when to get new stylus

replace

Clean first. It's free. If you weren't cleaning your stylus correctly after every play, it's certainly smudged up with stuff that can be very stubborn to remove. See Jmcgrogan's and my posts on your other thread for how-to's.

BTW, I've never had a stylus wear out on any MC cartridge I've owned. The suspension has worn out first.

That is actually a MM, a fancy version of the Sumiko Pearl. Time for a new tip. The Pearl tip should fit but the 201 tip is not much more. That cartridge is a very old design dating back to the 1970s. In Canada it was also sold as a Coral or Andante. Good cartridge but sounds like it is ready for a new lease on life. That tip will show wear after about 1,000 hours. Newer MMs from Ortofon or Clearaudio will last closer to 2,000 hours.