I have joined in the ZYX Family

Addition. I ever started a new thread about ''irreparable carts''

because of  my experience with Sony XL series and my ZYX

sample both with glued together bodies with no access to

the inside parts of the cart. To my surprise nobody was

interested. But I was even more surprised to learn from my

comrade Don that the old master Mori who desigend the

XL series for Sony works by Jico styli and has the job to

produce those expensive SAS styli.  The difficulty is to

provide those styli with the mentioned tension wire,etc.

Don is famiiar with some person who also works by Jico so I

thought: ''heureka''. Would this Don's acqaiutance  be so kind

to ask Mori san if his XL carts are repairable? The answer,

alas,  was not as I hoped for. To be pricise I don't mean that

 a cart is ''theoreticly irreparable'' but in practical sense. That

is if nobody is willing to mess with my Sony XL 88 D. This

cart is regarded by some as ''the best ever'' . I own the cart

but, alas, can't use the precious because of the mentioned

reason: irreparable.

Skills and age. We probably assume that the older people get the

more problems with their mental and physical capabilities.

Does this apply for skills? We have Van den Hul who at age

of above 70 keeps his skills in good condition by producing at

least one cart pro week. As is known his customers can order

whatever output they want. This means winding the coil wire

on those very small ''bobins'' differently. We have Axel the retipper

who is above 70 but got so many orders that he was not able

to accept all the work. We have the old master Mori san who

designed XL series MC carts for Sony. He make those SAS styli

for Jico which involve tension wire for MM carts. Those are more

difficult then MC tension wire. Technics 205 series  styli are

irreparable because ot those tension wire. To exchage their

 suspension the tension wire need to be removed but it can't

be put back. We also have Allaerts who make his own coils from

 very thin gold wire. Look at the pictires of his coils to get ''the

picture''.  Everyone who owns an ''open MC cart'' can see how

 thin those coil wire are. Who would dear to touch them? But it is

 impossible to wound those coils without touching  them.  The

 answer is  continious practice in order to keep the involved

skills in good condition. We all have the so called ''motor

 cortex'' in our brain. This part  with further brain connection

govern our muscles. Our fingers in particular. Looking at ''Pieta''

made by Michelangelo from a block of marble with chisels and

hamers. One can hardly believe that this work of art is made

with human hands. This context of skills may explain why we admire

 old masters like Ikeda, Takeda, Sugano, Van den Hul , Lukatschek

(Benz) etc.

First of all all manufacturer get their cantilever/styli combos ready made by their supplier.