Anyone come across a tonearm with a single pivot point rather than the
normal four pivot gimbal ? I have a Thorens TD160 Mk II on the bench that
has come in to have the owner's 'soldered with a hot poker' cartridge
connections corrected. It appears not to be the original tonearm that's
fitted, which was a standard fully mounted type according to the user and
service manuals. This arm is a slim black skeleton, and it just seems to
rest on a single spike sticking up from the mounting plate. If it wasn't for
the wires, you'd be able to lift it right off the deck. There is a fishing
line-hung LBC weight on the left, and the tracking counterbalance weight, as
well as being adjustable fore and aft to set the tracking force, is also
mounted eccentrically, so that it can be rotated to negate any off-axis
force, such as from the LBC weight, which would try to rotate the arm about
its long axis.

I have never seen a single bearing arm like this before, and it doesn't have
any name on it at all. Anyone know what it is ?

Arfa

"Arfa Daily"
Anyone come across a tonearm with a single pivot point rather than the
normal four pivot gimbal ? I have a Thorens TD160 Mk II on the bench that
has come in to have the owner's 'soldered with a hot poker' cartridge
connections corrected. It appears not to be the original tonearm that's
fitted, which was a standard fully mounted type according to the user and
service manuals. This arm is a slim black skeleton, and it just seems to
rest on a single spike sticking up from the mounting plate. If it wasn't
for the wires, you'd be able to lift it right off the deck. There is a
fishing line-hung LBC weight on the left, and the tracking counterbalance
weight, as well as being adjustable fore and aft to set the tracking
force, is also mounted eccentrically, so that it can be rotated to negate
any off-axis force, such as from the LBC weight, which would try to rotate
the arm about its long axis.

I have never seen a single bearing arm like this before, and it doesn't
have any name on it at all. Anyone know what it is ?


** You have described a black version of one of these - a " Formula 4"

http://soundup.ru/images/stories/arc...-tonearm-2.jpg

http://soundup.ru/index.php?option=c...s&directory=15

Sold under various brands names in the 1970s.

The pivot is oil damped and they are fiddly to set up and use - but the
performance was second to none, particularly with a Shure V15 mk3 or mk4 up
front.

Not all examples had the sliding weight in the middle.


.... Phil

"Phil Allison" wrote in message
...

"Arfa Daily"
Anyone come across a tonearm with a single pivot point rather than the
normal four pivot gimbal ? I have a Thorens TD160 Mk II on the bench
that has come in to have the owner's 'soldered with a hot poker'
cartridge connections corrected. It appears not to be the original
tonearm that's fitted, which was a standard fully mounted type according
to the user and service manuals. This arm is a slim black skeleton, and
it just seems to rest on a single spike sticking up from the mounting
plate. If it wasn't for the wires, you'd be able to lift it right off
the deck. There is a fishing line-hung LBC weight on the left, and the
tracking counterbalance weight, as well as being adjustable fore and aft
to set the tracking force, is also mounted eccentrically, so that it can
be rotated to negate any off-axis force, such as from the LBC weight,
which would try to rotate the arm about its long axis.

I have never seen a single bearing arm like this before, and it doesn't
have any name on it at all. Anyone know what it is ?


** You have described a black version of one of these - a " Formula 4"

http://soundup.ru/images/stories/arc...-tonearm-2.jpg

http://soundup.ru/index.php?option=c...s&directory=15

Sold under various brands names in the 1970s.

The pivot is oil damped and they are fiddly to set up and use - but the
performance was second to none, particularly with a Shure V15 mk3 or mk4
up front.

Not all examples had the sliding weight in the middle.


Or one of a multitude of other tonearms......
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=unipivot+tonearm

D

"David Bull****ter "

Or one of a multitude of other tonearms......
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=unipivot+tonearm


** Try learning to read - ****head.

The OP described a Formula 4 arm in detail.



..... Phil

In article , Arfa Daily
wrote:
Anyone come across a tonearm with a single pivot point rather than the
normal four pivot gimbal ? I have a Thorens TD160 Mk II on the bench
that has come in to have the owner's 'soldered with a hot poker'
cartridge connections corrected. It appears not to be the original
tonearm that's fitted, which was a standard fully mounted type
according to the user and service manuals. This arm is a slim black
skeleton, and it just seems to rest on a single spike sticking up from
the mounting plate. If it wasn't for the wires, you'd be able to lift
it right off the deck. There is a fishing line-hung LBC weight on the
left, and the tracking counterbalance weight, as well as being
adjustable fore and aft to set the tracking force, is also mounted
eccentrically, so that it can be rotated to negate any off-axis force,
such as from the LBC weight, which would try to rotate the arm about
its long axis.

I have never seen a single bearing arm like this before, and it doesn't
have any name on it at all. Anyone know what it is ?

