Bare cartridge design, Sumiko Blackbird Low Output

Over 100 cartridges since the early 60's; many came with thrift store turntables which happened to have good cartridges on them, many purchased in the late 80's to mid 90's,by which time most everyone temporarily gave up on turntables.

Nice, 5-7 years ago i thought i could just buy "the best cartridge", later i realize there is no such thing as "best cartridge" and only trying many cartridges we can find what we really like, because they are all different. So i ended up with probably 60 different samples (99% are vintage, but many NOS or almost unused). It's fun, it was hard to imagine we will be locked at home, but with so many cartridges and tonearms, with nice record collection, it's time to audition them. 

For example, I purchased a Thorens TD 125 for $8.50 in 1989.

Great! I wish i could buy all the top cartridges from that era for nothing, i was too young for that. 

I gradually replaced the styli on most of these turntables for the most reasonable prices compared to todays: Shures, Stantons, ADC's,Pickerings,Micro Acoustics, and almost all MM brands.

There are all American brands, i would add Japanese high-end cartridges like JVC Victor (X1II series), Grace (F14 and LEVEL II), Pioneer (PC-1000 mkII), Audio-Technica (AT-ML170 and 180), ADC TRX series designed by Nakatsuka San in Japan (after Pritchard left the company), Technics (p205c mk4), Sony (XL-50) ....  all are MM, except one IM.   

Dear @lps4eloise : Sumiko marketed very good cartridges and the BB is no exception.

There is no issue to worry with that cartridge and a " naked " cartridge as the SBB or VdH ( I own. ) between other things has the advantage to lower distortions that are generated inside the normal cartridges body.

So, go a head because that gentleman that posted 3-4 times here telling you the risk with the Sumiko cartridge cantilever could be because he just does not learn yet how to make that cartridge set up with out risk.
As a fact if we don't take care with a cartridge set up we can damage the cantilever even if the design is not a naked one.

Accidents can happens in audio, there is nothing perfect dowen there.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

I have  HO BB. No issues with it. No static. Just as with any other cart, you need to be VEWY VEWY careful mounting it. I have only had 4 or 5 TT's with 6 or 7 cartridges, so am not an expert by any means.

I have it on a VPI Prime with VPI arm. And I just purchased an ultrasonic RCM and now in the painful process of cleaning all my albums. But it will be worth it from a stylus, static and noise perspective. I noticed ZERO static over the winter with my cleaned records.

Cleaning and cartridge design, except in the case of a few historically interesting designs that tried to sink static charge, have little to do with static so you must be doing something else right.

This is how clever designer protect the cantilever, just one more element and the stylus does not look so dangerous like those Sumiko and VdH cartridges with "naked" cantilever in front of the cartridge body.