[misterv]

Recently, the turntable I've been long-term borrowing from a friend started to cut out and produce a hum in the right speaker. It seems that both the left and right plugs were pretty corroded, and steel wool/electronic contact cleaner didn't do much. So I went down to the basement to look for another turntable, and found my granddad's old GE Trimline 500 portable. It's missing a needle, which I found a replacement for, but while I was hunting around online I heard a lot about how the ceramic cartridges used for the Trimline ruined records. Is this enough of a problem to worry about? I mean clearly it's meant to play vinyl so it can't be that bad, but I'm not going to waste money on fixing up a turntable that'll ruin my records.
 
Also, is it best to simply replace the plugs on my original turntable, or to open it up and put a whole new cable in? 
 
I apologize in advance for my ignorance, and appreciate any help I can get. thanks!