Grace F8c replacement stylus.
- Thread starter stevoz
- Start date
babblefish
Active Member
I was going to suggest JICO-stylus because I bought a SAS stylus there for my Shure V15 Type-III, but I just checked their website and it appears they oddly don't offer anything for the Grace cartridges. Too bad because I also have a Grace F9E.
danj
modern primitive
A few years ago I corresponded with JICO and requested that they make replacement styli for the F8 and F9 series Grace cartridges. Their reply was that there was insufficient consumer interest but they might consider it in the future if enough people requested it. I ended sending mine to Soundsmith for a fix. I got their cheap "retip" for $150. Money well spent.
stevoz
Active Member
Thanks for your info guys. I have contacted Soundsmith and unfortunately they don't. They can retip of course, but as I am in Australia, this may not be practical. We have retipping services here in Oz, so if it comes to that, and if I win the Lotto, I may go down this path. Actually, if I win Lotto, I'll be buying a Rega or Project TT and be done with it! 
I have also contacted Shure, but they haven't replied yet. I'll keep you posted on my ongoing search. Cheers.
I have also contacted Shure, but they haven't replied yet. I'll keep you posted on my ongoing search. Cheers.
GoldSounds
Active Member
Grace F8-L owner here. Supposedly a Shure V15-3HE stylus uses the same size shank, although I have not tried this myself. I cite this as my source: http://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?t=21486
stevoz
Active Member
OMG! OMG! OMG! Sorry to sound like a teenage girl , but I'm excited!
Just as I decided to go down the V15/III stylus path as a replacement for my F8c, after reading more anecdotal tales of success then actually ordering an Ed Saunders model, what pops up on Ebay, but an excellent condition Grace F8c cart with good stylus, PLUS a brand new Grace RS-8c stylus still in packaging for $Au160 all up!!
Couldn't pay for it quick enough. Cannot wait for it all to arrive. My F8c cantilever shat itself properly, so have been putting up with cheap Sanyo cart that came with CEC BD3200(have retired the Rotel RP2300 for now, may sell it) I bought recently to make new plinth for. TT good, cart not good! Have also ordered a Shure M97xe for variety, and have heard that the V15/III stylus fits this cart(which would be where the Ed Saunders ends up!), can anyone confirm if this is true? Cheers...
Just as I decided to go down the V15/III stylus path as a replacement for my F8c, after reading more anecdotal tales of success then actually ordering an Ed Saunders model, what pops up on Ebay, but an excellent condition Grace F8c cart with good stylus, PLUS a brand new Grace RS-8c stylus still in packaging for $Au160 all up!! Couldn't pay for it quick enough. Cannot wait for it all to arrive. My F8c cantilever shat itself properly, so have been putting up with cheap Sanyo cart that came with CEC BD3200(have retired the Rotel RP2300 for now, may sell it) I bought recently to make new plinth for. TT good, cart not good! Have also ordered a Shure M97xe for variety, and have heard that the V15/III stylus fits this cart(which would be where the Ed Saunders ends up!), can anyone confirm if this is true? Cheers...
danj
modern primitive
I've heard that it fits but I tried to fit my JICO made V15IIII styus into my F8L body and the shank fit the hole but was longer than stock. Perhaps a different brand would have a shorter shank.
I hear the SS retip has gone up in $ but, friends, it is worth the price. The Grace is one helluva good cartridge and deserves the best stylus.
I hear the SS retip has gone up in $ but, friends, it is worth the price. The Grace is one helluva good cartridge and deserves the best stylus.
stevoz
Active Member
You may have misunderstood. I now have two original RS8c stylii for the Grace cart, plus another F8c, so the Grace situation is solved.
In regard to the V15/III stylus, I was wondering if that fits the Shure M97xe, and have since found out that it does, so that's good to know. Even more variety....
ETI_5000
Super Member
Sadly, it isn't true. The M97xE uses a larger 'stylus hole' than the V15 Type III, IV and V, so even if their styli fitted, the stylus 'tube' which fits in the hole, and carries the magnet, will be a loose fit.
Here are some Shure (and aftermarket) styli which do fit the M97xE body perfectly, and which all had very light beryllium tube cantilevers, although they are getting relatively hard to find now, as all manufacturers using beryllium cantilevers stopped making them about a decade ago:
- VNVxMR stylus from V15VxMR cartridge – nude microridge tip
- VNSE3HE stylus from V15 Pro-S, VST-III and Realistic V15 RS cartridges – nude hyperelliptical tip
- VNSEP3HE stylus from VST-III-P (p-mount VST-III, nude HE tip)
- Jico SAS – aftermarket stylus, solid partially boron cantilever, SAS (microridge) tip, which is apparently marginally thinner than the MR tip used in the VNVxMR. So the tip is marginally better, but the cantilever (probably) slightly heavier
Someone may have confused the VST-III and VST-III-P cartridges with the V15 Type III, but despite the 'III' the only relationship is that they are all made by Shure! VST = V15 Series Technology, and in this case the main V15 technologies they shared were the beryllium tube cantilevers (V15 Type V), and the hyperelliptical tips (V15 Type IV and Type V).
Another Shure stylus which is a slight upgrade from the N97xE stylus is the N110HE, which has a similar aluminium cantilever, but used a nude hyperelliptical tip for reduced distortion and record and stylus wear, but like all Shure HE tips, it's now very scarce.
It may be good to know, if you want to know wrong!
As I explained, the stylus holes are different sizes - the V15 Type III, IV and V all used small holes, while most other late-model Shure cartridges including the M97xE, V15VxMR and V15 RS etc use large stylus holes. So the N97xE stylus definitely won't even fit in the V15 Type III body, as the hole in the V15 Type III is too small, and while the V15 Type III stylus will fit in the M97xE hole, it will be a very loose fit. In other words, it doesn't fit very well, so shouldn't be used in the M97xE....
