I can only speak of the Shure cartridge but a friend dropped the cherry of a joint on my Led Zeppelin One and burned a hole in it.When it was returned to me I didn't notice it and played it. The record was sounding fine and then the wierdest sound like sandpaper being dragged across wood as the record was being held in one spot by the cartrige and the platter was spinning underneath enveloped the room. Don't worry needles are pretty tuff. RIP Guy.
Deep scratches on vinyl-bad for stylus?
I have a few records with deep scratches( the ones you can feel with your finger ) that play through without skipping. Do you think I can damage the stylus or cause its excessive wear? To anticipate the obvious advice-better copies are impossible to find, at least I haven't so far. Does it depend on the particular stylus design and other variables?