No right channel in new cartridge

If your Sumiko Blackbird is a High Output version (2.5mv) you can check it with volt meter to make sure.

If your Blackbird is a Low Output (0.7mv) version then you can send it for inspection to professionals.

You need another cartridge to check your phono system, mormally this problem is a lack of connection when you mount a new artridge. You can also check your tonearm wires with a tester (left and right) to make sure you didn't damaged one of the pin.

If you think your cartridge is broken then definitely return it for full refund, do not send it for refurbishing even if the seller cover the cost. Simply buy another cartridge, you can buy a much better cartridge, let me know if you need help.

In my experience with used cartridges only 1 out of 50 has a broken coil wire and it was the cheapest cartridge.

"Never buy a used cartridge" - this is the worst advice from people who knows nothing. More important is who is the seller!

If i were you, i would return the cartridge for full refund to buy perfectly working cartridge from another seller. Cartridge coil wire does not break in transit normally. Some sellers on here just re-sell stuff they never even tried, i’ve been cheated a few times by audiogon sellers with big score. Hope your seller is not from California?

It’s more safe when you buy a personal cartridge from a collection, tested and guaranteed to work as described.

Not sure why do you need an MC cartridge, they are the most problematic as you can see.

There are better cartridges even for $500, i paid same price for my Dynavector KARAT 23RS MR Ruby in NOS condition for example. There are many options for MC or decent MM for the same price.

SoundSmith will have to open your cartridge, sometimes it means to break the cartridge and glue it back (not sure about Sumiko). Not sure why do you need all these damage if you’re not even sure he can fix it? Fixing coil is not cheap at all. Reparing coil wire is actually very expensive. Are you sure he can do that in 6 weeks? I think your cartridge will be inspected in 6 weeks. But It can take 3-5 month to fix the problem. 

@tochsii I hope you understand that defective MC cartridge (with one channel off) cost no more than $50. And even fully refurbished cartridge can't cost as much as the original.    

@lewm yes, this site is ebay and you can monitor the prices by checking expired listings for anything you want.

@djf1 

They mounted it on a new tt I had also purchased. I had it for 2 months then one night the right channel went out.  

Wow, that's bad. I haven't anything like that even with my 30 years old vintage MM or MC cartridges, except the one in a bunch over the years. 

But i've had a miss-tracking problem with a brand new Ortofon cartridge once, luckily the seller accepted return for a full refund.  

This is something about a quality control of the brand new cartridges. 

@tochsii so you’re looking for cheap MC cartridge for some reason, on the MC territory a brand new cartridge with a typical price tag under $2000 considered "cheap", normally those cartridges can’t compete even with $300-400 MM from the golden era. None of the dealers can’t offer something special among the brand new LOMC carts within this budget. If you think a brand new modern MC cartridge under $1k will be better than MM cartridge you’re wrong.

Some vintage MC can be good within your budget, but you need someone who’s experienced with them. I think Dynavector 23RS is superb for $500-800 NOS.

Ortofon MC line goes up to $15 000 for a single cartridge, do you think they’re offering something special with $800 MC ?

MM cartridges from the ’80s like Grace, Pickering, Stanton, Glanz, Victor, Garrott, Sony, Audio-Technica will put those new Orotofn MC to the dust forever!