Replacing your turntable cartridge

Sometimes known as a magnetic pickup or ceramic pickup, the turntable cartridge at the end of your record player tonearm is generally defined as the box-like receptacle into which the needle assembly or stylus assembly slides or snaps. This holds true for almost all magnetic and ceramic cartridges. However this is almost never the case for MC or moving coil cartridges as the needle in this type of pickup is generally integrated or built in.

One often overlooked fact is that cartridges almost never fail and do not wear out. So, if you can find the correct needle (stylus) then you are usually better off replacing the needle. This avoids realignment and weighting issues and is often easier and cheaper than replacing the whole unit. Sometimes the original cartridge was very high end, so it's just not cost effective to replace the needle. This would be a sound reason to replace the entire turntable cartridge with a less expensive one.

We understand your needs when it comes to turntable parts. We have found that parts for turntables, record players and phonographs which are usually required consist mainly of belts, needles, and cartridges, followed by accessories like mats, record cleaning products or stylus cleaning kits. Basically the older it is, the better it's built. This is good news for several reasons:

• Less junk for the landfill. Help the environment.
• Keep the trade deficit lower. We can only buy so much from Asia.
• Newer low quality turntables perform poorly and don't last.
• New entry to mid-level turntables have no technological breakthroughs.
• Gears and motors n such almost never fail in older units.
• We love to earn your business while helping you restore your old musical friend.