Off center (not bent!) stylus?

I wouldn't play a record with a cantilever canted that much. Out of curiosity @millercarbon, do you own a Soundsmith cartridge? I know you cite to him constantly but have you ever even talked to the man?
I suspect if you sent that pic to Soundsmith they would tell you it's too far gone. Since it is apparently a user replaceable stylus, what's the cost? Are they still made? I remember the cartridges from that era and they certainly didn't come out of the box looking that way. There are any number of reasons why that thing is skewed. 

Millercabon you are doing a great job of demonstrating your own ignorance. You are making yourself the laughing stock of this web site.

@whart I actually did put in a question to soundsmith with the same pics so hopefully will hear back from them too. 

And yes the stylus assembly is replaceable but this is a really rare cartridge and the original needle seems even more rare.

Which relates to my above question - how much of a difference is there between original vs replacement styli for vintage carts?

More specifically, is a replacement stylus basically going to have a completely different character than the original? (Kind of like how certain lines of carts have use the same cart body just with different needle types)

Is it better to try to get an old stylus retipped by someone like Soundsmith? Would that sound more true to the original than buying a replacement from a place like LPGear?

Generally, how responsible is the cart for sound reproduction vs the stylus? If I keep the cart and use a replacement stylus am I actually “hearing” that vintage cart? Or am I fooling myself?

Thanks!

@hauie88- our member @chakster seems to be a guru for these old gems so he may know what the replacement stylus market is like for this piece. I think Mr. Pickering only died a few years ago, but it's been years since I played with one of their cartridges. (Chakster is not a fan of retips, based on reading his posts).
 Usually, SS ask you to send the cartridge and pay, I dunno, $75 bucks American for an actual inspection, but they may be willing to look at the photos and give you a reaction. I was willing to put up money on a bet with MC as to SS's response, but I think it's better spent on the cartridge, not just a 'who's right' thing. Will be interested in SS's response. 

@whart Cool, thanks for that.

For everyone here, what audible issues should I hear from a problem like this? 

And what has been people's experience with retipping or replacement styli for vintage carts?