Sumiko Blackbird Cartridge

maybe send it to soundsmith - they may be able to fix it (that is if your repair shop is not a cartridge specialist). they can at least confirm it is unfixable.

Would you mind telling us what cleaning procedure caused the damage? I have the same cartridge too!

I recently had a catastrophic accident with mine (duh -- I dropped a record on the tonearm). I took it to a nearby Sumiko dealer, who arranged to have it sent in to them for repair. Instead they just replaced it, for hundreds less than the cost of a new one.

"The repair shop says it is dead."

What on earth does that mean? Snapped cantilever? Broken coils? Fungi growing inside?

Have it evaluated by someone who understands and can work on phono cartridges (like Sumiko themselves or Soundsmith, as mentioned above).

If you just list it for sale as "Dead - don't know exactly why", I think you can guess how many bids you'll get.

Soundsmith are a class act all the way. They not only make excellent cartridges, but they are very professional in the way they do business. I would not hesitate to send it them for evaluation.