Tono Tonearm Lifter (TonaL)

Moderator: mandym

Tono Tonearm Lifter (TonaL)

Postby mandym » Fri Sep 02, 2005 10:49 pm

From reading Vinyl forums there seems to be quite an interest in a gadget that will lift the tonearm at the end of the record. Apparently, there is only one place that sells these ( Music Direct). The chrome-plated lifters sell for $109 and $125 each.

The bad news is that they can be problematic. So much so that they have been called "tonearm launcher"; they cause loud thumps when engaging the tonearm; if not reset, they will collide with the tonearm at the detriment of the latter or worse, the cartridge needle :x!

The good news is that now there is a better device concocted none other but by yours truly :wink: . It has none of the above-mentioned problems; beautifully designed in polished/lacquered aluminum and brass; beautifully hand-crafted (by me, who else? :wink:); it's fully adjustable (4 screws to adjust height, trigger orientation, maximum up and maximum down position of the magnetic head); best of all it's self resetting! All these at a cost that beats the US device!

Impossible? Not really. Think Pinoy Pride (say it with feeling 3x please). Foreigners don't have the monopoly on ingenuity, furtheremore we work for peanuts :cry:.

Right now I have enough materials for 6, maybe 8 pieces. So if you want one, don't hesitate. It takes me 2 days to finish a unit because it has to be of high quality. This first editions I am pricing for P4,250 each as long as you agree to send me your feedback and suggestions. Not to worry. These things work and if you are not satisfied you can return it within a month and get a full refund. No problema.

Help! Can our witty friends at WiredState come up with a name for this thingamajig? A friend suggested Tonearm Viagra after the way the arm rises up :oops: . These days we have to hold on to our sense of humor or else it's off to the nut house.

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Postby red76 » Fri Sep 02, 2005 11:32 pm

Fantastic news... How about mandym's MagLift? Since it uses a 'magnetic head' in its mechanism...

I actually have the $45 Lifter (the lower model Lift from ExpressMachining) that was a gift to me by my err ex-gf... Used it once on my TD160Super; very hard to set-up is and understatment. Plus you need to mount it with clear epoxy. BluTak is not strong enuff to hold it.

http://www.onsoundandmusic.com/issues/0 ... ft-er.html
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Postby Doc Jr 8156 » Sat Sep 03, 2005 2:05 am

Paano naman kaming wala sa Pinas? I'm really interested in this Mandy. Any pics? Will it work on all kinds of gymbal arms? How about on an Origin Live Illustrious? Godspeed.
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Postby mandym » Sat Sep 03, 2005 6:25 am

Nice "catchy" (as in magnet, heheh) name red76! Thanks. I'm also thinking TonaL as in Tonearm Lifter as subliminal link and tribute to the great Tono amps. Let's see if other suggestions come in.
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Postby mandym » Sat Sep 03, 2005 6:47 am

Hi Doc,
What a wonderful sentiment! Someone worrying that they are not back home to share something proudly Pinoy-made. I love it! Let us pray that our children will see the day when Pinoy products are respected the world over.
I have pictures of the unit but don't know how to post them. Maybe I can ask our marvelous Dr.ArnoldC to post them.
The device will work on gymbal as well as unipivot arms. Wait for the pictures and if you really want one, I will make one for you and get it to you somehow. Any Balikbayan friends coming soon?
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Postby arnoldc » Sat Sep 03, 2005 8:40 am

mandy, send me an email at a r n o l d c (at) m i s n e t - e d u c a t i o n (dot) c o m and i'll take care of it.
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Postby vintage_dog » Sat Sep 03, 2005 9:48 am

mandy, congrats!

looking forward to seeing a pic and watching the lifter at work!
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Postby Doc Jr 8156 » Sat Sep 03, 2005 10:50 am

Thanks Arnold. MandyM, no kamaganak balikbayan as of this time. If ever, I'll wait till December. Proud of being Pinoy! Godspeed.
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Postby arnoldc » Sat Sep 03, 2005 11:39 am

Posting for Mandy


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Postby red76 » Sat Sep 03, 2005 3:47 pm

WoW :shock: .... We're not worthyyyy *bow4x*. Beyond bling-bling 8) .

