first from the late 70's I always handled my records carefully only one finger on label and edge always took out inner sleeve first never blew on it and used a cleaning cloth for records ,used a brush to get any particles of dirt off surface and been doing this since I can remember ,I grew up with records saw how m,y father handled records that time nobody was hardly taught how to handle records he mishandled them scraped them together to put on player we always had ac stacker type of player but as I grew upI learned how to handle records and knowledge of this equipment when I worked part time in a record store ,and yes most of my players are all stackers except my onkyo ,audio-technica and pro-ject TT but I know how to stack them without any scratching of records , so I am really liking this channel very much you have several vids I need to check out thanks is good that u did this vid its always good to double check how to handle records JRo
Thank you, JRo! My dad's way of handling records left fingerprints, scratches, and everything else all over them 😂. The records of his that I own now have been cleaned multiple times. Glad you're here!
Dear Rick, I had my first heart attack at 0:18 and my second at 0:25. Because you grabbed the grooves here. Then you blew on the grooves and wiped the dust off with your fingers. The black gold on the sofa without protection is terrible. I think I need urgently a pacemaker. Then I really realized you did that on purpose for this video. I'm a DJ from the 80s and we did a lot of nonsense with vinyl that we always bittersweetly paid for. Bitter because the records were crap. Sweet? Yes, there were new ones! I think it's good that you're sensitizing people to be careful, even if it's just about vinyl. Rick, I want to thank you for all your videos and efforts. Just keep up the good work. I wish you and your family a peaceful and happy Christmas. A hearty “Servus” from Bavaria
Hey cool and informative video, I've just retaught myself all these tricks after replacing the cart on my deck as well as going through and cleaning most ( still in progress) of my vinyl collection.... my set up is based on Tubes as well.... I run a PimaLuna Evo 400 integrated Amp, Rega P3 deck with a new AT VM 95SH cart, Rega MK3 Phono stage, B&W 705s2 speakers and a B&W 12" sub.... again thanks, Mike from Ontario Canada.
Another fun and informative video. 👍 A few no-no's I've come across are.. Smoking. Pretty self explanatory. Small children. A danger to albums and delicate turntables. My youngest thought my Jerry Lewis 45 made a great Frisbee! Adults. Yes. I had a friend come over, and he noticed a light layer of dust on my turntable and thought he'd let me know by dragging his finger across the acrylic! Sunlight and heat sources. Avoid having your collection exposed to direct sunlight or near wood stoves and fireplaces. Fading of the album covers and warping from heat. Yeah. Not good. Stacking records flat. Not nice. Warping and the creation of the record wear ring showing through the cover. Yuch! Lastly, records weigh a ton! Make sure your floor and shelving are up to the task. I really enjoy your videos. Merry Christmas.
Smoking...ughh...my late father smoked for decades. When he died a few years ago, I grabbed a bunch of singles from his collection and ran them through my Spin Clean. Holy cow, the cloth turned various shades of yellow and brown...ughgh...
Paper is abrasive, so I replace the inner paper sleeves with poly lined sleeves, and poly bag the covers, leaving the original inner sleeve inside. Setup: Dual Reloop RP-8000 MK2 TT's, Ortofon carts, Pioneer DJ XDJ-RX3, DVS, Phase needless DVS, Virtual DJ, Sony Amp 2.1 channel amp and sub, Bose 501's, mirrored cartridge alignment protractor, Dr. Suzuki - Mix Edition Slipmats, & Vevor Ultrasonic cleaner. I use a wireless barcode scanner and Discogs to catalog. I play grade the vinyl separate from the covers. Sort by genre, then alphabetically.
@@Pluralofvinylisvinyls This makes me wat to perform an experiment to take a mint record and take detailed closeup photos, then carefully pull it in and out of a paper record sleeve 100 times, then do an analysis... MoFi or other poly sleeves are the way to go IMO. Paper's coefficient of static friction is nearly 2X of poly.
