The best way to straighten it out is to take it off of the arm and place it in a new vice. Place it such that the entire flat portion where the cartridge is mounted is clamped as the jaws come together this should flatten out any bends in the cartridge mounting area. (The entire top of the headshell must fit inside the flat machined part of the vice!) Thin paper between the jaws and the headshell should prevent marring, make sure to clamp right to the edge of the arm mounting - when done the headshell should describe a perfect right angle between the cartridge mounting point and the arm mounting point.
Don't heat it!
Don't heat it!
depends a bunch on what the headshell is made from...
if it is a magnesium or zinc alloy it has a low melting point and is brittle to boot. Aluminum, depending on the alloy will be either brittle or flexible... not likely it is brass or some heavy metal... cast aluminum is quite brittle...
the vice jaws need to be flat jaws, not knurled (diamond) faced.
Also the vice will never get it 100% dead true, but it will be likely good enough. Sometimes a light wack with a non marring thingie (wood, plastic, etc) between the wacker and the wackee will cause the object to "come back" enough... depends on the bend and where it starts from...
If there is any rubber or plastic parts on the headshell assembly, definitely do not heat. Otoh, 300-400F in an oven won't hurt it if no meltable parts... but it will cool instantly when you vise it up... might help, dunno...
_-_-bear
I'd buy a new one from the mfr, and be done with it.
if it is a magnesium or zinc alloy it has a low melting point and is brittle to boot. Aluminum, depending on the alloy will be either brittle or flexible... not likely it is brass or some heavy metal... cast aluminum is quite brittle...
the vice jaws need to be flat jaws, not knurled (diamond) faced.
Also the vice will never get it 100% dead true, but it will be likely good enough. Sometimes a light wack with a non marring thingie (wood, plastic, etc) between the wacker and the wackee will cause the object to "come back" enough... depends on the bend and where it starts from...
If there is any rubber or plastic parts on the headshell assembly, definitely do not heat. Otoh, 300-400F in an oven won't hurt it if no meltable parts... but it will cool instantly when you vise it up... might help, dunno...
_-_-bear
I'd buy a new one from the mfr, and be done with it.
I think locating spare parts for this arm could be rather difficult short of buying another - as far as I know Mayware itself is long gone. (Sometime around the mid 1980s is the last time I remember seeing their ads.) Worst case a good machinist could replicate this part fairly easily.
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This is what I got from the seller: "...do not try to bend the headshell as it's cast aluminium and was made that way".
So it probably is pretty brittle. I don't fancy my chances of finding another.
A second, less radical option, is to make a wedge to go between the cartridge and the headshell to offset the angle. This would definitely be a *safer* option.
Ben
So it probably is pretty brittle. I don't fancy my chances of finding another.
A second, less radical option, is to make a wedge to go between the cartridge and the headshell to offset the angle. This would definitely be a *safer* option.
Ben
Ben,
The headshell is black anodized aluminium. If somebody has bent it in its previous life, it should be clearly visible. It can't happen by accident. BTW the 15 degrees comes from the angle of the stylus tip vs. the cantilever. The tip should be vertical to the vinyl surface, so the cantilever is at 15 degrees (and the top of the cartridge, just like the arm tube, is parallel) to the surface. A small mirror can be handy at setting it.
Don't forget to fill the little cup supporting the pivot spike with silicone grease. Do you have the original plastic screw that fixes the counterweight?
Laszlo
The headshell is black anodized aluminium. If somebody has bent it in its previous life, it should be clearly visible. It can't happen by accident. BTW the 15 degrees comes from the angle of the stylus tip vs. the cantilever. The tip should be vertical to the vinyl surface, so the cantilever is at 15 degrees (and the top of the cartridge, just like the arm tube, is parallel) to the surface. A small mirror can be handy at setting it.
Don't forget to fill the little cup supporting the pivot spike with silicone grease. Do you have the original plastic screw that fixes the counterweight?
