SME 3012 Clone Tone Arm

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I recently purchased one of keeper-darren's tone arm kits on eBay which was an utter leap of faith on my part as I was unable to find any significant commentary anywhere about it. The fact that he has been selling it for a long time and keeps selling out was the only clue I had to go on..

The kit is $400 and pre-supposes that you are converting an existing 3009 which in fact I was not. I had most of the parts required for the kit without sacrificing a good 3009 so just purchased the remaining SME parts I needed. (Bedplate acorn nut and clamp kit, and a very nice right angle RCA kit - all sourced from the UK via eBay.)

The arm conversion kit arrived a few days ago and a friend and I looked it over carefully. One thing was pretty immediately apparent and that is the level of care and thought that went into both the design and manufacture of the parts provided. The level of finish is excellent.

Last night I wired up my spare SME connector with 33ga Cardas tone arm wire and started to assemble the arm. The trickiest part is securing the SME part that carries the ground wire, everything else was very easy.

I will post pictures of the completed arm and a few of the assembly steps along the way..

I'm very pleased with the end result, and while I don't expect it to perform at quite the level of my Schick I am pretty sure based on initial experiments that it is quite good.
 
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Here are some pictures of the arm..

The one thing I did have to was drill out the two small holes that retain what SME calls the "track" - the part on the arm that is involved in cueing. See the second attachment where the "track" is clearly visible.

Drill out the two small holes to fit your "track"

Picture 1 shows the head shell connector after I wired it. Feed the tone arm wiring through the proper hole and out the end BEFORE wiring.. :D

Install the retaining screw after pressing the connector into the end of the arm.

Picture 2 shows what it should look like after wiring.

Picture 3 shows the knife edge installed. This involves fitting a little T shaped metal fitting with a threaded tube, and a ground wire soldered to it. I found it easiest to use a short piece of wood stick from a swab glued to the piece. I then applied a very little bit of blue tack to the knife edge and pressed it into place over the screw holes. With some patience, and a bright light I was able to visibly align the T shaped metal fitting and thread the first screw into the knife edge and the T.

The rest of the process is not shown because I got excited and successfully finished the arm..

The cigar box was a gift from a friend, and I find them useful for a number of purposes, but no cigars will ever be smoked in this house! :D
 

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Hello Kevin,
Your new SME arm looks nice. How's it working for you? I have a SME 3009 series II Improved that I am considering in converting with keeper-darren's kit. The only problem is that on my arm, the arm lift platform is an integral part of the knife edge bearing. I may have to cut it off and glue it onto the armtube. My armtube is similar to this one:

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I look forward to your impressions of your 'new' modified arm.
Regards,
David
 
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Hi David,
I think you will need to acquire another lift platform or what SME oddly calls the "track" other than that provided the yoke and bearing assembly are the same it should be relatively smooth sailing.. I'd double check with keeper-darren just to be sure. I recall the series II improved has a plastic knife edge which is not well regarded so using it is probably not a great idea.

Given the "improved" lift mechanism I am wondering whether you could get away without the "track." Other options would include acquiring the lift and track for a Series II (not improved) on eBay - I believe that Series II lift will fit the bearing assembly of the improved.. All conjecture on my part, but something should be workable.

It will be a while until I can seriously listen to the new arm, waiting on another slate plinth to arrive and have yet to decide on the long term cartridge. (Probably an SPU) Initial impressions are good, but the cartridge on this arm is not quite in the league of any of the cartridges I normally use, and it is a bit hard to listen around its limitations.
 
Hi guys,

Just did the conversion myself on an s2 improved. I have the same issue about the arm lift track as I've gone for a bronze knife edge as well. The track seems to be unavailable anywhere so I'm still undecided whether to get the lift mechanism with the T bar or to cut and glue the plastic track from the original. I agree with Kevin. The build of the kit is very good. Also the way the way the rod attaches to the wand seems to be a better way than the grommets on the original sme3012. It won't droop in the future.
I used a bamboo skewer split on its length about 1/2" on the flat end and pushed the ground post into it. The skewer held it firmly enough for easy manoeuvring inside the wand to line up to the hole and had the job done in a couple of minutes. (After about an hour of trying other 'solutions' lol.)
I'm not sure though of what the spindle to pivot on this will be as there seems to be differences in different versions of the original 3012 and I don't know what this conversion is closest to.
 
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Hi Jervill,
I think the Tbar lift might be a good way out of this issue, the only concern might be the lift height not being high enough - I suspect though that a work around for this might be more aesthetically pleasing than gluing the plastic track to the arm tube. I'd keep looking on eBay though, and sometimes arm tubes with the right part appear fairly cheaply on eBay.

My understanding is the geometry is classic 3012 Series II. Yes I like the stub design - not only is more durable than the OEM design it eliminates most (if not all) of the LF decoupling which based on the performance of my Schick would seem to be a good thing.
 
