Brand new old cartridge.

[goodolpg]

Sorry if this has been asked before.
Way back when it appeared vinyl was going extinct I bought a spare cartridge (p-mount Grado PZF3E+). About 20 years ago I'd guess.
I never used it and it's still new in the box.
Is it still any good? Or has it passed its usable shelf life?
Thanks for any response.

 

[boreas]

Sorry if this has been asked before.
Way back when it appeared vinyl was going extinct I bought a spare cartridge (p-mount Grado PZF3E+). About 20 years ago I'd guess.
I never used it and it's still new in the box.
Is it still any good? Or has it passed its usable shelf life?
Thanks for any response.

The cartridge itself should be as good as the day it was made. The stylus may have suffered from the effects of time though. It's not uncommon for the rubber suspension that supports the cantilever to harden with age and result in severely reduced compliance. This doesn't always happen, though, so you may be good to go. If not, the current Grado Prestige styli fit. The "Blue" is the one closest to the original.

John

 

[Guest105]

Almost assuredly still good. The elements of the cartridge body are generally not affected by time. In the stylus assembly, there may be some degradation of the "joint" where the cantilever is attached, depending upon material used.

 

[marcmorin]

Nah, simple time on the suspension (unused) doesn't affect it any, at least that I've found on my Grados purchased in the late 70's. I've never had a suspension harden on any.

 

[Guest105]

Well, there you have it. A definitive answer....cantilever suspensions are not affected by time. The hardening I've found on several old Shure and Empire cartridges must have been as a result of some other factor (ultra violet light? global warming?).

 

[Balifly]

Nah, simple time on the suspension (unused) doesn't affect it any, at least that I've found on my Grados purchased in the late 70's. I've never had a suspension harden on any.

What about the black goop inside the cartridge, Marc? :scratch2:

 

[boreas]

Well, there you have it. A definitive answer....cantilever suspensions are not affected by time. The hardening I've found on several old Shure and Empire cartridges must have been as a result of some other factor (ultra violet light? global warming?).

Marc's post reads as being specific to Grados and, IMO, his experience with Grados makes that a pretty authoritative statement.

Do suspensions harden? Of course. Sometimes they soften too, causing the suspension to collapse. I've experienced both phenomena (on Shures and on generics) but neither has occurred on the many Stanton and Pickering and the very few Grados I've owned. This suggests that design and material are important and that some styli are prone to these problems and others aren't.

John

 

[boreas]

What about the black goop inside the cartridge, Marc? :scratch2:

Isn't that a conductive grease? Like on defibrillator paddles?

John

 

[Balifly]

Isn't that a conductive grease? Like on defibrillator paddles?

John

I don't know, too afraid to go inside the cartridge!

I have seen the resulting damage caused by people with cleaning compulsions though.

 

[Guest105]

Marc's post reads as being specific to Grados and, IMO, his experience with Grados makes that a pretty authoritative statement.

I read it as a general conclusion, but one based on his experiences with Grado.

 

[Multiplex]

You are correct kcbluesman, ultraviolet light will harden elastomer suspensions. So, if you ever decide to start a clandestine growing operation in your coat closet, keep your styli away from your grow lamps. And heck, temperature extremes will harden elastomer suspensions too, so yeah, global warming is a considerable threat. You nailed it on both counts! :tongue:

In all seriousness, suspension deterioration can be an issue, (particularly with Empire in my experience,) but I've had very good luck with Grado. If this stylus were stored in the tool shed, I might be kind of concerned. If it was stored in a desk drawer in your house, I wouldn't be concerned. Most of my carts are vintage, and still work. I have noticed that NOS vintage styli can take a little longer to break in, but they usually open up just fine.

Only way to know fo sho is to strap 'er on and give 'er a go!

 

[goodolpg]

Wow.
That was fast.
Thanks for all the answers.
I'm going to assume the cartridge is still good.

 

[marcmorin]

What about the black goop inside the cartridge, Marc? :scratch2:

The black goop is for coil potting, ie reduce coil ringing. Yeah, that stuff will harden with age, but the donut suspension in a grado is a very high quality silicone (mostly). Which generally is immune to outgassing found in petrol based rubber which causes hardening, or softening due to contamination of the petrol rubber based elastomers

 

[Balifly]

The black goop is for coil potting, ie reduce coil ringing. Yeah, that stuff will harden with age, but the donut suspension in a grado is a very high quality silicone (mostly). Which generally is immune to outgassing found in petrol based rubber which causes hardening, or softening due to contamination of the petrol rubber based elastomers

Thanks for the explanation, Marc. :thmbsp:

 

[marcmorin]

Thanks for the explanation, Marc. :thmbsp:

next you'll be asking my "secret" for sneaking Brookies out of the Barton River.
I know how you work :yes:

 

[Balifly]

Please don't mention specific names of lakes and river on a open forum............

We refer to them as "zipper lip........."

 

[Artie]

I know this is an old thread, but I'm bringing it back to life because it's relevant. Coincidently, I just dug my old NOS Grado PZF3E+ out of storage, and installed it into my Technics SL-DD22. I'm playing a Japanese pressing of "The Best of Lee Ritenour". Both this cartridge and table are capable performers if treated right.

 

[goodolpg]

That is ironic, Artie bumping this thread today.
Played an LP earlier tonight on my Technics SL-QL1 (99% of the time I listen to CD's but every few months I play a record to make sure the TT is functioning as it should), wasn't happy with the sound (could have been the recording, could have been my EQ settings, could be the original AT 211EP cartridge I put back into use a while ago that has sounded just fine with other records), been Googling, remembered my brand new old Grado so Googled it and this thread is the first result.
Maybe it's time to install the Grado and give it a listen.

 

[bimasta]

I have and use at least a dozen old cartridges, between 30–50 years old, MM/MI and MC. Luckily I got them all NOS. All of them played properly right out of the box. Only one, an AKG, had a suspension which had hardened like stone, but that entire range of carts was infamous for that screw-up. No others are noticeably harder, and none have gone soft (e.g. no low-riders). Maybe I'm just lucky, or maybe there are cartridge brands I don't have which deteriorate over time.... as did my AKG....

 

[goodolpg]

Well that sucks...installed the NOS never used Grado today and no sound from the right channel.
Pulled it back out, shot the terminals with deoxit, reinstalled and still no right channel sound.
Reinstalled the previous cartridge and had right channel sound.
Don't think I'll be able to return it either since it's 20+ years old and I can't remember where I bought it.
Oh well.