Help SME 309 not enough playing weight!

Hello guys, bit of an issue here.

I've bought an SME 309 secondhand, very nice too - but.

I'm using a goldring 1022 cartridge, and I cant get enough tracking weight on it. With the counterweight fully wound in right up aginst the detent I'm only getting 1.5 grams. Its recommended playing weight is 1.75 but with the rack fully wound in I can't even realise this!, I'd like maybe even to go up to 1.9 but as it is I don't stand a snowballs chance. Is the 1022 too light for a 309, are they geared towards weightier cartridges?

I read a review of a guy setting one of these up in 15 minutes, its just taken me over two hours, including dropping tiny nuts off my mounting screws!

HELP!!! Thanks in advance.

 

Something sounds amiss somewhere. According to the 309 manual it takes cartridges from 6-17 grams, your 1022 weighs 6.3+ the weight of the fixing bolts.
I use a 6.4 gram lyra on my sme4 that's set to track at 1.9grams, with plenty of adjustment range.
Sorry non of this helps ,but you should be able to get it adjust properly from what I can tell.... Did sme ever make a heavier balance weight version? maybe that's what you have, designed for a heavier cartridge? (just a guess)

Just had a qucik look on the sme site and they do indeed list a heavy balance weight for the 309.

3883/AHW Balance Weight (Heavy) S300 Accessory

http://www.sme.ltd.uk/content/Spare-parts--Accessories-1310.shtml

 

As a stop gap ...weigh some blutac say 5g and fit to the head shell.

this may even improve performance with its extra damping

 

Thanks guys, yes you're right about available counterweights weights. They do a light one too which isn't on the standard internet parts list. Its likely that the weight fitted is the standard one. Although my cart is within the acceptable range, its right at the very edge of it with the existing counterweight which to be fair is mint condition, so SME have kindly arranged to swap it for a light one for a difference in price.

At the mo a 0.5g brass weight on the end of the headshell is doing okay! I like the blutac idea though....

Thanks a million for the help. Chris.

 

blutac is the vinyl lovers friend.

 

I love sme engineering ..but they don't do you many favours.

I once asked about an orb platter ..they sometimes have seconds if the moulding gets air bubbles ... cost was within a gnats of a new one ...most people would have been happy to put a 30% reduction on something that was below spec...but not sme !

and as for the cost of the tone arm plug !

even the chaps at alium audio had to pay full price ..no dealer discount ... you can kill the golden goose

rant over !

 

Now Pete, you wouldn't be confusing Michell and SME would you?

 

I managed to get a "slight second" orbe platter kit from Michell a year or so ago for £220, list price was £330 I think.

 

bugger your right........duh