Anyone else having trouble getting cartridges back they sent for repair?

Dear Mapman, ''Please correct me if I am wrong''. This is your

own request. However you ''confessed'' to have never done

any re-tip. This means that your opinion is based on pure

speculation. The usual re-tip consist of glueing  the  already

made cantilever/stylus combo by the producer into the so called

''joint pipe'' on which also the coils and suspension are fastened.

For an aluminum cantilever with elliptical stylus one need to

pay about 100 euro. The more exotic cantilevers and styli cost

more . By the MM carts the mentioned combo is glued on the

remains of the original cantilever. This kind of retip I have done

just once. Finding (replaceable) stylus is , in my opinion, better

option. My MC carts I have done more than 20. Our former member

Dertonarm retipped his FR-7fz  cart 4 times in Japan. Depending

on the price which one has paid for the cart one will decide if'

and what kind of retip one should chose. BTW those ''re-tippers''

are much more cheaper than the manufacturer. I own one Koetsu

Rosewood  which is ''refurbished'' by Koetsu for 2200 euro by the

former owner . My most expensive retip (by Axel) was 500 euro.

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Nude GYGER II diamond stylus and aluminium cantilever EUR. 345

NUDE shibata stylus and BORON cantilever EUR. 495

Nude elliptical diamond and BORON cantilever EUR. 359

Nude elliptical diamond and aluminium cantilever EUR. 225

NUDE shibata stylus and Alu cantilever EUR. 299

Nude ( fine ) line diamond stylus and aluminium cantilever EUR. 199

Hyper elliptical diamond stylus and aluminium cantilever EUR. 199

Shibata diamond and aluminium cantilever EUR. 199

Elliptical diamond stylus and aluminium cantilever EUR. 99

Suspension repair starts from 60 EUR?

** inspection charge is 30 EUR?

Expert Stylus & Cartridge Co 

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Paratrace stylus on aluminium cantilever  £162

Paratrace stylus on sapphire cantilever  £180

**can't remember instection charge.

P.S. According to the pricelist each of us can decide is that worth to re-tip, repair or rebuild or just buy new or used cartridge. Sometimes it’s better to buy another cartridge, especially when it comes to MM/MI and even for some MC if they are not mega rare.

Finding (replaceable) stylus is , in my opinion, better

option.

Yes, that was the point I was trying to make. I think we agree.  It used to be pretty much all cartridges of all types had replaceable styli years ago during the "golden age".

Chak,

Sorry to hear that. I have not attempted to replace a stylus for many years so I am not up on those things. But its a disappointment to me that things are they way they are in regards to keeping phono carts running well especially since stylus wear is normal and nothing new. That’s why things used to be the way they were.

I guess its like owning a luxury car. TCO is much higher, not just the selling price. Except timely good service is part of the deal.

I guess high end phono carts are a very niche thing in comparison these days so it is what it is.

But people should know these things before drinking the high end vinyl kool aid these days to avoid regret perhaps later with certain more esoteric carts that will be hard to replace or get serviced when inevitably needed.

When my Denon DL103R goes up finally one day, I will simply just replace it with another.

.