TonAL is actually much better IMO... Go for it!
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Postby amandarae » Sun Sep 04, 2005 3:31 am

Mandy,

Pwede ba ko diyan? I am a reverse Oreo. Western-influenced outside but always brown inside. Well, siopao is a much better example I think, as long as its "asado" inside. Not a matter of choice but a tool and a necessity to survive here.

Great stuff man! I dig it! Yeeeyeeeeyyy!

BTW, my 6 yo daugthers name is Amanda Rae. Her nickname of course......you already know.

Cheers and congrats for a first rate craftmanship. Is your tone arm (as I remember seeing it before) available to the curious public?
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Postby mandym » Sun Sep 04, 2005 9:34 am

Although I greatly prefer my wood tonearm to my VPI Memorial (which I have now sold), it is very difficult to make, thus without good reviews from "golden-eared authorities" I cannot price it accordingly. Maybe if I can devise an easier way to make them without sacrificing quality it will be worth my trouble. In the meantime, I will gladly answer questions from those who want help in making their own version.
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Postby tonydog » Tue Sep 06, 2005 12:42 am

Hello Mandy,
Cool device! I dont't like running to the rig. I might fall and land on it one day.. I'm very interest! How can I see it?
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Postby Superman » Tue Sep 06, 2005 6:52 am

congrats! another wonderful creation from mandym! :D
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Postby mandym » Tue Sep 06, 2005 9:39 am

Hi Tonydog,

Yes, I'd like to show/demonstrate how it works. I myself could'nt stop grinning in amazement the first time I saw how such simple design could work so well! Maybe on one of your listening session with several "audio nuts" I could set it up (15-20 minutes) on the resident T/T and just play records as usual. The unit will operate unobstrusively, but will announce that it is doing it's job via a soft "thump" at the end of the record. I like the thump because it reassures me that the unit is working. It's when there's no thump that I worry about :lol: .

Let me know about the session few days ahead of time because I live in San Pablo City, Laguna.

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Postby vintage_dog » Sat Sep 10, 2005 6:31 pm

Wow! This really works! I think this is much much better in workmanship and function than ANY other tonearm lifter in the market!

Mandy personally installed the lifter this afternoon on my Clearaudio Table. It smoothly and confidently lifts the Clearaudio Unipivot arm before the needle reaches the record's end - consistently and reliably...no hassle anymore worrying about the end of the record....tsug...tsug...tsug...best of all, it automatically resets and is ready to lift the next record (unlike the other commercial lifters)

One has to actually see this to appreciate and marvel at this engineering masterpiece. When you see it on my table, it looks like a Clearaudio accessory... best of all, gawang Pinoy ito! Mandy, congratulations!

Oh, the bad side is, once you've tried it on your table, you will never want to take it out...

Hassle-free vinyl playing...all the time! parang CD! :lol: This is by far my 2nd best audio accessory in my analog life! (only next to my record vaccum cleaner!)

Last edited by vintage_dog on Sat Sep 10, 2005 11:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby sinar » Sat Sep 10, 2005 9:28 pm

francis, picture naman of the lifter in your turntable
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Postby mandym » Sat Sep 10, 2005 10:13 pm

Thank you very much Francis, you are too kind. Actually I too am convinced that it is a super device. However, if there would be any problem with it, I'd like to know right away so that we can make it better. I am sort of a perfectionist in search of elusive excellence :wink: !
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Postby vintage_dog » Sat Sep 10, 2005 10:18 pm

Image

Image

Image
Last edited by vintage_dog on Sat Sep 10, 2005 10:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Postby Hyperion » Sat Sep 10, 2005 10:36 pm

Mandym,

Congrats! This cool gadget is a work of art! I can't wait to drop by VD's to see it in action.

How much for a custom taller version for plinthless + tall platter turntables like my Nott Spacedeck and Opera LP 2.0?
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