I have not broken a Blue Point Special, but I managed to destroy a brand new Benz Glider, which is also a "naked" cartridge, in january. I sent it to Benz in Switzerland for retipping at half the price of a new cartridge, and am still waiting to get it back. There is a 14-week delay on retipping these cartridges; do you get the impression there are many, many ham-fisted audiophiles buying (and having to retip) naked cartridges these days? Oh, by the way, I also managed to drop a brand new Sumiko Project turntable BEFORE I destroyed the Glider; the tonearm snapped off and the spindle bent. It was replaced by Sumiko for a repair cost of only $220. I went back to using my Linn and 10-yr-old van den Hul MM-1, which has a body and which I have never broken. But I guess it's only a matter of time. I wonder if I will somehow manage to turn my whole stand over next time?
The "Broken Blue Point Special Club"
Geez am I a klutz! While installing a new BPS I hooked the stylus and bent it so badly that it makes a horrible humming noise. To make matters worse, I tried to "straighted it out" and sheared the stylus off completely. Can anyone confirm my fear that the next step in this process is to simply throw the thing away, or can it be repaired?