it's unlikely you need to tape pennies to the headshell. you should be able to set the tracking weight (balance) by adjusting the counter-weight on the other end of the tone arm. i would clean the stylus before replacing it. however, if its damaged, you only need to replace the stylus, not the entire cartridge... unless you're looking to upgrade the cartridge/stylus combo. you can take the stylus off the cartridge, take it to the store for inspection, cleaning and a possible replacement. it should slide off with ease. the turntable guy i spoke to suggested cleaning the stylus after every 4 or 5 albums, or if albums are brand new, after each album - since new records have a factory residue that is picked up by the needle. i clean it once a month or so. I'm sure there are varying opinions about what to clean and how often.. i rarely clean/brush my records anymore, and just let the needle sweep dust out of the way.