Laszlo
Hi Lazlo,
Yes, now that I read it again, I see what the 15 degrees is referring to.
I have the silicone grease for the pivot - I got that from the seller. Horrible viscous gunge
I didn't notice a plastic screw for the counterweight - it seems to hold itself in place quite well. Probably best to leave that alone if it's plastic.
Ben
Yes, now that I read it again, I see what the 15 degrees is referring to.
I have the silicone grease for the pivot - I got that from the seller. Horrible viscous gunge
I didn't notice a plastic screw for the counterweight - it seems to hold itself in place quite well. Probably best to leave that alone if it's plastic.Ben
I am delighted to find this discussion on the Mayware arm. I am planning to resurrect my ancient vinyl playback system which has been unused for nearly 40 years. It consists of a Technics SL-1200 direct drive turntable, a Mayware Formula 4 Model PLS4/D arm and a Denon DL-103 cartridge powered by a Levinson JC-1DC preamp.
While the turntable works perfectly, the Mayware arm will have to be completely disassembled, cleaned and set up carefully. Fortunately I have all the parts including a tube of the original silicone damping fluid and a set of the weights for the bias compensation system. I know this will be a challenge as I have zero experience.
The other major problem is that the shank of the Denon cartridge shows a pronounced bend. Does anyone know if this can be straightened manually. I would appreciate any opinions on this or even better would feedback of personal experience with such attempts. I know that repairs services are available, but the cost is nearly as much as a new DL-103.
Howard
While the turntable works perfectly, the Mayware arm will have to be completely disassembled, cleaned and set up carefully. Fortunately I have all the parts including a tube of the original silicone damping fluid and a set of the weights for the bias compensation system. I know this will be a challenge as I have zero experience.
The other major problem is that the shank of the Denon cartridge shows a pronounced bend. Does anyone know if this can be straightened manually. I would appreciate any opinions on this or even better would feedback of personal experience with such attempts. I know that repairs services are available, but the cost is nearly as much as a new DL-103.
Howard
Not really... the cantilever is very thin and easy to break off...
They're on ebay reasonably priced these days... fwiw.
Ben, you'd have to look at the surface of the anodize with a strong magnifier or weak microscope to see cracks in the anodize due to bending - they ought to be there...
But I'd try for the rebend. The vice idea is ok, with flat jaws. Or you could use a clamp between at least one rather flat surface and a pusher surface - don't let the clamp itself touch the headshell, it's likely to magle it.
It kind of depends on where the bend is and if it is symmetrical or the headshell twists and bends or not as to how I would try to fix it.
The wedge thing is kind of ok but you will be adding some mass out on the end of the arm...
The next idea depends on where the bend is. IF there is a flat area, then the bend, then the cartridge area, you could find someone to "splice" in some machined aluminum to bridge the two sections, and then remove the bent portion!
All you need is either to find a machine shop, college with a machinist/shop (most have), or a hobbyist in your area - OR buy a bit of about 1/8" aluminum of appropriate width, and have at it with some files, drills and care. I know I could do the splice job on a kitchen table top with just that and some various grit abrasive paper and some steel wool or synthetic abrasive pad to do the final finishing - that and a trip to the hobby store for some tiny screws and nuts...
_-_-bear
They're on ebay reasonably priced these days... fwiw.
Ben, you'd have to look at the surface of the anodize with a strong magnifier or weak microscope to see cracks in the anodize due to bending - they ought to be there...
But I'd try for the rebend. The vice idea is ok, with flat jaws. Or you could use a clamp between at least one rather flat surface and a pusher surface - don't let the clamp itself touch the headshell, it's likely to magle it.
It kind of depends on where the bend is and if it is symmetrical or the headshell twists and bends or not as to how I would try to fix it.
The wedge thing is kind of ok but you will be adding some mass out on the end of the arm...
The next idea depends on where the bend is. IF there is a flat area, then the bend, then the cartridge area, you could find someone to "splice" in some machined aluminum to bridge the two sections, and then remove the bent portion!