Thanks for the great video. I have been into vinyl for 60 years and although I never touch the surface of a record, I never gave a second thought to blowing off dust every now and then! BTW, my system is a Technics SL 1215GAE turntable with an Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250 cartridge, a Technics SL 1210GR turntable with an Ortofon 2M Mono cartridge, a Devialet Expert 220 Pro integrated amp, Wilson Sabrina X speakers, duel REL T 7i subwoofers, and a Roon server with Qobuz.
I caught them all except the first one. And then I realized I do that! So from now on, I will not be pulling the record out of the sleeve at the edges by my fingertips. Thank you for the information as always Rick! You’re certainly very kind to share your knowledge with us! Merry Christmas!
Back in the late 70’s, I had an internship at the local rock ‘n roll radio station (WCMF). It blew my mind how most of the DJ’s would handle those LP’s…every mistake you mentioned. The free pile of used records all had lead-in groove noise. But, they were free to this 17 year old! My vinyl system right now is: Audio Technical AT-LP120, NAD 1155 preamp, Yamaha M80 power amp, and Tannoy Mercury 2 speakers with a BIC Venturi sub.
I'm wondering about you pulling the record straight out of the cover, which looks like it could accidentally fall out. I have all of mine in rice paper record sleeves and use single or gatefold album covers.
Great job Rick. Now I’m off to therapy after you identified all my record handling foibles 😊. Have a merry Christmas 🎁. Wishing you success in the new year. 🎉. Greg
Hi Rick. I'm new to your channel, so have been catching up on past episodes. About 8 months ago, your made a video on the Fluance RT85 turntable, during which, you commented on the lack of 78rpm and the fact that a very few turntables also have a 16rpm speed. You then asked if anyone had any 16 rpm records and what was on them. I have a Goldring GL75 turntable which has 16; 33; 45 and 78 rpm speeds. I also have Five 16 inch records and Three 13 records, which run at 16 rpm. The 16 inch records require a pickup arm of 12 inches, to play them. The SME 3012 is the arm I have on my GL75 turntable. As for what they contain, the 16 inch records are Recordings of Radio Programs which were made by the BBC - British Broadcasting Corporation - for the Royal Navy. These records were played on turntables which were mounted on Gimbels, so they could be played at sea. I acquired these records during the 1980's, whilst living in Plymouth, UK. They are made of Translucent RED Vinyl and were not for sale to the Public. They were being sold off, as the Royal Navy were replacing Records with CDs, which took up less space and were also easier to handle. I hope this answers your question. My apologies for not being able to send you pictures, but I don't own a camera, nor a Smartphone, or Tablet. Russ. Portsmouth, England, UK.
Great stuff! There is a record store locally here in MA that sells records online on Friday evenings. They also have auction items they offer too, and the woman always shows the sleeves and the vinyl. She ALWAYS touches the vinyl with her fingers and explains that it is "near mint". Not anymore it isn't. Drives me crazy! A record store should know better!
I wear white cotton lint free gloves when handling my albums. They keep the record, sleeves and covers clean. My albums and stylus get brush cleaned each play. Kind of over the top but really enhances the listening pleasure.
The fatty acids in our skin oil will eventually eat away at the vinyl surface, that's why sometimes you'll get permanent fingerprints on vintage records
Once our records have been cleaned, they are never again touched by human hands, lol! When we first started “collecting” we used the disposable plastic “food worker” gloves. Now we use lint-free microfiber gloves whenever we are handling our records. We also keep a can of air on the stand right next to the turntable for quick blow offs.
Lol! I used to do pretty much all of those things back in the day. I must admit that I still occasionally blow on a record if I see a stray hair or speck of dust. I think it's just a reflex action, and I can't help myself. I am so much more careful handling records today than I ever was as a teenager. Good stuff!
I admit I have reached a Howard Hughes level of obsession when it comes to handling my records. I not only wear nitrile gloves whenever I handle them, but I also have to wash my hands first. The glove is no good if I contaminate it with dirty hands! "Chain of contamination" is a phrase never far from my mind. I do also have exceptionally sweaty hands, so I think my methods make much more sense for me than for most, but still.
