It used a triangular base with an offset mount, shims for height adjustment, a separate arm rest and various armtube options. The wiring was external and joined the phono leads using a small connector on the base.
The standard finish was black lacquer, and custom options were available. Some of these were chrome finish, and some coloured lacquers - here is one from 1982:
S-shaped tubes with integral connectors enabled Decca cartridges to be mounted directly.
RP1-X, RP1-XG, and XG Mk II
The RP1-X (export) was a complete redesign which changed almost every part of the originalRP1. The first batch were made in the garage in Kilbarchan.
The shim base was changed to a clamped pillar held in an eccentric mount which could be rotated to set the optimum pivot to spindle distance for the varying effective length due to different cartridge mount to stylus distance. This mount was set into a rectangular plate using SME mounting centres.
The arm rest and cuing device were integrated into the pillar, being mounted on an extension bar. And the bias mounting was revised.
There were larger bearings in a different arrangement and the wiring was internal, using a DIN connector at the bottom of the pillar. There was more use of aluminium alloy parts, the original RP1 having been made from brass except for the arm tube and headshell. The finish was clear acrylic laquer over polished parts.
The RP1-XG (export gold) followed on from the X very shortly afterwards, utilising a 24 carat cobalt gold finish on the brass parts, and anodised aluminium alloy.
Initially the arms were made totally in Johnstone, at Millbrae, and later in Linwood at Mossedge.
The differences in the XG from the original export models were in the plating, and various dimensional changes. The dimensions were still imperial, and there were no metric threads or sizes. The arm retained the detachable arm tube which allowed for low medium and high mass options. There were also 12" options and a damping attachment, which operated only on the vertical movement. There were three counterweights, and the wiring was stranded copper.
Most of the production went to the far east, with Winston Ma of Golden String from Hong Kong, the main distributor. Eventually, he formed Odyssey Engineering USA as worldwide distributor, and later moved there. The arms had final assembly and packaging in Hong Kong and were ostensibly distributed from California. Later mods included van den Hul wiring, which, with other minor changes led to the arm being called the RP1-XG MkII.
Subsequently, production of the arm was licensed to Winston, and later, for personal reasons, I had to close the Linwood workshop in 1987 and went to work in Norway.
Source Odyssey Ltd and the RP1-xg2 came later, and after that period I was independent again.
