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JICO revives the Shure classic M44

What I have learned about bidding is that it is unpredictable. Like Wolfie62, I have gotten a Shure M95 and Ortofon VMS 20E MK II for about $25 each. And they were 'Buy it Now'. A GE VR-1000 at auction just went for $125. Unpredictable. The best chances to win an auction are to look for ones that end on a weekday. Seems like everyone is online and bidding on the weekends and holidays. I have won some auctions where I was the only bidder. It's like the Lottery. You can't win if you don't play.
 
ripblade said:
What's the difference? Other than the fact that the old ones have old solder joints and old/dry adhesives...
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I am not a fan of JICO. I will share news and updates for you guys and I do purchase their products for resale. Quite frankly, I don't think I need to justify why I prefer an original. It is simply a personal preference.
 
johnjhazel said:
I am not a fan of JICO. I will share news and updates for you guys and I do purchase their products for resale. Quite frankly, I don't think I need to justify why I prefer an original. It is simply a personal preference.
Click to expand...
Guess I asked the wrong person then lol.

What's the difference between a 'real' M44 cart and the 'DJ' version? Other than the needle?
 
ripblade said:
Guess I asked the wrong person then lol.

What's the difference between a 'real' M44 cart and the 'DJ' version? Other than the needle?
Click to expand...

No, you didn't. I just like original stuff. No 'logical' reason. It's like...why would someone buy a 52 year old Stanton 681 rather than a new cartridge ? No logical reason. We just want what we want. It would be great if there was more info about the new JICO cartridges as I understand there are people who don't want to mess with old and/or used stuff. New is safer.
 
I am old enough to remember Shure crystal cartridges. Shure of the 60's and 70's was an incredible leader in the cartridge arena. It was sad to see the downfall. Shure replacement needles have been JICO's bread butter so it will be interesting to see how far this goes.
 
Wolfie62 said:
Fact is, I’ll be getting this cart for less than $20.
I got an R25ed last week for $10, same as m75ed. Last month a v15II for $22. Only bidder on both. I have several Shure stylus for minimum bid. I always assume I'll be outbid so it's a surprise when I do win. You can almost hear the seller cussing.
Click to expand...
 
You can always buy cheap cartridges for cheap. Sometimes sellers get lucky and find some "gotta have it" guy who's willing to overpay and grab the Buy It Now at an inflated price. That's what makes the free market so great. Never know what you're gonna git.
 
I got my M44G body for cheap. It happened to be an auction from a seller in Japan. I don't remember whether they were just starting out on Ebay or what, but even with shipping from Japan, I only remember the total being like $15. I kept checking back with them, and as they got more established, their prices went way up.

I bought another one, and it ended up having a dead channel.:rolleyes: I should look again because I would like to have a second one since I have multiple styli.
 
The cheapest M44 that I see listed is $80. But some other models are much cheaper. There is a M93 for $20 and an M72 for $24. There are a bunch more. I look for the ones with no needle. Why waste money on one with a needle when you are going to replace it anyway ?
 
Some folks like vintage carts to go with vintage tables/gear. So sure, they may be cheap. If you’re a skillful bargain hunter, they are.

I’ve got a previous co-worker who repairs vintage speakers, R2R decks (his specialty), cassette decks, turntables, amplifiers. I’ve traded 11 cartridges for work he does. He sells the cartridges with the tables he turns around, and to sweeten deals. People like those old carts. That V15 II was a trade to him. Fixed my AIWA cassette deck. Threw in 2 of my Empire carts.

Fact is, he wants my Pioneer 2000CE cart (Empire) for a Pioneer PL-518 table he’s finishing. That was the original cart supplied with that table.

So, I’ve found these carts (Shure, ADC, Empire, even AT) to have value to others. A cheap cart can get him an extra $100 or more on a job. Just good business.

He wants to know if I’ll take a BIC 940 off his hands. He got it on a trade. Has an Empire 1000 cart on it. Not a bad table. But I don’t need it.

Cheap carts for dirt cheap. Sounds like an AC/DC song.....
 
Wolfie62 said:
Some folks like vintage carts to go with vintage tables/gear. So sure, they may be cheap. If you’re a skillful bargain hunter, they are.

I’ve got a previous co-worker who repairs vintage speakers, R2R decks (his specialty), cassette decks, turntables, amplifiers. I’ve traded 11 cartridges for work he does. He sells the cartridges with the tables he turns around, and to sweeten deals. People like those old carts. That V15 II was a trade to him. Fixed my AIWA cassette deck. Threw in 2 of my Empire carts.

Fact is, he wants my Pioneer 2000CE cart (Empire) for a Pioneer PL-518 table he’s finishing. That was the original cart supplied with that table.

So, I’ve found these carts (Shure, ADC, Empire, even AT) to have value to others. A cheap cart can get him an extra $100 or more on a job. Just good business.

He wants to know if I’ll take a BIC 940 off his hands. He got it on a trade. Has an Empire 1000 cart on it. Not a bad table. But I don’t need it.

Cheap carts for dirt cheap. Sounds like an AC/DC song.....
Click to expand...

And it is amazing what a good new stylus for an old cartridge can do.
 
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