What tonearm will better mine?


I have been running a 12" Jelco SA750L with an upgraded Decca Super Gold on a Garrard 401 for a few years. I'm happy with the sound and happy with my pre, power and speakers. (Croft 25R, EICO HF35s, -good tubes, Quad 57).
I keep hearing that my tonearm is a weak link even though it sounds pretty awesome to me. What would it take to replace the Jelco and make a significant improvement? What should I expect to hear better? Would I have to drill the massive plinth? Thanks.
128x128noromance

Showing 1 response by racedoc

Hi "noromance",

the Jelco is a very good tonearm as it is.

The above mentioned Ortofon is a Jelco OEM-product and will
not better the one you have significantly.

But you should consider two already mentioned tweaks plus an
extra one:

1. The Ammonite collar is a very fine tuning and will help stabilizing
    the Jelco. If you buy one you should order the M6 screw (serial
    is M5) WITH the nylon tip. That prevents harming the Jelco shaft.

2. For the Decca I would think about a slightly damping of your
    tonearm and using a good ebony headshell from Yamamoto
    or Uwe Bretschneider.
    http://anamightysound.com/shop/headshells-en/uwe-n-o-s-headshells/

3. I have modified my Jelco 12" with a phono cable which goes directly
    from the SME-connector to the phono stage.

With these tweaks my Jelco is in the same league with some of the
best recommended tonarms (Reed, Graham, SME, DaVinci...).