You guys a superb combination of fun and information. So, it is clear that 1000 hours mark for a Miyabi cart is a good time to consult the doctor. Now, the next important topic could be, in the absence of Takeda san who else can do a good job of retipping ?
Takeda Miyabis
I got my first Takeda Miyabi Alnico (later renamed to Standard based on the price policy of 47 Lab, they introduced the plastic body for 4k as their premium cartridge, later they also carried the Alnico and renamed it to hold the price hierarchy...it was great, in USA the Standard was - officially - much cheaper than in Europe :-)) in the 90's and it was running 10 years day in, day out. I guess 1000h is nothing for it.
Then I bought another one (I bought Miyabi 3x) and same story, always top Performer, I sold it to an audiophile who did visit me and wanted to have it. My 3. one was a spare and was at my Dealer's place, when I called him to send it, he sold it to one of his customers, ordered another one for me, but then Takeda gave the message, he will retire and that's it....
Retip is no problem for that Cartridge, but I think, they are rare to find.
I listened to 47Lab unit years ago, from my memory --> all those who knew both, preferred the Standard.