All you need is either to find a machine shop, college with a machinist/shop (most have), or a hobbyist in your area - OR buy a bit of about 1/8" aluminum of appropriate width, and have at it with some files, drills and care. I know I could do the splice job on a kitchen table top with just that and some various grit abrasive paper and some steel wool or synthetic abrasive pad to do the final finishing - that and a trip to the hobby store for some tiny screws and nuts...
_-_-bear
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I use exactly the same combination (on a Thorens TD-160 Super). Is this combination not recommended because of the low compliance of the cartridge combined with the low effective mass of the arm? In other words, the resonace of the two is too high? I measured the resonance with the HFN&RR test disc, and it is around 14 Hz.
Or the unipivot principle or the thin wall of the arm is the problem? The low effective mass can be increased by using a piece of flat lead sheet between the headshell and the cartridge (which is quite heavy by itself).
My take on it too.. Something between 6 - 10Hz is usually considered acceptable IIRC.
Ok, so let me bring you up to date a little on developments... is this the kind of forum where we can admit stupid mistakes? I hope so! I'm feeling a little sheepish...
So I got a little impatient when I got home and decided to see what might happen if I just applied a little manual pressure to the headshell. Just enough so see if it might bend. What could possible go wrong? Of course it snapped clean off... Sigh.
So then I got to thinking - I have other headshells - even if it's just temporary, I can try a different one out. Of course I knew that the diameter of the arm tube would be a problem as it's pretty thin. So I sawed off the end of the original headshell and machined it into a shim (sort of collar) so that I could fit a Sumiko headshell that I'd bought (originally to attach to the SME 3009 I have).
It took me a while to get it all set up. It's considerably longer than the original headshell and it's not angled correctly, so I knew it would have to be a bit of a bodge. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained! I had to mount it a little way down the arm and I could only fix the cartridge with one screw due to the angle it needs to sit at in the headshell (did I say it was a bodge?)
I tried a few different setups and quickly realized that the movable weight would need to be the whole way back down the arm to reduce the effective mass at the headshell, given that this headshell already weighs 12g.
The overall effect is extremely interesting. Unsurprisingly, it has changed the character of the arm completely. Previously, it had an astonishingly fluid and transparent midrange which had me completely sold. It was slightly light on bass response and occasionally sounded a little uncontrolled, but it was very involving with a superb soundstage. With the heavier headshell, the bass response has improved dramatically, but at the expense of midrange detail. It sounds much more controlled than it did which is still exciting, but in a different way... less immediately impressive, but probably better balanced overall.
Once thing is for sure, it's tracking the inner grooves SO much better now - I suspect that this is more likely due to the fact that the arm is sitting horizontal now.
I'm going to live with this setup for a while and see how I feel about it. It definitely looks a little odd, but I'm prepared to live with that, at least for now.
So I got a little impatient when I got home and decided to see what might happen if I just applied a little manual pressure to the headshell. Just enough so see if it might bend. What could possible go wrong? Of course it snapped clean off... Sigh.
So then I got to thinking - I have other headshells - even if it's just temporary, I can try a different one out. Of course I knew that the diameter of the arm tube would be a problem as it's pretty thin. So I sawed off the end of the original headshell and machined it into a shim (sort of collar) so that I could fit a Sumiko headshell that I'd bought (originally to attach to the SME 3009 I have).
It took me a while to get it all set up. It's considerably longer than the original headshell and it's not angled correctly, so I knew it would have to be a bit of a bodge. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained! I had to mount it a little way down the arm and I could only fix the cartridge with one screw due to the angle it needs to sit at in the headshell (did I say it was a bodge?
)I tried a few different setups and quickly realized that the movable weight would need to be the whole way back down the arm to reduce the effective mass at the headshell, given that this headshell already weighs 12g.
