Jelco TK-950L 12” tonearm ..... Any users here?

I use the 9” version of the static balance version, the TK-850s. It’s a wonderful arm. I’m using it with a VAS modified Ortofon Cadenza. I can’t speak highly enough about this arm. Everybody here talks about the FR24, which I also own, but this is a much better sounding arm to my ears.
 

Good read.
 
I use the 9” version of the static balance version, the TK-850s. It’s a wonderful arm. I’m using it with a VAS modified Ortofon Cadenza. I can’t speak highly enough about this arm. Everybody here talks about the FR24, which I also own, but this is a much better sounding arm to my ears.
I'm glad it has worked out really well. People often spoke very highly of the previous Jelco arms as well, but having owned a number of them I'd walk down the opposite side of the street in avoidance. Every one (new or used) of the four that I've owned was problematic and no better than mediocre sounding. I owned two brand new 750s - the first shipped from the factory with broken arm wiring, the second with faulty bearings. The only Jelco I have left is the Sumiko MMT on the SP-15 and it seems to be fine after the second rebuild. I've yet to have a Jelco product function properly for more than a few months without something failing. Very much a "Charlie Brown/Lucy/Football" relationship with the company.

Too bad with the TK series they finally got their act together and made a great product only to almost immediately go out of business.
 
The only thing close to an SA-750 I can compare it to was a Sumiko MMT I had briefly on a stock AR “the Turntable”. It was fine. I wasn’t either impressed or let down by it. The new arm is in another class. Note I have one of those fairly common aftermarket VTA adjusters on it, really helps in setup.
 
The only thing close to an SA-750 I can compare it to was a Sumiko MMT I had briefly on a stock AR “the Turntable”. It was fine. I wasn’t either impressed or let down by it. The new arm is in another class. Note I have one of those fairly common aftermarket VTA adjusters on it, really helps in setup.
I guess I've just had bad luck with Jelco arms. I had three SA-750s - one "L", two of the standard length; two new and one used. Two of the arms had wiring breaks, one had bearing issues. All three were returned and I never actually got to hear any of them for more than a few hours. I still have a Sumiko MMT on the SP-15. It had both bearing and wiring issues, but it couldn't be returned so it got repaired. It sounded pretty decent on the Technics. I have an aftermarket VTA adjuster with it, too. All arms should come with them I say!
 
I guess I've just had bad luck with Jelco arms. I had three SA-750s - one "L", two of the standard length; two new and one used. Two of the arms had wiring breaks, one had bearing issues. All three were returned and I never actually got to hear any of them for more than a few hours. I still have a Sumiko MMT on the SP-15. It had both bearing and wiring issues, but it couldn't be returned so it got repaired. It sounded pretty decent on the Technics. I have an aftermarket VTA adjuster with it, too. All arms should come with them I say!
I'm sorry you had such bad luck with Jelco, but the TK-850s is a fantastic arm. At least this one is, and there are a lot of people very happy with them.
 
I'm sorry you had such bad luck with Jelco, but the TK-850s is a fantastic arm. At least this one is, and there are a lot of people very happy with them.
The Jelcos prior to the TK series are all variants of one of a couple of designs produced for the OEM market in the 70s - built to a price for a middle-market table of one sort or the other. My guess is that Sumiko's success in marketing the MMT etc. as separate to a turntable got Jelco clued into there being a market they could tap into themselves. The TK is an attempt at something altogether better and whether it was the investment that killed the company or simply the lack of skilled labour (Jelco's story) we'll never know. Given all of the expense involved in design and tooling it seems a shame that someone hasn't picked up production somehow.
 
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