Hello.   Brand new member here testing out the waters.  I'm jazzed because I have just lucked into a Beogram 4002 that is cosmetically a 9, and still plays great (another thread).  I do have cartridge issues, so I was hoping I could throw out a few questions for the experts:

It came with two MC4000 cartridges.  One has a bent cantilever and plays with distortion and a great bias for the right channel.  Can anything be done to fix this? Does a cart like this with bad cantilever have any value? I see carts with no stylus on eBay--any point in acquiring one on the cheap, or keeping this one?  I know some outfits rebuild carts but probably for about what a new one would cost.  Should I try bending the cantilever back? (Nothing to lose.)  Fortunately, the other MMC4000 plays great but the little clear plastic pyramid (ziggaraut?) has fallen off.  I was going to super-glue it back on, since I believe the absence of the mass of this part makes the tone arm track too light.  In fact, a couple times a record has refused to play because (I think) the stylus didn't settle into the grooves, riding instead along the tops.  I will probably try to super glue it back on.  But since I have only one cart I think I'll wait until I have a backup in case I botch it (which is about 50% likely.) 

How do replacement carts compare? The MMC4000 was followed on by the MMC20, is that right? And MMC1 thru MMC5 will also work? Is the quality of the MMC20 the same? Used carts come up on eBay (all were used just once and then stored in a temp and humidity controlled, dust-free radiation-proof bunker for the last 30 years, and so are always like new) but you are almost guaranteed to pay too much for an item like this on eBay.  There is a company called Sound-smith that puts up a nice page, and they have offerings of aftermarket cartridges for $230 to a heart-stopping $650. Any other good manufacturers?

So I need at least one cartridge.  What is a fair price for  a good used B&O cartridge? Of the eight or ten B&O models that will work. what would be the best to look for on the used market?  And which is better: an original used B&O cart; a new aftermarket cart; or a B&O cart that was remanufactured? 

Any help appreciated.

Daniel