Hi Kevin,

When you've had the chance to settle this arm and do some critical listening it'd be interesting to hear your impressions of it compared to your schick. That was the arm I was saving for until this kit sidetracked my curiosity. There doesn't seem to be a lot of reviews about this kit yet the eBay members I got in touch with who gave positive feedback recommended it.

Also, with the weight of it, do you think the anti skate is critical? (I have no experience with 12" arms at all.) Some photos I've seen of 3012s don't seem to have it set up.
 
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I don't use anti-skate on my 12" arms either, seems unnecessary due to both the tracking force used and the geometry. The Schick has no anti-skate provision at all.

I've been curious about this arm for over a year and decided to prioritize acquiring a Schick which I managed just over a year ago. The total lack of any sort of review or commentary online about the kit caused me to hesitate for a very long time. I finally decided if nothing else it would be fun to put together - which it proved to be. I made the decision with no expectations of a satisfactory outcome knowing that I was risking 100% of the money invested. Fortunately the quality of the parts is excellent, and quite clearly a lot of thought went into the kit. My initial impression is that it performs well and with the proper cartridge and properly mounted it will perform at least as well as one would expect at this price point, and frankly probably a lot better.
 
hmmm

Kevin, I have been following your conversion with interest.

I have an original 3012 (split counterweight) and have daydreamed about another, but as I'm sure your aware of, the originals are very expen$ive. Why not buy a 3009, and convert it? Seems like a no-brainer, but it also seems that it is not that easy, from what you (and others) have been reporting.

Keep us informed.

Gene

TD124 (series Mrk I)
 
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Hi Gene,
Actually if you have a little mechanical acuity it is not hard at all, and I had a lot of fun putting it together - really went together too fast once I had it figured out.. :)

I am fortunate in that I had a bunch of SME parts on hand including the SME head shell connector, bearing pillar, yoke, cuing lift, track and bed plate. I just had to acquire the base connector mounting hardware, a pair of bed plate acorn nuts with clamps, and some 33 ga Cardas litz wire. I didn't have to cannibalize a nice SME 3009 to do the conversion.

The arm together is very nice to look at and in preliminary testing performed well - to the limits of the cartridge installed and considering the cigar box test bed.. :eek: :D
 
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Tonight I thought after several hours of listening to a blameless Meister Silver on the Schick arm it might be fun to put a better cartridge than the Shure in the SME 3012 clone. :D

The cartridge on hand is a Goldenote Boboli from Italy which is a heavy low compliance HOMC with a surprisingly low tracking force of 1.6gms.

I had to remove the supplemental weight on the counterweight as this cartridge is installed in an SME S2 head shell which is quite light. I was able to balance the arm and set the tracking weight to within 0.1gm using the onboard weight - verified with an inexpensive digital gauge.. Quite good actually.

While this cartridge is not in the league of any of the SPUs I have on hand it is not a bad cartridge on any level - moderate resolution, speed and imaging. Inoffensive - a decent cartridge of a rather laid back forgiving nature...

This arm in no way detracts from its performance, if anything it sounds better in this arm than in any of the others I have heard it in.. (An arm I can't disclose and my SME 3009 Series II) The arm seems a competent performer, and I can only imagine how good it would be with one of my SPUs and in a proper mounting arrangement. I am pleased.. :D :D
 

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Happy to hear your "..utter leap of faith.." in buying the conversion kit is giving you enjoyment. You are leading the way and I have to say I need to follow suit. My SME 3009 with Shure V15 Type II is a great combo, but I can't help but think there is more to be had. I have a few MC carts waiting for a heavier arm. The conversion kit may be the ticket.
Did you use an "Anti-ring Lining" in your new arm tube? I've heard of others who has used various material such as balsa wood, expanding foam, and even fine sand,to dampen the arm tube. What do you think?
Regards,
David
 
My SME 3012

Hi Kevin and fellow TD 124 enthusists,

Yes, I have the ability to put one together, but as for now, there is no reason :)

I do have some questions.

I am not sure I am using a 'correct' catridge, (A Stanton 681EEE.)

is there a list somewhere?


Also, I don't have the factory alignment gauge, I am using a Soundtraktor (sp) gauge, it seems to do a good job. What are your thoughts?
 
After considering the options of the arm lift 'dilemma' I mentioned before, I chanced upon the arm lift with the t bar on eBay going for cheaper than previous ones I've seen. It turns out that the mechanism needed topping up with damping fluid to smoothen the action. I got it anyway for the price and had a look inside when I got it. It looked dry so I cleaned it and got some 300000 cst silicone oil (for rc motors, cheaper than the audio brand which seem to be the same spec. anyway) and topped it up. I didn't know how much to put so had to fiddle about until I had the correct damping. The lift is now moving smoothly.
As far as getting enough height, I noticed that the t bar fits over the lift piston so I imagine this could be stuffed to get more height. This has been a fun project. I've learnt a lot about tonearms and it's cost me 1/2 than if I'd plonked and played an original 3012.
Anyway, I'm still a few weeks from completing the turntable this arm is going so until then I'll be following kevin's impressions of the arm to help me decide on a cartridge.
 
