How To Tell Condition of a Stylus? How To Know When to Replace?

[totallysilly]

Hi! :) I tried searching for these kinds of questions but all I got returned were a lot of results telling me "how to replace" a stylus! ...not how to know WHEN to.

So my question is, let's say I buy a cart with a used stylus, how can I know whether the tip is actually in any kind of good shape?...without risking a good record, of course!

I don't have a microscope... :( Will a magnifying lens be good enough to tell? Any other ideas?

At present I'm considering buying a used turntable with a used stylus 8-years-old, but the seller says he's not played it much since he's switched mainly to CD's during that time. So if I buy it, I'd like to squeeze out as much of the life left in it as I can, before having it retipped.

Thanks so much!!!!! :banana:

[stuwee]

Hi! Welcome to AK! You sound carefull, take it to a jewelry store and ask nicely to have a look thru there eye piece, you should be able to see if it's in good shape, I bought a cart from Austrialia last year the auctioneer posted pics of the perfect diamond, I know Aussies are nice folks but, with what I have invested in LP's, no chances taken I had a jeweler check it, it was perfect!!
Good luck! Craig

[totallysilly]

Thank you for your tip! :) But... since I'm new to vinyl, carts and TT's, I actually don't know what to look FOR when I'm looking at the stylus! Nor would I really know what the difference would be between "good enough" and "too far gone." Can you offer photos or descriptions, for both elliptical and fine line?

Thanks!

[op135]

Thank you for your tip! :) But... since I'm new to vinyl, carts and TT's, I actually don't know what to look FOR when I'm looking at the stylus! Nor would I really know what the difference would be between "good enough" and "too far gone." Can you offer photos or descriptions, for both elliptical and fine line?

Thanks!

http://www.micrographia.com/projec/projapps/viny/viny0300.htm

[Sansui Louie]

Great link!

Watch thrift stores and auction/list sites. You don't need a fancy microscope...I have a 'kids' one that I got for a dollar at GW. It tells me what I need to know.

Actual worn-out status is more of an aural judgement than a visible one, unless you have a really state of the art microscope (expensive). What a cheap microscope will better reveal is *physical damage*, which, in a used stylus obtained from someone else, is far more likely. Bent cantilevers or major damage to the tip will be revealed. So will crusted on gunk, necessitating some very careful and thorough cleaning.

Once it's in your stable of cartridges/stylii, I'd recommend replacement after 2 years of *regular* use. If it's in an auxiliary system that's not used frequently, then adjust the time span accordingly. If (like in my home office system) it's used all day, nearly daily, a year is about tops.

[shocley]

What kind of magnifications are needed to show if a stylus is damaged? Right now, I'm trying to get by with an 11x magnifier.

[Fred Longworth]

At about 30x magnification -- and with good lighting -- you can begin to see wear on the sides of the diamond. You are looking for a wear pattern on the portions of the diamond which contact the vinyl.

Traditionally, stylus microscopes were 75x to 100x machines.

Before checking for wear, however, you need to clean the stylus so that it's spotless. Audio-Technica AT607, the Discwasher stylus brush and the Magic Eraser methods seem to be the most popular and effective methods.

* * * * *

Alternately, with a clean stylus and a record in A-1 condition, you can conclude a stylus is worn if you get a slight increase in surface noise.

Fred

[aperh]

I have an old soviet-made 35mm camera with a detachable lens. The lens makes an alright eye-piece. The magnification is not all that great but you can more or less tell if your stylus needs replaced.

[BrocLuno]

500 to 1,000 hours playing time at the higher recommended factory tracking weight/force. It's worn out. You can hear the difference. Worn stylus will skip on minor scratches. So, most folks just turn up the tracking force making the wear go faster :(

If the records are less than spotless clean, the hour number will come down quickly. Dirty records, likely 250 hours max.