I never did any of those things. Our family always had a huge respect for music and albums. I was taught by watching how my dad handled albums. When my best friend at the time discovered Physical Graffiti and found out I had the album and wanted to borrow it, I agreed. But only after I gave her a tutorial on how to handle albums properly. Plus she had to demonstrate she absorbed the information I just gave her. And she had a deadline. I remember, I told her I wanted it back by 3:30pm on Sunday. Otherwise she would be banned from borrowing any of my other albums, as well as being charged a dollar for every hour she was late. Unless of course there was an unforeseen emergency or a matter of life or death. And I'm not kidding. I was at her house once and saw how her family treated their albums and players. Miraculously I got my album back on time and in the same condition it was in when I gave it to her. And I inspected it right in front of her. I did everything short of demanding a deposit. Our family was very serious about albums.
After over 50 years of being super careful handling my records they still look and sound great. I don’t even like folks looking at the covers as they just have no idea that that’s an important part of the collection. Albums from early 70’s still look VG+. One thing about the covers. You guys in the USA had much thicker cardboard where a lot in the uk had thinner card and a shiny surface which creased so quickly. IF you ever see a album pressed in South Africa then you would have tears as the covers were sometimes so blurred and printed so badly on thin card. My Donna Summer albums I’ve recently purchased here look terrible…. But… never played. Go figure! Happy Christmas!🎉
Thanks for the heart stoppers! I have been playing my own vinyl (or styrene, or shellac) for 60+ years, after a brief period when I was forbidden to handle any of my parent's LPs. Still guilty of occasionally blowing dust off by mouth, I highly recommend beginning every play with a record brush.
Overbrushing adds static and I'm skeptic of the ability of those brushes to get rid of the dust. I suspect that in doing so you are packing the smaller particles INTO the groove, the bigger ones are easy to get rid of but is the fine dust the one responsible for most surface noise.
A good quality fine carbon brush should remove static, not add to it. I have not had any issues with driving dust into the grooves. In fact, when I first started using a brush on a regular basis, I found the more I used it, the less I NEEDED to use it, the effect was cumulative.
I'm not sure about my technique on handling records, but I have been using lint free microfiber gloves! I always try to used acid-free record sleeves! But I'm not sure which is best; plastic or paper Nice video! I enjoyed! Some good info!
Yup, of course I caught all five mistakes. I mean, well you know. Yes, the first one - "Grabbing the record by the edge" You are spot on about the oils. In fact, grabbing a record by the edge is not much different from using products such as Gruv Glide, LAST preservative or even L Art Du Son record cleaning fluid! In fact, those products are worse as they cover the entire record with "oils" essentially. I have seen absolute disasters with phono carts from Gruv Glide! The product (oil, what have you) wicks up the cantilever and gets into the workings! Yes, speaking of inherited records. I inherited a few from my parents and while I am not aware of any glaring mishandling (although I'm sure they were likely sloppy) they played said records on an old midcentury automatic record changer the kind were one could stack 4 or 5 records on the spindle. In fact, I think it was an old Gerrard table built-in and it had a flip needle that was never replaced. Yes, major damage was done to those records. I was able to get two of them to playable condition. The real loss was the Mamas and Papas records we had. Two family units received the first two Mamas and Papas records gratis! There was a Mama Cass connection in the family someplace and that is about as much as I know. I did "meet" Mama Cass when I was very little ( I think I was around 4 years old or so), it was at a family function oddly enough. We had the original jacket on one of them (the one without the toilet covered up). The thing is though is that none of the records were signed (nobody thought to do it I guess), they just came direct from the label or something in the mail. Had they been signed and with the original toilet jacket, that stupid thing would fetch a few hundred dollars today. By the time I got them though , the jackets were worn and had writing and everything. The media was unplayable as well. Blowing on records is bad, yes. You might give your record Covid! Joke aside, yes you are spitting on the record even if you don't think so. Also, I have seen one guy use a photo squeeze blower on the record before play. That is also a dumb idea. While you are not getting things from your mouth on the record you are not effectively dusting it and certainly not neutralizing static charge, In fact, you may be introducing it. An anti-static carbon fiber brush designed for dusting records or a peristatic felt brush is all that should be used to dust a record before play. While not a effective duster, a Thunderon brush may be used to control static charge in lieu of a Zerostat gun or what have you, Thunderon brushes work just as good. Remember, none of these brushes will remove stuff from the grooves, they are for surface dusting. I have a similar device for holding records like the one from 33 and 1/3. Although I don't use it to hold a record I jut took out to play. I use it when processing with the Kirmuss USRCM, it comes in very handy. My "procedure" if you will is I always lift the dust cover on my turntable first and then take the record out of the sleeve when I am ready to place it on the platter and play. (of course a dusting with a anti-stat carbon fiber brush and a swipe back to front on the stylus with a dry stylus brush happens). Immediately after play I put it back in the sleeve and jacket. None of us live in clean lab environments of course, but I do play records with the dust cover lowered. I know that strikes disgust in some audiophiles, but at least in my case it doesn't effect the sound one iota and serves as an extra measure to keep some dust off the record. I figure enough dust and such lands on it the second you remove it from the sleeve, no point adding more if preventable to some degree.
