Have you ever broken the needle?

Loved your thread as I just had my Van den hul Grasshopper returned to me after four month visit to Neatherlands for new cantilever and stylus. I can't believe how long it took. MY maids while dusting dusted it right off. It was all I could do to not blow my top when I went to play a record and low and behold, no cantilever and stylus.

My dog got frisky one night and decided to run in circles around the room. On one lap, her leg snagged the power cord to my turntable and pulled it off the shelf causing considerable damage to the table, arm, cartridge, and ruined the record.

The album and table have been replaced, may my late dog rest in peace.

Oh come on, I'm just kidding. She did wreck my table but all is forgiven and she still reclines on a comfy pillow between the speakers.

Herman, it could be worse, especially when it's deliberate damage.

Have you ever seen a cat sitting in the middle of the platter of a Versa Dynamics turntable, chewing away the "fine as hair" tone arm wires and pressure hose?

My son remarked. "Gee, I didn't know kitty could fly."

(Well, the turntable part IS true.)

bozo: you used pliers on a phono cartridge? guess your screen name is appropriate. -cfb

Hey Cornfedboy, that's just plane uncalled for! He already punished himself. Some of you guys are meaner than I am.

I gotta say I have mounted hundreds of cartridges(truth!) and never broke a single one! And I shake like an old junkie. I was the TT set up guy at several High end stores, I always recomended that the customer not watch, it made them very uncomfortable to say the least. I thought it was fun to see them sweat! Bet that make's ya feel better bozo.

By the way Cornfedboy what to you sugest he use, a monkey wrench? I didn't say a word about your screen name.

Much like Albert, one of our cats had taken up mountain climbing, and was perched high on an adjoining precipice (shelf). Apparently, he suddenly realized mountain-climbing is not yet an olympic sport and decided to switch to the vault. Or he became mesmerized by the spinning label (perhaps it translates to "Paul is dead" in cat-speak) and decided to go in for a closer look. In any event, one leap, and he stuck the landing perfectly on top of the platter/album ... perhaps a 9.7 for artistic impression (amazingly did not damage the album), but he lost points for technical merit, as the force of his landing broke the cantilever.

On the bright side, add a high-torque motor and a little super glue on the paws and you have the "Kitty-clamp" organic, all-natural record clamp ... anyone interested in one?

Well, I really used a jack hammer then hit it good with a crow bar!!! Sticks and stones..........Childs play!!!!
Thanks to almost everyone. I have to laugh at myself, what a goof.

The significant other found the platter dusty, took a cloth to clean it, the rest you can work out for yourself. After I've had my fit, she promised to leave dust as dust.....and Kelly, you must have gotten up on the wrong foot this morning...Cheers,

In the days when your bishop still used vinyl, his grandmother once snapped off a very expensive cantilever by rubbing her finger over the stylus, "to knock the dust off" before attempting to play one of her Lawrence Welk records.

I buried the cartridge with her.

I trust there was some separation between those two events? Or I'm never offering to change discs at your house ;-)

Shame on you, Cornfedboy.

bozo: please accept my apology. my first post was a feeble attempt at humor that obviously was too pointed. i truly meant no personal disrespect but see now how that may be difficult to believe. again, i'm sorry for any ill effects i caused. -kelly

I broke Lyra Lydian Beta stylus(cantilever was OK) just like you during mounting my new cartridge and sent it over to VanDenHul where they charged significantly less money than in Japan. Anyway Lyra uses VanDenHul stylus.
On the other hand I still had Benz Glider(it's already more than 6000 hours on that one with original stylus and cantilever and it doesn't change!!!) so temporarily I could listen for it. Now I've got Helikon and Benz M.9 as a backup.

I broke the needle off my Glider once, but had it re-tipped for 50% of retail. It wasn't a happy moment, but I am glad it was repairable. I think the WB cartridges are also re-tippable, because they're cartridges are modified Benz cartridges, aren't they??

I use a medical hemostat to connect the cartridge clips. HIGHLY recommended...

Regarding the current status of your cartridge, you can probably send it to the manufacturer to be rebuilt. In this case, there's nothing to do but suck it up and spend the money.

If it makes you feeal any better, my dealer told me that he once broke his Koetsu Onyx Platinum in a freak accident. If I recall correctly, his dealer cost for repair was more than $2k. Ouch!

I just sent my Wilson Benesch Analog cartridge back to WB to be retipped/rebuilt for $300. I haven't gotten it back yet so I can't be sure of the results. But the price is very reasonable.

$300????? Now THAT's a bargain! Is that their standard re-tip charge, or only because they've done it themselves in their audiophile lifetimes (don't be embarrassed, we ALL have) and know the feeling? I thought only Benz was reasonable for re-tips.

VanDenHul will retip(stylus only) if cantilever is OK for $300 in US.

I got that price from the US distributor. I sent the cartridge to him and he forwarded it to Wilson Benesch. The way I understand it, they also rebuild by replacing the suspension. According to the distributor, putting a new tip on an old catridge is only half the job.