Can't help with the arm, but weren't Thorens decks available on their own
so you could bit the arm of your choice? My 150 was - it's got an SME.

--
*Virtual reality is its own reward *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Phil Allison" wrote in message
...

"Arfa Daily"
Anyone come across a tonearm with a single pivot point rather than the
normal four pivot gimbal ? I have a Thorens TD160 Mk II on the bench
that has come in to have the owner's 'soldered with a hot poker'
cartridge connections corrected. It appears not to be the original
tonearm that's fitted, which was a standard fully mounted type according
to the user and service manuals. This arm is a slim black skeleton, and
it just seems to rest on a single spike sticking up from the mounting
plate. If it wasn't for the wires, you'd be able to lift it right off the
deck. There is a fishing line-hung LBC weight on the left, and the
tracking counterbalance weight, as well as being adjustable fore and aft
to set the tracking force, is also mounted eccentrically, so that it can
be rotated to negate any off-axis force, such as from the LBC weight,
which would try to rotate the arm about its long axis.

I have never seen a single bearing arm like this before, and it doesn't
have any name on it at all. Anyone know what it is ?


** You have described a black version of one of these - a " Formula 4"

http://soundup.ru/images/stories/arc...-tonearm-2.jpg

http://soundup.ru/index.php?option=c...s&directory=15

Sold under various brands names in the 1970s.

The pivot is oil damped and they are fiddly to set up and use - but the
performance was second to none, particularly with a Shure V15 mk3 or mk4
up front.

Not all examples had the sliding weight in the middle.


... Phil


Not exact, but fairly similar. There appears to be no facility for any oil
damping anywhere. The arm appears to sit very simply on a spike sticking up
from the mount. A bit like the kid's playground 'witch's hat' type
roundabout. The one in those pictures looks rather more 'robust' than this
thing. With it set up to be as level as you can see, it seems to work well.
It is indeed fitted with a Sure cartridge.

Arfa

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article , Arfa Daily
wrote:
Anyone come across a tonearm with a single pivot point rather than the
normal four pivot gimbal ? I have a Thorens TD160 Mk II on the bench
that has come in to have the owner's 'soldered with a hot poker'
cartridge connections corrected. It appears not to be the original
tonearm that's fitted, which was a standard fully mounted type
according to the user and service manuals. This arm is a slim black
skeleton, and it just seems to rest on a single spike sticking up from
the mounting plate. If it wasn't for the wires, you'd be able to lift
it right off the deck. There is a fishing line-hung LBC weight on the
left, and the tracking counterbalance weight, as well as being
adjustable fore and aft to set the tracking force, is also mounted
eccentrically, so that it can be rotated to negate any off-axis force,
such as from the LBC weight, which would try to rotate the arm about
its long axis.

I have never seen a single bearing arm like this before, and it doesn't
have any name on it at all. Anyone know what it is ?

Can't help with the arm, but weren't Thorens decks available on their own
so you could bit the arm of your choice? My 150 was - it's got an SME.

--

Dave Plowman London SW

Possibly, Dave. However, for this model, all the paperwork I've been able to
find indicates that it was a 'complete' deck. I've seen other 'single pivot'
tone arms along the lines of the Dust Bug, but obviously more elaborate. I
just hadn't seen this particular type where the arm just rests on top of a
spike, apparently more by luck than judgment ... There are no adjustments of
any kind at the pivot point. It's just a spike, and a hole with presumably a
conical bearing face deep inside that hole. I suppose that it's about the
smallest friction suspension that you could achieve, and it's certainly
quite elegant in its design and concept, but a bit of a sod to work on if
you have to turn the base over to get at the screened output wires, as it's
very hard to devise a way to stop it just falling off, and then it would be
hanging just by the thin wires that come down the arm ...

Arfa
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Arfa Daily wrote:
Can't help with the arm, but weren't Thorens decks available on their
own so you could bit the arm of your choice? My 150 was - it's got an
SME.

Possibly, Dave. However, for this model, all the paperwork I've been
able to find indicates that it was a 'complete' deck.

Think most Thorens decks fitted with a factory arm had a raise/lower knob
on the opposite corner to the off/on one. If there is no sign of that it
was likely supplied as a deck only. If the knob is still there - or a hole
etc - likely supplied with arm and converted later.

--
*Nostalgia isn't what is used to be.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Phil Allison" wrote in message
...

"David Bull****ter "

Or one of a multitude of other tonearms......
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=unipivot+tonearm


** Try learning to read - ****head.

The OP described a Formula 4 arm in detail.


Phil,
Thank you for your kind words.

Arfa,
So Phil was spot on was he?
Any chance of a photo?

D

"David Bull****ter "

Or one of a multitude of other tonearms......
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=unipivot+tonearm


** Try learning to read - ****head.

The OP described a Formula 4 arm in detail.


Phil,
Thank you for your kind words.


** **** you.