Record Cleaning

Nitty-Gritty is a thing of the past, machines can help...
Here's a do-it-yourself kit, similar to the VPI, $50 to make:

- KILLER LINK -
http://www.teresaudio.com/haven/cleaner/cleaner.html

Disc Doctor really is a Miracle cleaner; may use w/ machine.
I have had the original version for years.
Now they have a no-rinse solution as well.


http://discdoc.com/ - The mark of a professional vinylholic.

They have made ergonomic brushes for easy hand-cleaning.
This works like a charm, but you do have to expend more
energy and time because it is a manual mode, of course..
Not a terribly difficult endeavor and fun in short spells.

One record I cleaned sounded like a rake was on it, noise
throughout. At *best,* it was G in sound but EX to the
looking at its grooves. I cleaned that LP to a nice sheen.

Voila! Wopp-baba-loobop-balop-bam-boom!

Crystal clear sound and play grade JUMPED up to VG++.
(See Previous Article: Record Grading)

An interesting side-effect is that the records continue to
sound better after each subsequent spin up until the 5th.
At that point, the clarity it levels out to a pristine plateau.

Why?

The slight remainders of grit, etc. in the grooves
are extracted by the passage of the needle.

I swear by the Disc Doctor and their motto:
"For the sound you thought you bought."

True,

Cesar, no kickbacks, just happy cleansing!`';o)
www.vinylmerchant.com - Great rare albums!

*Original concept cleverly devised by Jay Amble:

Record Grading

This is my basic rundown, akin to Goldmine standards:

Visual grading scale is strict under a strong light source, and follows this format (COVER/RECORD):

* Sealed (SS) - Unopened, shrinkwrap at least partially (if not fully) intact at mouth edge of cover.

* Mint (M) - COVER: No marks or dings, no edge wear. RECORD: Opened with no marks to vinyl; light or otherwise.

* Mint Minus (M-) - COVER: Has one or two minor imperfections, maybe a slight ding or the slightest edge wear; that's all. RECORD: One to two short/light hairlines on vinyl; play totally unaffected.

* Excellent (EX) - COVER: Has few more marks or very faint evidence of ring wear. RECORD: Vinyl has up to 5-6 light/short hairline marks which do not affect play.

* Very Good Plus Plus (VG++) - COVER: Can have a little more edge wear, more dings, faint ring wear, possibly a small seam split. RECORD: Vinyl has few longer/more obvious hairlines and maybe couple needle marks and/or a single light scratch which is not deep; overall, play is very slightly affected, if at all.

* Very Good Plus (VG+) - COVER: Has a combination of ring wear, edgewear, soilage, light writing, slight edge tears or seam breaks. RECORD: vinyl has lots of hairlines and a few (5-6) obvious scratches; play is affected by some background noise, an occasional pop perhaps, but not in any way excessive.

* Very Good (VG) - COVER: Has any or all of these conditions present: heavy ring wear, heavy soilage, medium-sized writing, minor water damage, seam splits, but still intact and looks ok from a distance. RECORD: Vinyl has lots of hairlines and more scratches with background noise, pops and/or crackle in places; still listenable and no skips - a decent filler copy.

* Very Good Minus (VG-) - COVER: Still intact, but is distracting with heavy ringwear, heavy soilage, seam splits, etc. RECORD: Vinyl is heavy with hairlines and scratches both; plays through for listening to get the idea for the music until another copy comes along, may have moments of lucidity and give sections of better play grading.

* Good Plus (G+) - COVER: Not in the best conditons at all, yet not a total waste of cardboard either; significant writing with marker may be present (as in the large call letter markings of an over-zealous radio station drone), or it can be really worn out from handling and improper storage. RECORD: Has seen better days, still plays through with significant surface noise throughout the duration.

* Good (G) - COVER: In bad shape, may be due to one serious injury; could be incredibly water damaged, possibly moldy, have an inordinately large tear or ugly rip, all seams completely separated (i.e. in two pieces); in any case, you know what record it is and can still read the print, it's better than a plain blank stock sheath. RECORD: Difficult to listen to for the distraction of everpresent audible defects, may have a few skips. If the music in question has evaded your grasp, you would be happy to finally hear it and also be able to tell if it is worth the effort of seeking another in better conditions. Will not gett much play unless you are a glutton for punishment or the thing is so good as to have you enthralled by the magic therein.

* Good Minus (G-) - COVER: The jacket has had better days and looks like it's been in a knife fight. RECORD: Rough stuff.

* Fair (F) - COVER: Beat up by ruffians and hooligans from a bad neighborhood on the other side of town. RECORD: Frisbee.

* Play Grade - RECORD: When an album is audibly superior to its visual grade, this is noted by a Play Grade designation. In essence, this is the personality of the grooves outshining the effect of seeing the looker, my drift serves as an analogy here.

*** Any record below VG++ could do well for a cleansing.
See next article: Record Cleaning


Cesar aka Progczar
www.vinylmerchant.com - Great rare albums!