Here's what I know.
On Sunday, May 25, 2025 at 07:02:09 PM PDT, Andrew Burkhart via Jukebox-list jukebox-list@lists.netlojix.com wrote:
Will all original carts need to be rebuilt at some point?
Hard to say, but I'm pretty sure that many will continue to work indefinitely.
What fails in the cart that causes it to need rebuilding?
Typically the armature that holds the styli to the magnet becomes detached. Youcan tell this condition obtains when the audio becomes poor sounding, and gently pushing the tone arm one way or another while playing improves the sound quality.
After a proper rebuild (say from Wes-Tech Services) has anybody had to have it rebuilt again?
Not that I'm aware.
How long will it last (very roughly) after a rebuild?
Mine lasted 50 years before it needed work. I'm not sure if any repair has a "shelf life".
Besides Wes-Tech, who else rebuilds these?
I don't know.
Every now and then there’s someone on eBay selling some sort of goop and instructions to rebuild this. Anybody here go this route? How well did it work?
I have not tried this. It's supposed to be some kind of grease that packs theinside and reduces blasting. What you do not ever, ever want to do is muck itup with some kind of calking, like silicone bathroom caulking. That's whatsomeone had done to the pickup I traded Wes for the work on mine. He saidhe was open to the challenge of fixing it. Don't know if he ever did. It soundedawful playing, and jumped out of loud grooves a lot. Whoever did that to thepickup was an idiot.
My cartridge is still working and I believe it has not been rebuilt since it has the original black rivet.
Then it's original. Don't mess with it. A lot of them last a long, long time and neverneed repair. Just remember to be gentle when replacing styli. You'll need to get a78 set. They're sapphire not diamond, so an original set on the machine is probablywell worn.