Tonearms — VPI Fatboy Gimbal 10-3D Tonearm

The Fatboy Gimbal 10-3D is a tonearm from VPI Industries, built as the first-ever gimbal-bearing 3D-printed tonearm and, according to VPI, the biggest advance in tonearm technology in five decades. While ideally suited to VPI turntables, this arm can also meaningfully enhance fine turntables from other manufacturers, offering a full gimbal bearing alternative to VPI's unipivot Fatboy design.

Key specs that matter

Bearing type is a full gimbal bearing. Pivot-to-spindle distance is 258mm, with effective length at 273.4mm and effective mass of 10.7g. Overhang is 15.4mm with an offset angle of 19.98 degrees. Average RMS distortion is 0.31%. Internal wiring uses Nordost Reference Wire throughout. Construction combines a 3D-printed epoxy resin and Delrin armtube - featuring a distinctive triangular-to-circular resonance-cancelling taper - with copper, aluminium and steel components, creating what VPI President Mat Weisfeld describes as the perfect balance of precision and rigidity when the 3D-printed tube meets the finely machined back-stock. A micrometer-style, multi-dimensional adjustable counterweight, adjustable in thousandths of an inch increments, makes cartridge set-up easier than on earlier VPI arm designs, alongside adjustable azimuth side weights, VTA adjustment and a Lemo connector for the tonearm cable.

Sound and use context

Expect unparalleled dynamics, tighter bass, tighter mids and airier highs - Positive Feedback magazine specifically called the Fatboy "a simply stunning accomplishment" that could easily serve as many audiophiles' final tonearm, noting one would need to spend significantly more to get better performance, and crucially that this arm doesn't make every cartridge or every record sound the same or oversweeten the presentation.

Pairing

The Lemo connection and adjustable counterweight, azimuth and VTA controls give genuine flexibility for matching a wide range of cartridge types and weights, and the arm converts a compatible VPI turntable to gimbal-bearing operation for buyers wanting that alternative to VPI's traditional unipivot design.

Alternatives

VPI's Fatboy Unipivot shares the same 3D-printed armtube technology and resonance-cancelling taper in a unipivot bearing configuration instead, worth comparing directly if a unipivot's specific tonal character and adjustability - via side arm tube setscrews and adjustable side weights - suits a particular cartridge and turntable pairing better than this gimbal design's inherently more stable bearing geometry.