What happens when the stylus tip wears out on a $12,000 cartridge?

@pindac You make an interesting point about old vinyl and the condition that we can maybe expect. However, with the many new releases/reissues that are coming out and have been released, I see little reason these days to accept a noisy pressing of a record that i know has been re-released/reissued and is not only likely to be a quiet pressing, but also probably also at least as good a mastering ( many times better). Sure, if the original is so rare and unusual that it has not be re-released/reissued, then putting up with a noisy pressing is the only option. Luckily today the likes of Acoustic Sounds, Blue Note and Impex and others are releasing re-issues that are generally excellent.

As an aside, I used to collect original BN pressings, some of which I would pay high $$ for, now if there is a reissue, I am all in on that...at a significant saving in cost. ( and almost always at a superior condition).

IGNORE COST, when to check/replace/rebuild?

I made a chart, forgot I made it.

I have a general idea of how many hours/week I listen to LPs, use that to guess life, then ship to someone you trust to evaluate it/rebuild it.

Say it's estimated good for another 200 hours, you could try selling it with that established expectation documented, go ahead and buy a new one for yourself.

Audio Technica has a program for their MC cartridges: they check it, if worn they offer to keep it and sell you a new one at substantially reduced price. I bought a new replacement  AT33PTG/II at half price

.........................................

Soundsmith has a chart giving 'average' life expectancy for various stylus shapes.

"Wear, Tear and Life

So we know that the more extreme line contacts reduce wear.... but what is the difference?

Apparently according to Jico (manufacturer of the highly regarded SAS stylus), the amount of playing time where a stylus will maintain its specified level of distortion at 15kHz is as follows:

• Spherical / Conical     - 150hrs
• Elliptical                        - 250hrs
• Shibata/Line contact  - 400hrs
• SAS/MicroRidge          - 500hrs

This is not to say that at 500 hrs a SAS stylus is "worn out" - but at that stage the wear has reached the point where distortion at 15kHz surpasses the level specified by Jico for a new stylus. (Which I believe is 3%).

Some manufacturers have traditionally defined a stylus as being "worn out" when it starts to damage the record... in these terms the figures provided by Jico can at least be doubled, and in some cases quadrupled."

excerpt from here:

https://www.sound-smith.com/articles/stylus-shape-information

I always say: advanced stylus does cost more, but figure in the 'average' longer life, they do not cost much more.

12K, noooooo wayyyyyyyyyyyy

@daveyf It is such outlooks and intentions that make us all individuals, and I have no issues with anybody that makes inroads to having recorded source material close to them that is of exceptional quality as a production.

All evaluations of ancillaries for replaying vinyl that I take part in are using Vinyl pressings from the Brands known for making these high quality pressings available, along with what the HiFi Group earmarked as High Quality pressings.

For me I've made Old Bones with a large collection of Vinyl and well will be Wed to it to the end, "For better or Worse" 😎. 

You can buy 10 or 12 very nice cartridges for the same money that would probably sound 90 to 95 percent as good. That way you have very many spares to last a lifetime. 

@elliottbnewcombjr I highly doubt, lets say, a denon dl 103 with a spherical/conical stylus is going to be considered worn out or near worn out at 150 hours.