I recently had a Zyx Airy 3SB rebuilt by Steve Leung at VAS. I paid $250 for the cart knowing it needed a rebuild, and he charged $450 and I have a cartridge that now sounds fantastic. I talked to Mehran and the Zyx factory exchange cost was $1500. I'm sure that Steve's considerable talent does not make my rebuilt cart equivalent to a new one from Zyx, but it still sounds great at 1/3 the cost.
Re-tipped stylus vs original manufacturer
How does a re-tipped stylus from, say Soundsmith or others compare to original manufacturer equipment. Assuming the stylus tip is identical and so is the material of the cantilever. I am looking at a Koetsu Black in the market with a stylus re-tipped by Soundsmith. I would think that if the re-tipped is identical, then the sound should be similar to OEM if the body and coil stays original but I could be wrong. Opinions please.