That is extremely cool that you met Mama Cass. Such a talent - and what a voice! And I was not familiar with the Thunderon brush and just looked it up. Now I know what I want to get 😊
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Like I said, she was at least distantly related someplace in my family or something otherwise I can't explain how she was at a family function and how my parents and my aunt and uncle all received the first two LPs in the mail way back in the day unannounced. My aunt did date Mike Love of The Beach Boys steady for almost two years back in the day, so maybe there is also connection there? I remember very little of meeting Mama Cass, but I do remember it was at my aunt's house at the time and I remember the kitchen table and the console behind the chair she was sitting in and how my dad's side of the family did not like her. I was only about 4 years old. I can't tell you what I had for lunch, but I can tell you what I was doing at age 4 or something. (Actually, my short term memory was effected by a mini stroke 20 years ago and has not gotten any better, but it opened my long term memory to incredible levels). As for the Thunderon brush, yes they work well. Sometimes it has worked better than my Zerostat at certain times for some reason. Thunderon is not a brand as you may have discovered. It is a material. You can pick up thunderon brushes at lab supply houses, Sleevecity, Amazon, all kinds of places. Mine was around $22 back when I got it. I keep it in a lidded container as it did not come with a container. I do that so it does collect a bunch of house dust and such.
I shake my head when I see people still write and/or make videos claiming stacking records on a changer is harmless. Total BS. You can sometimes hear them slide and scrape together in videos when one drops and hits the other. Yes, in a perfectly made stack of 45s, the raised labels should keep those separate, but even then, making the stack of any type of record introduces chances for damage, as well as the overarm which makes full contact with the record on top used on many changers. The best changer ever made was a VM 1555...it used no overarm and stopped the platter while it slowly and gently lowered each record automatically, not restarting the platter until the record was fully down.
I do #1 and need to stop asap. I also blow on a record (very rarely) to get somethig off it, even though I know it's not a good idea and I use an anti-static brush eveytime I play a side!
Another sin I see (in my own home! Noooo!) is: putting record partially into the jacket, then TAPPING IT AGAINST THE TABLE to get the disc the rest of the way in. I hear the disc hit the bottom of the jacket and two things fire off in my head. 1. The record was just struck on its edge against a tabletop. 2. The jacket paper has been mashed ever so slightly, breaking off bits and making the spine less legible.
Since I started recollecting vinyl I handle it all the way with latex gloves on, especially brand new stuff cos I don't want finger smudges even on the sleeves! Maybe I go *too* far, I don't know.
