How much force on the cart and where is the counter weight? Do you feel like you need more wight on the headshell in otherwords?
Also, getting it level can be fun. Try and not extend the feet unless you have to. At least one should be all the way in, in other words.
Once you set the height, the set screw on the bottom collar can be tightened. I think there are three? One is to the bottom left of your red circle. Not too tight though.
I never replaced the stylus guard. Assuming the lift is adjusted and is up, what could possibly happen?
I used a headshell weight with my Ace Space / Bloom combo. Beware of magnetic parts if you go this route. I personally would just stick a 1cm^3 piece of blue tak on top of the arm where it is centered on the cart.
Get ready for crazy dynamic range.
I'm considering finding a 19th century Parisian maker, specifically ex-Vuillaume shop, like Hippolyte Silvestre, Jean-Joseph Honoré Derazey, Charles Buthod, Charles-Adolphe Maucotel, Télesphore Barbé or Paul Bailly. I cannot imagine a safer investment. Perhaps in a year or two.
There is definitely variation in cost even in the highest bracket. But, I don't really need to use that fact. Remember the instrument market isn't dominated by musicians, it's dominated by Asian collectors. They don't play the instruments, they just hoard them.
Sorry, my reply wasn't clear. The critiques near the end of the article are the ones that resonated with me:
"“Even experienced players who have not lived with a great violin don’t realize what they are hearing or doing when they first play a great instrument,” he said. “Second, Strads and del Gesùs vary tremendously in sound characteristics and quality, so generalizations are hard to make from a few cases, in any event.”"
The French “75” Cocktail (Savoy)
2/3 Gin. (1 1/2 oz Blackwoods Gin)
1/3 Lemon Juice (3/4 oz Lemon Juice)
1 Spoonful Powdered Sugar. (1 tsp. Caster Sugar)
Stir. Pour into tall glass containing cracked ice and fill up with Champagne.
I.B.F. Pick-Me-Up-Cocktail (modified)
In a wineglass place one lump of Ice, 3 dashes of Fernet Branca (1 tsp. Fernet), 3 dashes of Curacao (1 tsp. Neopoliton Mandarinr), one liqueur glass of Brandy (1 1/2 oz Germain-Robin Apple Brandy), fill remainder with Champaign. Stir and squeeze lemon peel on cocktail glass.