Hey Robert, The cartridge body is hitting it? Would you be able to post or email some pictures, I haven't seen that before. We'll figure it out!

I believe we linked up via email on this but I figured I would post here just in case we missed you and for others. With the Scout (and all bases that have that three pattern collar) once you the 3 mounting screws are visible than you can loosen them and the arm should lift right off. However, some arm bases have a ground wire connected so make sure to disconnect first. Hope this helps or that you are already resolved in general!

Sounds good! Fire me over and email at info@vpiindustries.com but I'll also keep an eye out for you on the Facebook Group! 😊

Truth, at these point if it wasn't for keeping the as many lines of communication open for VPI and now my Karate school... I would probably get off social media or make a private account specifically for keeping track of pictures. The one thing I do enjoy is when it shows me past posts especially ones of long term meaning.

WTF am I even reading! Seriously AI bots? You can at least try to make it seem like something that should be on this forum!

SO I think I messed up something on my settings for notifications. One of the reasons I haven't been on here (besides the 3 kiddos, insanity of life, VPI, and the Karate school) is I haven't been getting notifications. Whatever I did... I'm seeing notifications on my phone again which helps to give me a signal flair to give everyone a glance over here. I swear every time I want to toss my hands up in the air and say, "forget it, we can have everyone on Facebook" I think of the people who don't have Facebook but want to be part of the conversation.

An Aries with a JMW 10.5 already sounds like a good time! I know I'm bias but our VPI Shirley cartridge or an Ortofon 2M Red are more than enough (both are in the $100 range) for a transitional cartridge. On the MC side I would recommend any cartridge in the Audiotechnica OC9 Family with our VPI Goldy being the top of the line flavor. All sounds great and are available.

I actually missed that first run. I saw the first few sentences and thought it was just a helpful user sharing their thoughts... on the second read, it was clearly an AI bot! I will destroy them! Don, glad we’re connected via email now. I’m looking forward to finding you an equivalent or possibly even cooler chassis! Thanks, everyone.

It sounds like you might have had some settings off before, but great to hear you're getting notifications now. Tech glitches can be frustrating, but it happens! We've been going through a rough patch here with all the medical issues on the office side, but we're finally making some positive progress. Here’s to brighter days for the VPI Forum and hopefully restoring more of those archived posts! Thanks for your patience and support.

The event went great! We’re keeping the donation page open until Friday for anyone who would still like to contribute, although the raffle portion is over. Huge thanks to all the brands and companies who helped make it a fantastic event!

The bigger issue, I think, was the combination of different vendors/partners, the hand-sanded element of the 3D arm, and our attempts to make that counterweight a bit easier to work with. As the owner of VPI, I’m always transparent about how much I hate that counterweight! Today, I did two cartridge setups, both with Shyla cartridges. The first was on a VPI Dragon with a Gimbal arm—it took about 2 minutes to dial in while I was on the phone with another customer. The second was a Shyla on a Classic Turntable with a JMW-10 Uni. Even though I’ve gotten pretty quick with setups at this point, it still took me about 15 minutes to dial in, and it required much more attention. I’m sharing this as a bit of "for your information" but also to validate the frustration you’ve experienced with that counterweight—believe me, I share it! That said, I’m glad you were able to make it work in the end, and if you ever want to trade in your tonearm, I’d be happy to work with you on that. Talk soon!

Those are two fantastic tables! I have a bias for the Aries 3 because it was named after me and marked the moment when VPI/Harry really embraced layered chassis designs (acrylic, aluminum, acrylic). In its standard build, it could house a 10" arm with a VTA base. This period was interesting for VPI, as we were fully exploring our own tonearm designs and figuring out the best way to integrate them with our tables. Before the Aries, models like the HW-19 and TNT (until the TNT 5/Hot Rod) had separate armboards to accommodate arms from other brands. Rega or Jelco were typical for entry-level tables, while Graham was used on the higher-end models. The Aries, however, was (I believe) the first VPI table specifically designed with our own arm in mind. That’s why you'll see all kinds of arms on an Aries—some early Aries 1 tables even have a JMW 9 tonearm! By the time we reached the Aries 3, the design was essentially finished and resembled a "baby HR-X." Early models had a 600 RPM motor and an 11.5" platter, but later upgrades included a 300 RPM motor and a 12" platter (which became standard with the Classic series). The Scoutmaster is a personal favorite because it was the table Harry worked on and listened to a lot when I was old enough to appreciate and critically listen to music. The Scoutmaster, like the Aries, is a layered design, and arguably more robust, though it uses MDF as the primary material instead of acrylic. MDF sometimes gets a bad rap for being "budget," but it’s actually a fantastic material to work with and sounds great. In terms of differences, the Aries and Scoutmaster are very similar. The Scoutmaster has a smaller footprint and typically houses a 9" arm, though it can be upgraded to a 10" arm. However, a Scoutmaster can’t support a 12" arm unless you're going the DIY route. The Aries, on the other hand, is larger, uses different materials that influence the sound, and can support a larger tonearm. If you have specific links, I can offer more detailed advice. Of course, it's always safer to purchase from a trusted VPI vendor to ensure you get a warranty, but a good deal is a good deal! Hope this helps, and feel free to share more info!

Hey Robert, thanks for posting about this and being part of the VPI Family! Have you tried emailing us at info@vpiindustries.com? We have been a bit backed up but trying to get caught up and everyone sorted out. If it is an older JMW 3D we had some variations on the +/- of the back stub since they were all sanded after printing by hand. You can try to continue the hand sanding/heating or we can get you swapped out on the weight. Talk soon and we will get you resolved!

3D arm, but if you have the VTA on the fly I would make it a 3D gimbal. They are really sooooo much easier to work with. Post a pic and I can take a closer look. 😊

Hey Alex, welcome to the VPI family especially with an arm on another table. Here is a youtube setup video. Technically they are different arms but the mechanics are essentially the same and can give a better idea. Please post some pictures when it is up and spinning! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfJnMtolAWo

Hey Mike, can you post some pictures of what you have? Might make it easier to diagnose and spot certain things with it.

I HATE setups like that! I usually use a wrench and a REALLY small dab of glue to hold the nut in place. I also curse and complain about everything while doing it, especially if the nut falls off the wrench and on the floor. Not fun no matter the approach. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

He lem321 saw you reached out, I let the guys know not to worry about sharing this info with you. If no one in the office gets you before Monday I'll get it all sorted for you 👊

Hey Ken, in the shop we use this: https://magicamerican.com/stainless-cleaner-polish-aerosol Happy listening 🎶 😎

Hey @gherb2022 here is a link to the instructions. Not a very involved guide but should get the job done. https://elusivedisc.com/content/pdfs/vpi-r0009-manual.pdf