American Made Tonearms
promotes and sells select tonearms made in America.
The first tonearm we have chosen to present is:
The Arhuaco
Made by Be_HiFi
A homage to the indigenous tribes from La Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia.
A carefully engineered mid-mass design 12” tonearm, built using a combination of stainless steel, phenolic, aluminum, brass, and wood. All components are brush-finished, polished, and sealed with Cerakote for durability and long-term stability.
The arm delivers excellent tracking performance and a balanced, natural sound with outstanding information retrieval and strong musicality. While it performs exceptionally well even with high-compliance cartridges—verified through testing with a Shure V15 Type III—it is ideally matched with medium-compliance designs.
The main arm wand is engineered to minimize the propagation of unwanted vibration through a deliberate combination of geometry, materials, and varied wall thickness. Vibrational energy is effectively controlled and dissipated, contributing to the arm’s stable and composed sonic character.
Vertical bearings are positioned at the base of the main body and spaced to distribute axial and radial loads evenly, minimizing unwanted movement. All bearings are low starting-torque hybrid bearings, rated ABEC-7 for precision and consistency.
Vertical tracking angle (VTA) adjustment is handled via a micrometer mechanism for precise and repeatable setup. Anti-skate is implemented using a string and counterweight system, similar in principle to the classic SME 3009 design.
The Arhuaco arm uses the same mounting pattern as Jelco, GrooveMaster, and Ortofon tonearms, ensuring broad compatibility with existing turntable installations.
The first tonearm we have chosen to present is:
The Arhuaco
Made by Be_HiFi
A homage to the indigenous tribes from La Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia.
A carefully engineered mid-mass design 12” tonearm, built using a combination of stainless steel, phenolic, aluminum, brass, and wood. All components are brush-finished, polished, and sealed with Cerakote for durability and long-term stability.
The arm delivers excellent tracking performance and a balanced, natural sound with outstanding information retrieval and strong musicality. While it performs exceptionally well even with high-compliance cartridges—verified through testing with a Shure V15 Type III—it is ideally matched with medium-compliance designs.
The main arm wand is engineered to minimize the propagation of unwanted vibration through a deliberate combination of geometry, materials, and varied wall thickness. Vibrational energy is effectively controlled and dissipated, contributing to the arm’s stable and composed sonic character.
Vertical bearings are positioned at the base of the main body and spaced to distribute axial and radial loads evenly, minimizing unwanted movement. All bearings are low starting-torque hybrid bearings, rated ABEC-7 for precision and consistency.
Vertical tracking angle (VTA) adjustment is handled via a micrometer mechanism for precise and repeatable setup. Anti-skate is implemented using a string and counterweight system, similar in principle to the classic SME 3009 design.
The Arhuaco arm uses the same mounting pattern as Jelco, GrooveMaster, and Ortofon tonearms, ensuring broad compatibility with existing turntable installations.
by Be_HiFi
Specifications
Effective length — 12"
Pivot-to-spindle distance — 309 mm
Mass — Mid-mass design
Internal wiring — Pure copper Litz (Zavfino 1877)
Connector — 5-pin male DIN
Mounting collar hole — 30 mm
Mounting bolts — 4 mm, 48 mm PCD, 120° spacing
Initial Set-Up
Secure the ToneArm collar to the turntable using the M4 bolts. The standard collar was designed using the same bolt pattern as the Jelco/Ortofon and GrooveMaster. The 3 holes are placed 120° apart, arranged on a 48 mm diameter.
Take the ToneArm out from the flying case and slide the main body into the tonearm collar, connecting the DIN cables to the arm.
Note: always grab the tonearm from the main brass body, never from the aluminium wand.
Install the main weight onto the stainless steel shaft; a good starting position is in the middle of the shaft. Next, screw the fine-tune weight onto the back of the shaft; locate that weight around 2 cm from the end of the shaft.
Cartridge Installation
Install the cartridge onto the carbon fiber/phenolic cartridge mounting plate using M2.5 bolts. They don't require a lot of torque. Hand-tight.
Install the mounting plate in the middle of the ToneArm slot and plug the cables using tweezers, grabbing them from the plug and not from the cable.
Set the Vertical Tracking Angle (VTA) by eye.
Balance the arm using the main weight, leaving the arm in a floating state. After acquiring the floating state, move the main weight approx. 5 mm to the front of the arm and check the (VTF). Fine-tune the vertical tracking force by screwing the fine-tune weight at the end of the shaft.
Tuning Vta Adjustments
Using a VTA block, set the height of the arm aiming to have the top of the wand parallel to the record surface. You can use an old record to get the actual thickness. After getting close to the desired VTA, screw the micrometer until the tip touches the ToneArm collar. You can use the micrometer to fine-tune the VTA. We recommend always locking the ToneArm to the collar using the set screw after you are happy with the VTA.
Azimuth Adjustment
To adjust the azimuth, unscrew 90° or 1/4 of a turn of the set screw that holds the tonearm wand and rotate the arm wand to the desired position, then tighten the set screw. This adjustment doesn't require more than 3° of rotation in each direction.
Note: Don't unscrew more than 90° the set screw that holds the Arm Wand and don't rotate the Arm Wand more than 6° each way.
Zenith Angle
Using the provided protractor, set the overhang to 12.65 mm and align the cartridge to the outer null point, and then to the inner null point. Double-check the VTF. Install the anti-skate weight to the back of the ToneArm; the anti-skate shaft has some grooves to fine-tune the anti-skate. The further it is from the main body, the more anti-skate will be applied.
For sales enquiries contact us directly at
simchowitz@gmail.com or +1 (917) 691 8440
Or visit simcoaudio.com