The VST-III stylus, on the other hand, is a perfect fit in the M97xE, and frequently confused with the V15 Type III stylus because of the numbers.
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There's still a good number of Grace F8 cartridges and stylus available from Japan if you do some looking. SoundSmith should still have some new production F9 stylus available and as always SS does retipping of old Grace stylus. Both the F8 and F9 are still tough to beat today unless you spend a big bundle on a new MM..
stevoz
Active Member
Grace dilemma is solved, but thanks anyway(see my last post). My current query(does V15/III stylus fit M97xe cart?) seems to have been answered comprehensively by ETI 5000 above. Thanks ETI, that is good info
, and unfortunate....... Cheers...
stevoz
Active Member
In addition to my previous post, I am at the moment trying to change my order for the Ed Saunders V15/III to an Ed Saunders Hyper-elliptical that fits the V15VxMR cart (thanks again ETI 5000 for your advice
) for the M97xe, as I don't think the V15/III has been sent yet(not marked as sent), so hopefully this works out. Costs a bit more, but that's fine. Will update soon. Cheers...
) for the M97xe, as I don't think the V15/III has been sent yet(not marked as sent), so hopefully this works out. Costs a bit more, but that's fine. Will update soon. Cheers...
danj
modern primitive
You may have misunderstood. I now have two original RS8c stylii for the Grace cart, plus another F8c, so the Grace situation is solved.
I may have jumped the gun a little......
There have been numerous posts in this forum about making a "Frankencartridge" by putting a V15III stylus assembly in a Grace F8 body. It didn't work for me but that's okay because I do have the rebuilt Grace. I think some of those posts may be wishful thinking on the part of the OP.
Glad you've found some Grace replacements. I'm sure they weren't cheap but if you want the best you gotta be willing to pay the price.
Cheers!
stevoz
Active Member
Actually, they were what I consider a bargain!! Two RS8c stylii(one excellent condition and the other brand new) plus F8c cart for $A160.00(approx $US110), which is the price of a lot of replacement stylii, so I feel very lucky! Blessed in fact! They should arrive in a day or two, the excitement builds.....
danj
modern primitive
Actually, they were what I consider a bargain!! Two RS8c stylii(one excellent condition and the other brand new) plus F8c cart for $A160.00(approx $US110), which is the price of a lot of replacement stylii, so I feel very lucky! Blessed in fact! They should arrive in a day or two, the excitement builds.....
I can see why you are excited!
stevoz
Active Member
Well, the package arrived today, and it turned out the cartridge was an F8, not an F8c, but that was cool. My main aim was to get my hands on the brand new RS8c replacement stylus for my F8c. So the stylus in the F8 was different, it's like all the other F8 models ie; l, e, f, m, & d! The '8c' had a different stylus, similar to the F9 range, but less oval in profile. How do they sound? Well, after setting tracking weight, overhang and alignment, for the F8c with new stylus, away I went.......into a blissful world of smile inducing sonic wonder, it was that good
. My conversion back to analogue is, I dare say, complete!! A truly wonderful cartridge! That was last night, tonight I turned to the F8, which to my dismay, appeared to have a slightly bent cantilever, which had the tip on a slight angle. I got out my micro tools, headlight and magnifying glass, and went to work. I managed to get the cantilever centered and the tip vertical, and hoped for the best. Well, I have listened to the same albums as last night and more, and it's hard to tell them apart. Maybe the highs are a little recessed(older stylus?) compared to the F8c, but the bass and mids seem on par with it, and it seems to gather information just as well as the F8c. I am stoked. Best $A160 I've spent in a long while! The Shure M97xe will arrive in a while, so that will be an interesting comparison, but I think I already know the winner of that one. Pity I had already ordered the Shure before the Grace bargain popped up, oh well, bit of variety, and I'm sure I'll like the M97xe too. Good times.....
. My conversion back to analogue is, I dare say, complete!! A truly wonderful cartridge! That was last night, tonight I turned to the F8, which to my dismay, appeared to have a slightly bent cantilever, which had the tip on a slight angle. I got out my micro tools, headlight and magnifying glass, and went to work. I managed to get the cantilever centered and the tip vertical, and hoped for the best. Well, I have listened to the same albums as last night and more, and it's hard to tell them apart. Maybe the highs are a little recessed(older stylus?) compared to the F8c, but the bass and mids seem on par with it, and it seems to gather information just as well as the F8c. I am stoked. Best $A160 I've spent in a long while! The Shure M97xe will arrive in a while, so that will be an interesting comparison, but I think I already know the winner of that one. Pity I had already ordered the Shure before the Grace bargain popped up, oh well, bit of variety, and I'm sure I'll like the M97xe too. Good times.....
danj
modern primitive
In 2009 I found my Grace cart in an as-is box at the local Goodwill store and paid only a couple $ for it. It was, by far, the best find I've ever had in a thrift store. A $150 retip made it almost perfect.
Maybe the vinyl resurgence will cause JICO to reconsider making replacement styli for the vintage Grace line.
Maybe the vinyl resurgence will cause JICO to reconsider making replacement styli for the vintage Grace line.
stevoz
Active Member
That would be good....and what a bargain your Grace was. US goodwill stores seem to be a gold mine compared with Aussie 'Op shops' as we call them(Opportunity Shop), but I must admit I don't check them out that much. Plus I think it depends on what area they are in. More affluent areas would have better Op shops, but also might be more clued in as to what certain items are worth. I might have to start looking a bit harder!
