judicata
judicata's picture
Offline
Last seen: Never ago
Joined: Jun 26 2008 - 11:55am
Commiserate with me
bertdw
bertdw's picture
Offline
Last seen: 2 months 2 weeks ago
Joined: Sep 18 2007 - 5:41am

You could save a few bucks and have it repaired by Soundsmith:

http://www.sound-smith.com/retip/

Jan Vigne
Jan Vigne's picture
Offline
Last seen: Never ago
Joined: Mar 18 2006 - 12:57pm

Or contact Ortofon directly to inquire about possible repairs or exchange. Try the US distributor first, any Ortofon retailer should be able to give you contact information.

judicata
judicata's picture
Offline
Last seen: Never ago
Joined: Jun 26 2008 - 11:55am

Thanks for the "tips". (Ha! Well, the pun kinda works...in a way.)

SAS Audio
SAS Audio's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 months 4 weeks ago
Joined: Jun 6 2007 - 6:56am


Quote:
Thanks for the "tips". (Ha! Well, the pun kinda works...in a way.)

Boy, that is a tough one. Sorry to hear that Judicata. After a rear end collision some 18 years ago, (they rear ended me at approx 50mph) I had a used Monster Alpha 2, and it lasted less than 30 days before my arms/hands went numb and the cover hit the tone arm. Its a sick feeling.

Take care and hope all works out ok for few bucks.

michiganjfrog
michiganjfrog's picture
Offline
Last seen: Never ago
Joined: Jan 9 2007 - 11:36pm


Quote:
I know something like this happens to us all at some point, but it hurts: wife was dusting and bent the needle on my Ortofon 2M Black, which had fewer than 200 hours on it.

I decided to put on a record and relax. It was kind of dim, so I didn't notice anything was amiss, and I set the needle down and heard this blood-curdling screeching sound and my heart just sank.

I'm hurting. There goes $500.

Ouch man. Very ouch.

I can understand the agony. Mine was with a Sumiko Blue Point Special. It was quite a many years ago, but I believe it was a few hundred $ at the time, and was known as a "nude body". I had just received it from the Audio Adviser, and I was installing it for the first time. When done, I saw that the stylus was bent, and the new cartridge was useless, as a result! It happened such that I didn't even know what exactly had happened, but I assume a part of my clothing caught on the tip while installing it.

Buddha
Buddha's picture
Offline
Last seen: 12 years 5 months ago
Joined: Sep 8 2005 - 10:24am

Here to commiserate with you. I'm sure more people will be along shortly, but they are busy jerking off over the Synergistic ART fiasco.

I'll add a tale of woe...

Friend comes over with his red headed ADHD miscreant offspring.

I greet them at the door, kid runs in, makes a beeline for the basement. By the time I can chase after him, he has magically homed in on the turntable, taken off the dust cover, and snapped off the stylus on my Lyra...zero to destruction in about 30 seconds.

The real tragedy here is that if I had snapped his fool neck and sent him to meet his diety, I would have been considered the wrongdoer!

My pictoral of grief...notice the absent stylus.

j_j
j_j's picture
Offline
Last seen: 11 years 10 months ago
Joined: Mar 13 2009 - 4:22pm


Quote:

Well, there was the cleaning lady when I was renting a room in NJ long ago who 'cleaned my turntable" because it was "dusty".

So long M91ED. Yeah, it was a long time ago.

Buddha
Buddha's picture
Offline
Last seen: 12 years 5 months ago
Joined: Sep 8 2005 - 10:24am


Quote:
It happened such that I didn't even know what exactly had happened, but I assume a part of my clothing caught on the tip while installing it.

Yet another reason I do all my cartridge installing in the nude.

I'll leave the floor open to someone elses adding any tip jokes.

dbowker
dbowker's picture
Offline
Last seen: 2 weeks 6 days ago
Joined: May 8 2007 - 6:37am

Ohhhh- hate that! A few years ago I got a double whammy: It was a little dim in the room, and when I picked up the stylus at the end of the record I misjudged my still spinning record clamp and touched the needle to it. It had a knurled grip which instantly bent the stlyus AND sent some sort of hideous sound wave int my phono pre-amp, which decided it didn't like that very much and then shorted out too!

But, as they say, you can always turn things around. As cart and pre-amp were both Grado, I took advantage of their upgrade path and sprung for the next better cartridge in the line, and they graciously repaired the pre-amp for free. It sucked having no vinyl for about 6 weeks but I came out better than ever after.:)

I have made sure cleaning people know the entire audio system is my job for cleaning, and everyone else let's me handle to TT.

Buddha: I SERIOUSLY hope and expect your friend paid for any repairs you needed. That behavior is complete bullshit and even my three year old son would NEVER get away with that kind stuff. In fact I don't know any parents (at least that I'd hang out regularly) that would be OK with it and at least pay for their kids damage.

judicata
judicata's picture
Offline
Last seen: Never ago
Joined: Jun 26 2008 - 11:55am

Yikes, Buddha. This experience has prompted me to get a cover for my Scout, which had been absent as I was more worried about hitting something with the cover (which will inevitably happen, now). But, less dust=fewer dusting-related accidents.

As a follow-up, I got a replacement stylus, and got around to putting on the record I had started playing with the old, broken stylus. Because I was using headphones on that fateful night and hadn't actually put them on yet, the stylus somehow made nearly two orbits before I realized what the horrific screeching sound was.

The bad news: Of course I have irreparable groove damage on this particular record near the beginning. It is particularly bad because it makes the same high-pitched screech that I heard that night, albeit much fainter. Since the sound is burned in my memory, I know I'll just get a sick feeling every time I play it.

The good news: First, at the last minute, I decided to play a new $11 record when I almost put on my numbered Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - those things are hard to find, cost big bucks, and even then might not be in great condition.

Second, this was one of the two new records for which I have an extra new copy: that is, I like it so much, I thought I'd wear it out or damage it some day, so I bought an extra copy when it was new and $11. So I have an extra copy that hasn't seen a TT. I think it is still in print anyway, but still...

I had also considered Starker's Bach Cello Suites. Any of these other records and this would have been a real double-whammy.

(FYI, it was Iron & Wine's Endless Numbered Days - great for just relaxing at home after a long day - I play either it or Shepherd's Dog almost weekly.)

As an aside: Buddha, I commend your proper use of "homed in on" rather than the erroneous, but often-used "honed in on."

Log in or register to post comments
-->
  • X