Hmmm, yes. Not sure it would end well. Maybe look at an excellent cartridge with a replaceable stylus. The high output Nagaoka MP500 comes to mind with a replacement cost of $270. You could keep a few on hand just in case. Another option would be a Soundsmith cartridge. The low output Zephyr Mk3 or MIMC Star is $1500/$2000 and they do a factory replacement stylus for around 20% of the new price ($299/$350).
Generally speaking, are MC cartridges more delicate than MMs?
Here's why I ask: I'm planning, finally, to get my retirement turntable. My one concern: I'm blind. I've used a Rega Planar 3 for many years without difficulty, though on the rarest of occasions I come up a tad short when cueing up a record and the stylus slides off the platter until I quickly lift the lever and set things right. Not great, obviously, but this is, as I said, rare. And so far has caused no obvious problems. I'm using an Ortofon 2M Black at the moment.
Suppose I were to get a better Rega (Planar 6 or 8) with, say, an Ania Pro. If the same sort of mishap were to occur, would it be likely to be a complete disaster, ruining the cartridge forever and leaving me out of luck and out of music, or would it be more likely to be just like what I described with the setup I've got now?
Thanks for any help anyone can provide.
-- Howard