The overall effect is extremely interesting. Unsurprisingly, it has changed the character of the arm completely. Previously, it had an astonishingly fluid and transparent midrange which had me completely sold. It was slightly light on bass response and occasionally sounded a little uncontrolled, but it was very involving with a superb soundstage. With the heavier headshell, the bass response has improved dramatically, but at the expense of midrange detail. It sounds much more controlled than it did which is still exciting, but in a different way... less immediately impressive, but probably better balanced overall.
Once thing is for sure, it's tracking the inner grooves SO much better now - I suspect that this is more likely due to the fact that the arm is sitting horizontal now.
I'm going to live with this setup for a while and see how I feel about it. It definitely looks a little odd, but I'm prepared to live with that, at least for now.
Does it really weigh that much more than the stock?
How about a good couple of pix of the broken one?
Maybe you can do the kludge repair that I suggested earlier, whereby you replace the center section of the bent headshell?? I would go for that...
Btw, another material of interest for this repair would be fiberglass PCB material... it can be epoxied, cut, sawed and drilled, sanded too and painted...
_-_-bear
How about a good couple of pix of the broken one?
Maybe you can do the kludge repair that I suggested earlier, whereby you replace the center section of the bent headshell?? I would go for that...
Btw, another material of interest for this repair would be fiberglass PCB material... it can be epoxied, cut, sawed and drilled, sanded too and painted...
_-_-bear
Hi Bear,
The headshell is of no further use as I chopped it up to make the collar for the Sumiko. The Sumiko is significantly heavier than the old one - in fact, the combination of headshell and cartridge is close on 20g. You can see I have the counterweight and collar weight both all the way back to counterbalance it.
I've been experimenting with this setup all day (whilst also working from home, of course) and oh MAN has it responded to tweaking. The heavier, more rigid headshell is clearly making the stylus work harder and is transmitting less resonance through the arm. Reducing the amount of silicone damping has allowed it to open up again and compensate somewhat. The bass response with the heavier headshell is like night and day - the kick drum sound on the White Stripes is huge - the double bass on the Iron and Wine album I'm listening to really warm and rich.
It's funny just how subjective this stuff all is. I've been experimenting with setups now for the best part of 10 years - it's always fun to read people's opinions of what works with what - but nothing beats the sense of achievement of finding something that just sounds "right"... even if it looks a bit stupid
So I'm sticking with this for now. It is working very nicely indeed.
Ben
The headshell is of no further use as I chopped it up to make the collar for the Sumiko. The Sumiko is significantly heavier than the old one - in fact, the combination of headshell and cartridge is close on 20g. You can see I have the counterweight and collar weight both all the way back to counterbalance it.
I've been experimenting with this setup all day (whilst also working from home, of course
) and oh MAN has it responded to tweaking. The heavier, more rigid headshell is clearly making the stylus work harder and is transmitting less resonance through the arm. Reducing the amount of silicone damping has allowed it to open up again and compensate somewhat. The bass response with the heavier headshell is like night and day - the kick drum sound on the White Stripes is huge - the double bass on the Iron and Wine album I'm listening to really warm and rich.It's funny just how subjective this stuff all is. I've been experimenting with setups now for the best part of 10 years - it's always fun to read people's opinions of what works with what - but nothing beats the sense of achievement of finding something that just sounds "right"... even if it looks a bit stupid
So I'm sticking with this for now. It is working very nicely indeed.
Ben
Yes, Watson, another case solved!!
An idea might be to lighten the headshell you have now by drilling along the length and judiciously filing back at the part where it holds the part that goes into the arm wand...
Might be worth 15-20% of the added mass... you can always put mass back via lead or another metal...
Also, consider making another counterweight so that it can sit closer to the pivot.
_-_-bear
An idea might be to lighten the headshell you have now by drilling along the length and judiciously filing back at the part where it holds the part that goes into the arm wand...
Might be worth 15-20% of the added mass... you can always put mass back via lead or another metal...
Also, consider making another counterweight so that it can sit closer to the pivot.
_-_-bear
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