat. In any case, if you do move the cup screw it wouldn't hurt to put a drop of Loctite (whatever the mild version is) in from the top after you've made the final adjustment.

John K.