I'm new to records and i understand the way to pull them out but what if your album has two records how do you only pull one out and not both because when i try to let just one fall out onto my hand so i don't touch the grooves the other one comes out as well sorry if I'm not explained clearly or if its common sense😅😅
I get what you are saying. If both records are in the same sleeve it can be tricky. I pull them out by the inner sleeve first. No real right or wrong way - just being aware is 98% of the battle
I collect rare 45s When I go to the record shows, I see them playing very rare records on the Sesame big bird record players with the big fat needles It drives me crazy
You showed in the first second one thing that many people do out of laziness. And it's a very bad habit: inner and outer sleeve opening same side. Worst case your record rolls straight out on the floor in the dust when you pick out your record. Of course people see DJ's do it, and they're professionals, right? Yeah, professional 'criminals'. The same that gave us 'scratching', with their sweaty finger on the record using their 'professional' DD Technics 1200 going whh...hhw...whh...hhw...wheee DJ's tought people so many bad habits. And they didnt give a s#.. because they all got their records for free (mostly). You know that song "God is a DJ". What could go wrong? Something that also always bothered me: putting records on the TT dustcover. Or, the horror... an ashtray! Or a soda can. A mint dust cover is 50% of your record players resell value, easily! Sometimes new records are so stuck to the inner sleeve that it's either cutting it up or indeed, use your fingers. It's nice to see a real teacher explaining these basic hygiene things. Some people are so pig-headed. When I was in charge of vinyl in our local thrift store i remember one women who pulled all records out with her hands to inspect them, and then putting them back. I had to keep asking her not to do that. And when I wasn't looking... 🙄 Always the records that were in the worst condition eother had no inner sleeve or facing the same way. FYI, it's the sweat and acidity combined with oils that make our fingerprints eventually dissolve even paint and plastics.
I give some of those mix DJs a pass since they're using a turntable as their musical instrument, though I'd love to see one put appropriate gloves on first. He or she could even use it as part of their stage presence, like a gimmick that might catch on eventually with others. In some cases, such as DJs that just do blends, etc., they could get away with just using the edge and/or label for manual control.
Loosely related: one thing I have mixed feelings about is vinyl art, when people turn them into decoration, clocks, letters, picture frames, whatever. Feels intentional - using the record in the wrong ways. Merry Christmas vinyl-heads!
I only got 4 and the one I didn't get I'm very guilty of, always taking them out by the edge. I am guilty of leaving records on the player for weeks at a time sometimes, not sure how bad that is though, hey the cover is on.
All I could think in that first minute was "WHY DO YOU HATE THAT 'CARS' RECORD SO MUCH?!?!?!?!" 😆 Mainly because I lost my original of that record decades ago, and only just found a vintage copy in a second hand shop recently which I now treasure...
Not keeping the cover open wide enough when pulling the record out. (some prefer to pull out the whole sleeve) Pawing the record. 😉 Blowing spit on it. 😉 Rubbing the spit and dust you couldn't blow off into the record. 😉 Tossing the record.
You have the album in the record cover wrong. The album should be put in the sleeve then the sleeve should be in the cover so that if it slips out the sleeve will protect it
I have to admit I cringed when I saw you pull that record out from your shelf -- with no outer poly sleeve. Simply because I know from personal experience that when pulling an unprotected album cover out of a shelf, the friction from the shelf plays hell on the wear-and-tear of the cover. I get a little crazy with the sleeves. I keep the cover and the record in the outer sleeve, but separately -- that is, the record doesn't go into its actual cover, lest the bottom of the cover get worn down or split from the weight of the record. (Old Capitol albums are especially prone to that.) Record goes into a MoFi (or similar) inner sleeve. Cover goes into the outer sleeve right-side-up, and I put the inner-sleeved record also into the outer sleeve -- behind the cover and with the see-through side of the sleeve facing out (so the contents of the label can be read so you know what's on at least one side!) and the opening facing either right or left to prevent dust from entering. If the album cover is a gatefold, the inner-sleeved record goes between the two flaps of the gatefold; if it's a multi-record set, one record goes inside the flaps, the other goes behind as described before.
LOL - I bet I took it off before hitting record. I sometimes have to record 2-3 times to get a decent shot. I'm like you - everything goes in a poly sleeve and inner anti-static sleeve.
Don't drop the album back in the sleeve. Just like buddy did to that French pressing of Safe As Milk by Captain Beefheart in the movie High Fidelity. Nothing like putting a split in the sleeve and cover. Maybe not all at once. But after it becomes a habit. So after 10 times of doing it. It freaks me out that there are certain record pressing plants that actually drop the record into a sleeve.
