“And additionally, I wonder whether they find it possible if replacing only the stylus to set the new stylus for zero or near zero error. If Joseph or Andy read this, I hope they can respond.”
If replacing only the stylus, I can and do set the diamond to be dead nuts. Not only do I do that, but I post images and video to Instagram of the diamond showing its alignment. I don’t know of any other retipper who offers this evidence of quality work. I have had a few clients who have access to microscopes confirm that my diamonds are aligned extremely well.
One exception is Ogura because the diamonds fit into a slot with no chance of rotational adjustment. These diamonds can have some error between the tracing edges and the sides of the diamond with no way to correct. I was sent an Ikeda Akiko (MSRP $16,500) cartridge with a diamond cantilever and a nude Orbray/Namiki Micro Ridge on it where the Micro Ridge was set into the cantilever with a noticeable amount of error. I was able to remove the diamond, clean off all the cement and then install it again dead nuts. But that’s expensive to do. Not all clients will want to do that or see a need to. Plus, if I lose the diamond in the process (easy to do—plink! GONE!) then the client is responsible to pay for a new diamond. That’s an absolute condition for me to accept that kind of work, agreed upon before hand. I can’t think of another retipper who is even willing to make the attempt. I’ve corrected azimuth for a few clients, and so far with 100% success without losing the diamond. One was a 0.04 mm square diamond in a rare drilled boron cantilever on an early Lyra. If I had lost that diamond, there would have been no replacing it because no one makes a 0.04 mm square diamond anymore. Smallest is the 0.08 mm square Orbray Micro Ridge. So if I had lost it, the replacement, also agreed on, would have been a low profile 0.08 mm sq Micro Ridge mounted flush to the cantilever.
Regarding whether 5% azimuth error is actually a problem or not, all industries employ production tolerances. I assume (there’s that word) that the tolerances were arrived upon by engineers who know what they are doing. First of all, unless you have a microscope, everyone assumes that the tracing edges are perfectly perpendicular to the groove. With a tangential arm, you’re no better than a broken clock that’s right twice a day. A tangential arm is only capable of setting the diamond tracing edges perpendicular to the grooves twice per side. The question is, exactly where are they? Most people think they know, but that’s using tools all of which have error that adds up even with the most perfectly set diamond. And all that error only affects where the null points are. There is no perfect alignment and if there were, again, with a tangential arm, it would only be perfect twice per side.
For linear trackers, well, the truth is it’s probably always wrong rather than always right. Again, unless you have a microscope and you have set your cartridge up absolutely perfectly, you just have to trust your ears.
Andy Kim doesn’t set diamonds into cantilevers. What any other retipper does, or what evidence they provide of their work, I can’t say. I concern myself with my work and that’s about all I have time for.
Good question!
