Sorry, but your guess could not possibly be more wrong.
I have many records - some bought from new, some used, some being gifted from the customers back in my CD retail days. And they cover pretty much every possible condition an analog record can possibly have - frooo NOS never played ( some still in their original shrink wrapper ) all the way down to the ones usable only as a clock on the wall.
Please check
https://www.vinylengine.com/turntab...&t=22894&sid=f9eaeb2edb62af8619a1515df28f1269
Since I have been gifted a VERY well selected library of some 2-300 LPs of classical music in a VERY derelict condition ( soiled, dirty, you name it ... ), I have been of course interested in getting some decent sound out of these records. And actually did a test using every possible stylus shape in existence - from conical to Micro Line ( Micro Ridge, Micro whatever and SAS are just different commercial name for the Namiki produced Micro Ridge stylus ( which did evolve and get even more refined in the course of the 4 decades it is in existence )). Using the same cartridge - Audio Technica 1X0/1X2 family, the current production models belonging to this group is VM540ML, for example.
Aaaaand ... - what were the findings ? After the thourough cleaning, the collection has obviously been played with an elliptical stylus, at too low a tracking force, without or with very poorly adjusted antiskating. Unfortunately, the worst possible combination - and one even more unfortunately many times encountered inthe field.
An elliptical stylus - even NOS totally immaculate one - produced horrible, unlistenable distortion. A conical improved a bit over it, but still unlistenable. Using a line type of stylus ( Fine Line, Linear Contact, Shibata ) showed some possible light at the end of the tunnel; still only marginally acceptable for listening - but surely not good enough for digitizing such records.
Enter the best stylus tip profiles - the ones with a very small smaller rasdius and very large larger radius of the tip. Historically, Van Den Hul first came up with such a stylus in mid 70s - the VdH I. As VdH I is both quite expensive to produce and absolutely demands to be adjusted PERFECTLY in all 3D, a somewhat "relaxed" VdH II followed - which helped both in reducing the cost and allowing more users to use it given their ability to adjust it correctly on their hardware.
And, it took at least VdH II ( in reality, a Fritz Gyger II - the very same thing, which I had it retipped once the original AT diamond wore out - in any case produced by Fritz Gyger ) in order for these records mistracked by an elliptical stylus to come back to life once more. The reason is that the large scanning radius of VdH II and above is sufficient to form a "bridge" over the destroyed portion of the groove left by the mistracking elliptical stylus.
It rides on the portions of the groove never touched by the lesser stylus tip profiles before. In effect, almost like a new record - with only slightly more noise and distortion.
It takes a few playbacks for the large scanning stylus tip to deburr/clean the debris left by the mistracking elliptical - during which some noise and distortion may still be appearent. I recommend cleaning the stylus every song on pop music and at least every movement in classical while "deburring". After these few playbacks are over, it is recommended to wash the record again - using the best method at your disposal.
The results using VdH I, Fritz Gyger S or Micro Line offer a subtle, but audible rafinement over Vdh /FG II . The main point is that using any of these advanced stylus tip profiles allows elliptical mistracked records again.
CAVEAT : These advanced stylus tip profiles absolutely require perfect alignment. Unless you do posess hardware offering VTA and Azimuth adjustment and the ability to use these adjustments correctly, I do NOT recommend using these advanced stylus tip profiles - as even slightly "off" alignment can begin to re-cut the grooves - game over ...
So, a tip for the people buying used records on record swaps/meetings; carry a portable TT with an elliptical stylus.
If the seller wants to sell you a rare superbly washed cleaned record in superb new inner and outer sleeve at a premium price - and it distorts like there is no tomorrow when played back by an elliptical stylus - the investment in this portable TT might pay for itself in the very first instance ...