fabulous Technics EPC-100 series re-tip


I'm pretty sure many of you guys own fabulous Technics MM EPC-100 (MM) in your rasenal, especially their top models like (P or C versions) MK3 and MK4.

The question is how to upgrade this cartridges with a new tip, cantilever, suspension:

-How can do the job properly and how much is it, how is the sound after upgrade compared to the original?

-How good is the motor of this cartridge?

-It's worth to invest more in new boron cantilever, new tip etc?

-No one can provide pressure fitted tip to the boron cantilever?

P.S. I know Axel can do the job, not sure if he can change the suspension, Soundsmith will not do that. VdH is not available in my area. Who else can treat that Technics MM right ?

Anyone on here did the same to their Technics EPC-100 mk3 or mk4 ?
128x128chakster
I think turnarround time was about half year when Axel fixed my old EPC-100c mk3, he used slightly different method, because he doesn't change the original 100c mk3  housing (brass) to alluminum part like on those 205 mk4 (glued to original 205ED4 plastic holder).   

 

Dear chakster, You need to  be exact in description of what Axel

deed. As I described elsewhere the (boron) cantilever in the

original cart is glued in the round magnet on the front side and

the tension wire on the back side of the same magnet. Behind

this magnet an round rubber ring is fastened as suspension.

To put a new cantilever in this construction either this new

cantilever must be glued in the magnet or  an  aluminum tube

must be put on the rest of the original cantilever and new cantilever

(solid kind) glued in the front side of this aluminum tube. Many

MC carts have such aluminum tube in front of the so called ''joint

pipe'' on which the coils , the suspension and the tension wire are

fastened .  There is no way to change the suspension (aka the

rubber ring) without removing the whole cantilever and tension

wire from this construction. The problem is to do this in reverse.

To get the tension wire back in the stylus tube, to adjust and

tighten the (tension) wire.

BTW those SAS styli do have tension wire. The old Mori who

invented the 8 form coils (XL series Sony's) and was the first

to use the ''potting method''' inside the carts  to prevent

resonaces is the guy who  made (make) those SAS styli.

@antslappy i assume you have tried all retippers in the world to say who's the best? If you chose Andy please read jpjones story above in this thread, maybe you will change your mind. 
@nandric

BTW those SAS styli do have tension wire.
You’re right, my mistake. I took a picture of JICO SAS recently, before i sold it. This is the backside of the JICO’s replacement stylus assembly. Here is the structure of the jico sas from the manual. And this is a side the view of Jico SAS cantilever.

The original Technics looks way different than Jico. The side view of the original is completely different from jico.

But the Axel’s rebuilded Technics is another story. The backside of the replacement stylus assembly is way different from jico and from the original. The side view on cantilever is close to jico (same metal collar around the boron cantilever), probablly the same boron cantilever, but the diamond is bigger (higher). For some reason preffer Axel’s elliptical stylus compared to Jico SAS. Axel’s rebuilded version of replacement stylus it’s closer to the original sound of 205ED4 (mk4). The original i've recently sold, even with aged suspension, is much better than everything (jico sas or axel) !