I just want to share the arm wands I've been experimenting on the last few weeks. The first one is the 10.5" kamagong wand with a customized aluminum headshell. On my first test, the kamagong wand's high frequencies were rolled off. I applied 2 coats of polyurethane and it now sounds a lot better.
Another experiment was to use metal and wood. This time a 1/8" thick flat aluminum is sandwiched by 2 narra sticks. The narra sticks working as dampeners.
My tt now with 2 matching tonearms. 9" arm in the foreground.
11" arm. Fremer said, the best arm length is 11 inches. I just had to do it and find out. The arm isn't well aligned yet, so, can't confirm that at the moment. I needed to extend the tonearm mount beyond the border of the plinth. I had to modify the lifter as well. It's difficult cuing the arm with the lifter on the right side especially with an arm this long. Nakayod ko nga ung isang plaka ko nung una.
I've read that aligning the tip of the stylus with the arm will give you better results. Well, I guess, the reason behind it is, you can align the cart on the 2 null points almost perfectly.
IMO, the wood and aluminum combo sounds better than wood alone. You enjoy the strength of both materials - the rigidity of metal and the elegance wood.