Chrome arm with sapphire

 In 2016 I made a custom  RP1, which I called the RP1-CR9 using chromed brass parts with bright and satin polished alloy parts.

It is a nominal 9" (213mm) effective length, with adjustable offset angle at the headshell and adjustable pivot to spindle distance  at the base as per the standard arm.

It has a sapphire mounted on the headshell.

Adjustable Headshell

Some more information on the last headshell variant: this is a gold plated, high mass version with a slot for adjusting effective length as well as offset.

The standard version omitted the slot:

And one with a sapphire:

The earlier version, by comparison. is not quite as elegant:

The headshell is in two parts with the cartridge being fixed to the lower part as normal, then attached to the upper part using a screw which is positioned above the stylus.

Headshells with slots allow for adjustment of overhang and offset, but inevitably when adjusting one, the other is affected. Separating the two adjustments is a good idea. However, most headshells which pivot to allow for adjusting offset angle do so from a point between the cartridge mounting screws. I have never understood the reason for that because when adjusting offset the stylus swings in an arc so that the effective length is changed, and so the advantage is lost.

When making this headshell, I positioned the pivot above the stylus so that there is little or no variation in effective length as the offset is changed. In this way overhang, which is adjusted at the base, is a separate adjustment, and so cartridge set up can be easier, more accurate, and less frustrating, as once overhang is set, the offset can be adjusted without the stylus moving back and forth.