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There really aren't a super large range of suitable cartridges for these arms..
I've listed a few I think would be most interesting for use on any 3012 or derivative. There are quite a few I have not tried, so caveat emptor but I have tried all of the listed SPU at one time or another and the DL-103 variants (except the R) listed below, in a variety of different arms.


ORTOFON

  • SPU Classic GM II
  • SPU Classic GM E II
  • SPU GT/E (Vintage)
  • Kontrapunkt series (discontinued)
  • Cadenza series
DENON

  • DL-103
  • DL-103R
  • DL-103SA
  • ZU DENON DL-103
The DL-103/R will benefit greatly from being rehoused


AUDIO TECHNICA

  • AT-33PTG II
  • AT-33EV
There are also several Koetsu models that have suitable compliance for this arm, but are hideously expensive. Consider the above a list of possibilities - I haven't tried them all and probably won't. So YMMV.

My 3012 clone is most likely to end up with a GM E II installed on it.
 
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A close friend of mine is making me a standalone base so that I can move the 3012 clone between my two tables. This will be phenolic cylinder with a top plate to match the 3012 bedplate and the bottom of the base will be filled with copper coated lead shot to add some additional and needed mass.

I mounted the Boboli I've mentioned on an inexpensive rigid head shell made by Ortofon, it is definitely an improvement over the SME S2 head shell with this cartridge.
 
my clone build

Hi Kevin,

These are the photos of my build and impressions as you suggested I post.

This is the start of the build when I dismantled the original 3009 s2 Improved.
I checked the condition of the bearings and found the arm was in good condition.

81BAF278-6288-4EF6-804D-49B856E0D6D7-4847-0000092FD20F97F7.jpg



This is the clone with the original wand. The picture on the bottom shows the replacement knife edge bearing which came with the kit. I wasn't sure before of the quality of this item so I bought a brass bearing just in case. As is, the kit bearing seems to be of good quality build and is metal, not plastic. If I'd been certain I wouldn't have bought a different one.

8CF8FB78-A545-4C9D-A25D-D414A18932B7-4847-0000092FDF00F598.jpg


486379D4-1FB6-45AD-AD6A-5BBD2F1555F8-4847-0000092FDA095377.jpg



The arm was re-wired with Cardas. On the above picture you can see some bamboo skewers. These were what I used for the earth post inside the tonearm. Just split the end a little and used this to hold the post (like clips) and line it up.

FD09278B-D97B-45B7-89A5-2F7092C1D55F-4847-0000092FECA82559.jpg


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The only issue I had was with the arm-lift. The original was not a t-bar lift. I could have used the original bearing with the track as seen but the brass bearing was installed already.

2B36EAA1-67D9-41B3-8F4D-DE049B692E2C-4847-0000092FE3AFD566.jpg


The wand of the clone though had the holes underneath to fit a track like in earlier models. I looked for these tracks and wands that may have them still but no joy.

E79AFBFF-B1A2-4DAA-A79B-7F3942822CAD-4847-0000092FE8252443.jpg


I ended up buying a t-bar arm-lift which I refurbished for the arm. Fitted it and all is well.

Here it is on my DIY Lenco GL75 PTP:

ebaf4014.jpg



I have an Ortofon Arkiv MM on it. Initially because I had run low on funds after my various projects and was needing a cart that can pair up with the arm mass. Now, after hearing it, I actually like the combination. I might try one of those KAB mods...

All in all, this kit has been straight forward to assemble and well built I have never dis-assembled or assembled a tonearm in my life. With the help of the Net, forums and my Uncle's advise I managed to build it.

The project cost about £400 including the donor arm and re-wire. I think that's very good value compared to the original and or other 12" arms. It's not even inconceivable to build a bearing for it for the budding Schick amongst us. I'll make another post on my impressions using the arm later on.

Thanks All.
 
A related question: I have an SME3012 series II (not r) that I use with my SPUs. To balance the SPU the counterweight has to be all the way to the end of the rear stub. I think it might be better to have a much heavier counter weightwhich would increase the loading on the bearings. Have any of you experimented with this? What would be the required weight for such a thing?
 
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I have additional weights that I sometimes use on the 3009 Series II, but the 3012 clone has sufficient counter weight mass that additional supplemental weights aren't necessary for use with an SPU.

There are a number of vendors on eBay that sell heavier counter weights for use with SPU cartridges. I vaguely recollect that SME actually may have also offered heavier weights at some point as well.
 
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