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Is retipping an ADC ZLM possible or a bad, crazy idea?

T68

T68

Super Member
Hi!
I am very, very pleased with how my ADC ZLM with the original stylus performs. I got it nos so there should be many more enjoyable hours left in it. But, but... one day it will wear out. I am worried it will be too soon becauese I play it so much, since it is so nice to listen to :-).

Of course I am on a constant lookout for new nos ZLM styluses to appear but when they do they are really expensive and gone quickly.

Looking at the prices they commend, a retip starts to look like an option at approximately the same money.

So this is the queston: can these be retipped? Anyone has any experience with this? If so, where did you send it?
 
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Hi T68, if I were in your position I would ask Peter Lederman at Soundsmith. You can reach him here:

petergreen@Sound-smith.com

I expect he will be able to answer all of your questions and you will likely also get a pretty good idea what such a proposition will cost. No affiliation, just a very satisfied customer over many years and numerous retips. I'm sure there are others, and given your location you might be better served using someone over in your part of the globe but this will give you a starting place. Others may have ideas of who might be a good choice in Europe, but at least you will know what such a job might run you.
 
I’d also shop the question around since Sound Smith is more expensive and less timely than many of the competitors. There are more value driven options out there. @Fishead the last time you used SS how long did it take for turn around?
 
You're right, MRL.....lots of options! I have used Soundsmith a lot and they are consistently at 8-10 weeks turnaround. I've got a few other cartridges to play with, so it was no big deal for me. If in more of a hurry, there may be speedier options but I've always had such good luck with Peter that I'm a bit partial. Good points though, and I wondered if there might not be some choices for the OP across the big pond? I was hoping someone might have suggestions in this regard.
 
Thanks for input guys!
Been sniffing around a bit and found two retipping services on this side of the pond now:
Northwest Analogue in the UK and FJS Cartridge Service in Germany.
I'll check with them also.
 
Well, as I am living in Germany I gave the FJS website a look. And had to realise a retip of an MM cart (Boron/Shibata) is more than double as expensive as a brand new SAS/B with freight...
 
I have emailed Jico with question about sas for the ADC ZLM. The replied that there is none and will not be. They referred me to their other models. A shibata and an elliptical.
 
I put my question out again to Jico customer support about a SAS stylus for the XML/ZLM/ASTRION and now got this answer:

"Sorry but we don’t have the plan to make SAS versions of them…
I will discuss your suggestion within the company."

...maybe a tiny bit of hope in that last sentence :-)
 
Do any of the current retippers do "real" retipping - ie: replace the diamond on the original cantilever

Or do they all replace both cantilever and diamond?

Reason for my question... some of the best cantilevers of yesteryear, had substantially lower effective mass than the current boron/ruby/sapphire rods - they were hollow tubes and sometimes tapered.... materials were Beryllium (shure) or Boron (Technics) - but either way, there is no current equivalents... can they be retipped?
 
dlaloum said:
Do any of the current retippers do "real" retipping - ie: replace the diamond on the original cantilever

Or do they all replace both cantilever and diamond?

Reason for my question... some of the best cantilevers of yesteryear, had substantially lower effective mass than the current boron/ruby/sapphire rods - they were hollow tubes and sometimes tapered.... materials were Beryllium (shure) or Boron (Technics) - but either way, there is no current equivalents... can they be retipped?
Click to expand...
From the listing of re-tipper (and former AKer Needlestein)-

"Send me your ADC Astrion Moving Iron Cartridge and I will remove your worn elliptical diamond from the original sapphire cantilever and install a new Ogura 8/70µm Vital Line Contact diamond.

This was the last and most tricked out XLM with a sapphire cantilever. It is very rare, coveted, and highly sought after. Unfortunately, NOS styli are hard to find and expensive when found. This retipping service is a lot easier to find than an NOS stylus and though it is not cheaper than NOS probably, it is quite an upgrade for the money. This new diamond is lower mass than the original and also a line contact upgrade for better tracking and higher high frequency response."

EDIT: as usual, no ties or self interest in presenting this. Provided only as useful and pertinent to the discussion.
 
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Check out Groovetickler on Ebay. He is actually Joseph Long in Connecticut. He does great work at reasonable prices.
He can just replace the diamond on the existing cantilever.
 
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