Vintage Stanton cartridge — extreme lean to one side normal?

To me this does not look normal at all!

And the cantilever is bent, probably to compensate, as you suggested.

Put it aside and buy a Stanton in better condition. 

Or contact VAS cartridge repair and see if they can straighten it out for you. 

NOT normal! Do not use.

If it were me, and given the low value of that cartridge, I would trash it.  However, in your 3rd photo it looks as if the whole stylus assembly, to include the black plastic part, which inserts into the cartridge body, is twisted with respect to the brushed aluminum body.  If you were to align the black plastic with the body of the cartridge, some of the alignment error would seem to correct itself.  But still, I would not use this to play LPs that are dear to me.

Leanin'? It’s not leaning, it’s bent. It’s a bent parrot.

It's an un-cartridge, you mean.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I am guessing this cartridge was defective from the outset and the original owner(s) probably didn't know any better. I bought it second-hand on eBay but the photos neglected to show these defects so I'm trying to return it. Worst case, I'm out ~$50.

All you have to do is to straighten it out. The ears are bent from the stress or the impact. Just unbend so it's straight. Use necessary measurements and angle tools to place it onto the perfect center and orthogonal.

• Hello bigmikeatl!  Do not let that cartridge touch your records! Get the stylus replaced (easy to do - not too pricy). Maybe a new cartridge is a good dea.  I have my doubts about the headshell. Is it loose on the arm? Be sure the arm is not twisted. It shouldn't cost more than $100 to get it professionally set up once the new stylus or pickup is installed. They might set things up for free if you buy the stylus/cartridge from them. Happy Listening!

+1 czarivey. The desirable vintage Stanton is the 681 “calibration standard” compared to which the 680 is a looser spec. $50 is robbery for that cartridge, but unbending the body to be squared to the mounting wings should be easy enough then a stylus in better shape will get you going. 

I know an old guy named Stanton who leans to one side.

@boomerbillone   It almost certainly won't be the stylus.  The cantilever needs replacing.  As you say, if he really loves it, best to have the cart rebuilt by a qualified practitioner.

she no looka so good!  say bye bye to that bay-bee

Regards,

barts

What barts so elegantly said, in Italian.

You can buy a better replacement for far less than it would cost to repair properly, unless you do it yourself, which does not seem like a good idea.