Quote:
Originally Posted by Herb Hunter
The vintage guy gave you bad or incomplete advice. Stylus cartridges are designed to operate at a specific pressure which is critical. If you balance the tonearm by first setting the dial to zero and then turn the counterweight until it is parallel with the platter then dial in, say, 1.5 grams of pressure you will be satisfied with the sound you get from your records. I mentioned 1.5 grams because it is likely that is the correct pressure for your Shure cartridge. Shure specified 0.75 to 1.5 grams for all the Shure cartridges I’ve used and it is better to err on the high side then the low side.
Two more things, if the stylus in your cartridge is elliptical, it is important to align the stylus; if it is conical, alignment is unnecessary. (elliptical styluses track high frequencies better but are more costly) If you bought a used turntable, the stylus may be worn and need replacing. You’ll need a low power microscope to see if the stylus is worn. If in doubt, I would replace the stylus.
A worn stylus, or one tracking grooves with insufficient pressure, will prematurely wear out you records.
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^^^ This ^^^
Your "stabilizer" is indeed neutering any calibration of the tone arm weight. Use a brush and cleaner if you need to, but lose the brush. Unless there has been some damage to the tone arm, there is little reason to believe that the calibration - with respect to the weight assembly markings - has changed.
If you really prefer to have a brush on the record, get one that habits an independent arm. Don't compromise your tone arm and cartridge.