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anyone else running vintage Empire carts?

kels83 said:
Found in the wild. Looks genuine Empire to me which would make it mis packaged. It's the proper translucent smoke color for an S2000 and it has the gold needle protector. But I have never come across that branding sticker on the later style 2000 series needles?!? Was this a later model? The back of the package doesn't even say "made in the USA"View attachment 3686726
I kinda like it!
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I have purchased 2 styli with that packaging/brand and both said genuine. Both looked genuine. But both performed terribly. Under a loop they both looked good but they didn’t sound good at all. One was so bad that thought it would damage the record. So distorted that I could not listen to it for more than a few seconds.

Personally I wouldn’t risk buying one but maybe you’ll get a great sounding one. Btw, both looked 100% genuine and I couldn’t see any difference between them vs known genuine ones previously purchased.
 
desertrat748 said:
I But both performed terribly
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I pulled out my microscope to take a look, opened it up, pulled off the protector, and the cantilever was disintegrated and instantly broke into crumbles from a gentle touch to check the suspension, lol. 2847.jpgi'm guessing the cantilever material might have been why they sounded like crap for you. Oh well, live and learn! Dropped it right into my stylus graveyard... I have a hard time throwing old needles away.
 
kels83 said:
I pulled out my microscope to take a look, opened it up, pulled off the protector, and the cantilever was disintegrated and instantly broke into crumbles from a gentle touch to check the suspension, lol. View attachment 3686753i'm guessing the cantilever material might have been why they sounded like crap for you. Oh well, live and learn! Dropped it right into my stylus graveyard... I have a hard time throwing old needles away.
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Most unfortunate.
 
kels83 said:
I pulled out my microscope to take a look, opened it up, pulled off the protector, and the cantilever was disintegrated and instantly broke into crumbles from a gentle touch to check the suspension, lol. View attachment 3686753i'm guessing the cantilever material might have been why they sounded like crap for you. Oh well, live and learn! Dropped it right into my stylus graveyard... I have a hard time throwing old needles away.
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My condolences (actually shuttered when I saw that pic).
 
beej said:
My condolences (actually shuttered when I saw that pic).
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It's ok, I took a risk. Doing so has got me quite a collection. These things are addictive! But it's got me worried about these... Notice the Astatic logo on the 234-DE and the black oval symbol on the 239-DET which I associate with the Electro Voice brand. Some weird things pop up in "Superb Needle" boxes. 2848.jpg
 
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I went ahead and cracked open the 239-DET. It still has what look like box particles on the tip, but looks good under the scope and the suspension is good. It really does look like an EVG needle to me with the black oval on the side and a product number that matches the EVG coding system. I looked this number up on the Pfanstiehl guide crosswalk from EV Game and 2380D is listed as the Pfan 237-DEZ. It has the proper mini shank. So odd. 2851.jpg2850.jpg2849.jpg
 
I have a handful of Astatic-labeled styli and, luckily, they've all been genuine originals in good shape. Haven't seen that many EV styli with numbers on them, but 2380DE is, according to the cross-reference chart put out by Russell Industries, a genuine S915E. If I could get a good look at the cantilever, I'd be more confident, but chances are it's an original. A little surprised to see these in Superb Needle packaging, since I had the vague impression those were generics, but this time I think we're looking at originals. The question, as always, is original or not, is the rubber still good?

The last Empire EV stylus that came to our attention was an Empire S999SEX stylus, labeled 2399DE and owned by our late friend boreas back in 2018. It was deemed original.
 
wualta said:
I If I could get a good look at the cantilever, I'd be more confident, but chances are it's an original. A little surprised to see these in Superb Needle packaging, since I had the vague impression those were generics, but this time I think we're looking at originals.
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Can't sleep. I pulled it out and took a closer look. The back of the package actually says "Manufactured by Empire Scientific". The astatic 234-DE also has this text. I got them in a lot (different one than I talked to you about previously, wualta) along with these other odd balls that also have "manufactured by..." and are all in superb needle packages.2852.jpg2853.jpg
 
wualta said:
Also, good to know that the Superb packages can contain genuine styli.
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A strange discovery. I thought all Empire fans knew this. Especially professionals like Wualta. That the Pfanstiehl and Superb boxes are like twins. Only one is black and the other red.

54e45e250953c76ceec74df013f03b05.jpg
8414a31199efb78885db3dab2f5e1fcb.jpg
 
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Posted this in an old thread, so thought I would repost here:

I have just put an old 4000D on a Lenco L75/S and it sounds mighty fine even with a generic bonded elliptical stylus on it.

Just wondering what folks would recommend as the best-bang-for-buck stylus upgrade?
 
I once bought a "The Generic Stylus" (same basic package) brand replacement for my 2000Z and it was actually a genuine Empire stylus but the cantilever crumbled as soon as I removed it from the package. The seller refunded me but it demonstrates that some of the styli were subjected to very poor storage conditions over the years.

Doug
 
I was lucky, when I found my 2000 E II and 2000 E III diamonds, that they had been very well stored, and I tried them all as soon as I received them. I first took one to test, and when I concluded that it was perfect, I gradually took the others.
 
rudolfo said:
I need to borrow that headshell....:confused:
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If that's your stylus, I can at least report that I've had good luck with a similarly off-aim cantilever by attaching a weight that pulls it back past straight ahead for a few hours or days. Usually, not always, it's only the rubber that's taken an off-center set. Sometimes merely running a stylus through a small ultrasonic cleaner will do the job. If the metal of the cantilever is truly bent, that's different, but still fixable.
 
wualta said:
If that's your stylus, I can at least report that I've had good luck with a similarly off-aim cantilever by attaching a weight that pulls it back past straight ahead for a few hours or days. Usually, not always, it's only the rubber that's taken an off-center set. Sometimes merely running a stylus through a small ultrasonic cleaner will do the job. If the metal of the cantilever is truly bent, that's different, but still fixable.
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Your absotively right. The cantilever is bent and I gently bent it back but now its straight and I pinched 20% on both the sides with a plier...:mad::dunno:
 
rudolfo said:
Your absotively right. The cantilever is bent and I gently bent it back but now its straight and I pinched 20% on both the sides with a plier...:mad::dunno:
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When I bought my 4000 D/1, the cantilever was the same way and I straightened it the same way. I filled the two resulting dents with just the tiniest dab of epoxy on each side. It works perfectly for CD-4 so it didn't affect its tracking/tracing ability very much.

Doug
 
As long as the dents have rounded contours and aren't severe enough to represent a weakening or fatiguing of the metal, you're likely to have a good-sounding stylus. I've been surprised by how ugly a cantilever can look while still sounding perfectly fine [to me!]. I generally advocate using fingers rather than pliers, but it's a case-by-case kind of thing. Whatever works.
 
wualta said:
As long as the dents have rounded contours and aren't severe enough to represent a weakening or fatiguing of the metal, you're likely to have a good-sounding stylus. I've been surprised by how ugly a cantilever can look while still sounding perfectly fine [to me!]. I generally advocate using fingers rather than pliers, but it's a case-by-case kind of thing. Whatever works.
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^ Truth!
 
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