Pundit
Post by belbo on Dec 23, 2019 6:28:43 GMT 12
Hi, I came across an interesting used cartridge for sale and I wanted to ask for the opinion of the group for its condition. It's an MC cartridge from the 80s that looks to be in good condition. I've talked with the owner, he said that he was not the original owner but he feels the cartridge has very low hours (he said around 200 hours) and suspension is fine. I'm intrigued to buy it but afraid in-terms of how much use it has left. He provided these 2 photos from the stylus (he says these show that the stylus is really like new): I'm not an expert at all so just wanted to ask whether someone from the group can draw any conclusions for the wear of the stylus, thank you in advance!  
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Post by cartridgeguyonline on Dec 23, 2019 15:28:19 GMT 12
Somebody with more experience than I might weigh in here but IMO its pretty difficult to assess stylus wear from those photos unless you had the same photos of a new one to compare it to. In general terms id take sellers estimate of hours with a dose of scepticism, and in terms of second hand MC especially buy as cheaply as possible to factor in a rebuild. YMMV.
Whats the cart BTW ?
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Post by Citroen on Dec 23, 2019 15:49:42 GMT 12
Agree.
Stylus profiles vary a lot, so wear is hard to tell unless you know what the original shape should be, and have decent pics of all angles to see if it is the same or not.
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Pundit
Post by belbo on Dec 23, 2019 16:42:33 GMT 12
Is it too risky to buy a 30+ year old cartridge?
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Post by Citroen on Dec 23, 2019 16:58:08 GMT 12
Not at all.
I've bought a few vintage carts. The only thing is to have low expectations and as mentioned, expect the worse, pay accordingly and be prepared to rebuild if needed.
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Post by cartridgeguyonline on Dec 23, 2019 17:59:01 GMT 12
100% agree with Citroen on that one. In fact its often not a bad way of trying something out, if you like the general sound then you can get it rebuilt, if not flick it on to get your money back.
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Pundit
Post by belbo on Dec 24, 2019 12:14:36 GMT 12
Anything at all revealed by the photos?
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Post by cartridgeguyonline on Dec 24, 2019 12:55:28 GMT 12
Unless you have the same shots of a new stylus: No not really IMO.
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Post by michaelw on Dec 24, 2019 13:33:35 GMT 12
as above, buying a used cartridge, especially one of this vintage is a lucky dip at best. assume the worse, pay a pittance. 
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Post by Owen Y on Dec 24, 2019 17:31:05 GMT 12
Most of my cartridges were acquired s/hand. But allow for re-building cost when pricing. It's hard to see stylus wear at this magnification (~30x) & lighting. What we can see is: - solid cantilever (not tube) with chamfered end (not pressed), possibly boron. - solid diamond (not bonded) - glue does not look excessive. All of which suggests a good quality cartridge. - the top pic suggests a simple-cut stylus profile (not many facets) - so possibly elliptical (not micro-line, Shibata, etc) - but guesswork here.
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Post by colinf on Dec 24, 2019 19:55:08 GMT 12
To check for wear you need a microscope, much higher magnification than these pictures. You’re looking for flat spots on the stylus where it contacts the record, typified by square edges at the leading and trailing points of record contact. If the cantilever springs back to the same position when lightly pressed it should be ok. You can tell from your pictures it’s relatively clean, an old stylus would have micro dust adhered to it around the stylus shank. What cartridge is it?
AMR-iFi R&D
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