How to Find and Buy the Right Replacement Stylus for Your Vintage Record Player

To find the right replacement stylus, first determine whether your turntable uses a ceramic or magnetic cartridge, then match your record player's brand and model against Canadian Astatic's brand lists and its ceramic or magnetic stylus picture identification pages. Canadian Astatic is a North American supplier of replacement stylus, replacement cartridges, and microphones, and its catalog is organized by cartridge type, then by brand, then by stylus specification and picture. This guide walks through that structure so you can identify the correct part before ordering.

Step 1: Determine whether you have a ceramic or magnetic cartridge

This is the single decision that splits the entire catalog. Canadian Astatic separates its stylus listings into two top-level categories:

• Ceramic Stylus — with its own specifications and picture identification pages
• Magnetic Stylus — with its own specifications and picture identification pages

If you search the wrong category, you will not find your part no matter how accurately you know your brand.

How to tell which type you have

• Ceramic cartridges are common on older, mass-market console and portable record players. They typically output a higher signal and often do not require a separate phono preamp stage in the same way magnetic cartridges do.
• Magnetic cartridges (moving magnet or moving coil) are typical of component turntables and higher-fidelity systems, and generally need a phono input or preamp.

If you are unsure, look at the cartridge body itself or any markings on the existing stylus. Canadian Astatic's own category list also includes a Ceramic Cartridges section alongside the stylus categories, which can help you confirm the family your player belongs to.

Step 2: Find your brand in the catalog

Once you know ceramic or magnetic, locate your record player's brand. Canadian Astatic maintains long brand lists under each stylus type. The ceramic list includes brands such as:

• B.S.R.
• Garrard
• Dual
• Zenith
• Magnavox
• Electrohome
• Philco
• RCA
• Sonotone
• V-M
• Webcor
• Wurlitzer

The magnetic list includes brands such as:

• Audio Technica
• Bang & Olufsen
• Denon
• Dual
• Empire
• Fisher
• Grado-family names appear via related listings
• ADC (Audio Dynamics)
• Shure-family and others appear through their own brand entries

Brand names are the fastest filter. If your player is a store-brand or rebadged unit, check the brands that manufactured it — for example, many console players sold under department-store names were built by major OEMs that appear in these lists.

Step 3: Narrow to your model and confirm the stylus shape

After selecting your brand, you still need the specific model. Two players from the same brand can use different styli. Canadian Astatic provides two tools for this stage:

1. Specifications pages — for both ceramic and magnetic styli, listing technical details of each stylus.
2. Picture identification pages — visual references so you can compare the shape and mounting of your old stylus against the catalog entry.

Use both. A part number alone can be misread; a picture plus specification reduces the chance of ordering a stylus that looks similar but will not seat correctly.

What to compare before ordering

• Stylus tip type — conical, elliptical, or other profile, as listed in the specifications
• Mounting and body shape — how the stylus clips or slides onto the cartridge
• Part number — cross-check the number on your old stylus against the catalog entry
• Cartridge model — confirm the stylus is listed for your exact cartridge, not just your brand

Step 4: Check availability and price before buying

Canadian Astatic publishes a Price List page. Check it to confirm the stylus you identified is listed and to see current pricing. Because this is a replacement-parts catalog rather than a live retail storefront, confirm the item is orderable before you commit — a part appearing in a brand list does not by itself guarantee it is in stock.

Step 5: Verify the fit after it arrives

A correct replacement stylus should seat fully and securely on the cartridge with no wobble. If it does not:

• Fits poorly or will not seat — recheck the mounting type and body shape against the picture identification page; you may have matched the brand but not the exact cartridge.
• Sounds distorted — confirm the tip type matches your original, and check that the stylus is fully seated before assuming the part is wrong.
• Tracks incorrectly — verify you ordered the correct stylus for your cartridge model, then check tracking force against your turntable's recommended setting.

Quick reference

The core discipline is sequence: cartridge type first, brand second, model and stylus shape third, price and availability last. Skipping the first step is the most common reason people order a stylus that will not fit.