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Vintage Stanton cartridge — extreme lean to one side normal?

I just got this vintage Stanton D680EE and found that it leans to one side quite dramatically. Is this normal? The cart doesn’t appear to be damaged in any way, so it’s as if it came this way from the factory. 
 

Also of note is that it has on old, possibly original stylus, and it is canted to one side as if it spent a great many years compensating for the lean.

 

What do you think? Normal? Defective?

 

Photos visible here: 

 

bigmikeatl
gregm
3,405 posts
 

To me this does not look normal at all!

And the cantilever is bent, probably to compensate, as you suggested.

jasonbourne52's avatar
jasonbourne52
2,863 posts
 

Put it aside and buy a Stanton in better condition. 

chayro
2,997 posts
 

Or contact VAS cartridge repair and see if they can straighten it out for you. 

rsf507
2,328 posts
 

NOT normal! Do not use.

lewm
13,113 posts
 

If it were me, and given the low value of that cartridge, I would trash it.  However, in your 3rd photo it looks as if the whole stylus assembly, to include the black plastic part, which inserts into the cartridge body, is twisted with respect to the brushed aluminum body.  If you were to align the black plastic with the body of the cartridge, some of the alignment error would seem to correct itself.  But still, I would not use this to play LPs that are dear to me.

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