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Tonearm Identification Help Please?!

Rodrat said:
Looks like a hybrid with some SME bits.
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My guess it that there isn't an actual SME part on it, other than possibly those 4 x rubber mounting bushings.

There is also a fundamental flaw in the design logic in that the tracking force outrigger should be on the other side such that it doubles as lateral balance weight for the arm's 'J' shape. Wouldn't need those cylinders hanging off either side of the counterweight(s) then (which only appear to be unbalancing things more).
 
Hi, thanks all. There aren't any SME parts on it. The base is a similar shape but isn't SME. To be clear we are not asking £1000 for it! I just had to make a listing to be able to add a photo to show people.
 
As others have suggested I think it is a pretty competent DIY job with a few scavenged parts here and there. There is some very nice engineering there, nicely machined bearing housing, counterweights etc, so if it is DIY it was certainly done by someone who knew how to use a lathe. Any clues on the bottom? What is the armbase/cable connection like?

PS Looking closer at it I suspect the SME-influenced base may not even belong to it as that would need two screw holes on the part that mounts to it, where there are three holes so it doesn’t align.
 
Would have been curious, because i just bought an unidentified arm that meanwhile turned out to be a Neat GA-22S, which also has an SME-type base.
 
wer said:
Would have been curious, because i just bought an unidentified arm that meanwhile turned out to be a Neat GA-22S, which also has an SME-type base.
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Funny that. I was thinking that the bedplate (if not the collar) of mystery tonearm looked rather NEAT, as did the armrest. It wasn't the same bedplate though, as the NEAT has more flared corners (well, slightly rounded ends, the curvature of which doesn't extend into the corners).
 
Sadly the Neat turned out to be damaged beyond repair. Seems that the vertical bearings are jewel in cup type, and one is missing the cup, and the tip of the conus is chipped away :mad:
 
wer said:
Sadly the Neat turned out to be damaged beyond repair. Seems that the vertical bearings are jewel in cup type, and one is missing the cup, and the tip of the conus is chipped away :mad:
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That is unfortunate.

Could the tonearm not be disassembled with the other cup, jewel(s) and conus (possibly a conical set screw) used to source a replacement set that might be persuaded to fit? I'm thinking scavenged from some other arm that is worse off here.
 
Might be able to remove the cup and fit in a roller bearing. The conus could fit in there?
Will have a closer look tomorrow.
 
Well, it looks better than expected. After drilling out the cup i am left with a 5mm hole in the (aluminium) tonearm bearing cage. Have two 5mm bearings which will fit perfectly, but need some padding, because the hole is 4mm deep and the bearing is only 2.5mm thick. The conus fits, but does not protrude deep enough, so i will have to rout about a mm into the outer bearing housing.
On the off-chance that somebody is interested in the resurrection i can start a thread in diy.
 
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