Hi Rick, happy holidays. Enjoyed your "video". Now for a couple of fun facts: You appear to be losing your Boston accent. You used the word "here" and sounded like a national pronunciation instead of "heeya". I was only slightly disappointed. Believe it or not, there is a real word for Cheeto dust. It is called Cheetle, unlike the actor Don Cheadle The record holder you showed is a real problem solver. Kirmuss sells a similar product for $65 which I think is still pricey, but I also use it in the process of record cleaning. PS. I really do enjoy your Boston accent. Take care, best regards, Wayne
Hey Wayne! I am sure my accent will always be with me 😂. It ebbs and wanes depending on what I'm doing. If I don't think about it or get passionate about something, it comes back full force. I'll have to remember "Cheetle" Cheers and Happy Holidays 🍺
So today I learned not to grab records from the sleeve using needle-nosed pliers after changing the oil in my car (and then throwing the album like a frisbee at the turntable until it lands just right). But...putting 10 pennies on top of the cartridge is still okay, right?! 🤣
Taking a record off of a still spinning turntable. What? You say. No one is that stupid. Well I.....I mean my friend used to do that regularly when he was a very young man and because he was young and nimble there was no issue. However, when I tried....I mean when my friend tried it about 5 years ago the vinyl nearly went flying. Lesson learned and I haven't done it since. Er...He hasn't rather.
There are little or no oil glands on the fingertips or the palms (as well as the soles). There are sweat glands which basically do the same thing in clogging up your stylus.
I agree on all mentioned. I get super annoyed at experienced collectors (who’ve done it for decades), who in their videos, pull their records from the sleeves by the outer groove.
@ Rick, it’s like a chef recording a food prep video. If they’re tasting from a spoon and placing that same spoon back into the pot, just don’t let the public who watches your video see it. 😀
Thanks for all videos throughout the year. Have and great Christmas and New Year. Steve from the UK
Thank you, Steve! That was a nice surprise to wake up to 🎄.
“Roll that beautiful bean footage” is a quote from a Bush’s brown beans commercial.
first from the late 70's I always handled my records carefully only one finger on label and edge always took out inner sleeve first never blew on it and used a cleaning cloth for records ,used a brush to get any particles of dirt off surface and been doing this since I can remember ,I grew up with records saw how m,y father handled records that time nobody was hardly taught how to handle records he mishandled them scraped them together to put on player we always had ac stacker type of player but as I grew upI learned how to handle records and knowledge of this equipment when I worked part time in a record store ,and yes most of my players are all stackers except my onkyo ,audio-technica and pro-ject TT but I know how to stack them without any scratching of records , so I am really liking this channel very much you have several vids I need to check out thanks is good that u did this vid its always good to double check how to handle records JRo
Thank you, JRo! My dad's way of handling records left fingerprints, scratches, and everything else all over them 😂. The records of his that I own now have been cleaned multiple times.
Glad you're here!
Dear Rick, I had my first heart attack at 0:18 and my second at 0:25. Because you grabbed the grooves here. Then you blew on the grooves and wiped the dust off with your fingers. The black gold on the sofa without protection is terrible. I think I need urgently a pacemaker. Then I really realized you did that on purpose for this video.
I'm a DJ from the 80s and we did a lot of nonsense with vinyl that we always bittersweetly paid for. Bitter because the records were crap. Sweet? Yes, there were new ones!
I think it's good that you're sensitizing people to be careful, even if it's just about vinyl.
Rick, I want to thank you for all your videos and efforts. Just keep up the good work.
I wish you and your family a peaceful and happy Christmas. A hearty “Servus” from Bavaria
Merry Christmas to you well - and Happy New Year! 🍺
Hey cool and informative video, I've just retaught myself all these tricks after replacing the cart on my deck as well as going through and cleaning most ( still in progress) of my vinyl collection.... my set up is based on Tubes as well.... I run a PimaLuna Evo 400 integrated Amp, Rega P3 deck with a new AT VM 95SH cart, Rega MK3 Phono stage, B&W 705s2 speakers and a B&W 12" sub.... again thanks, Mike from Ontario Canada.
Great video! Happy holidays from a fellow
New Hampshirite!!
Happy holidays, Sara! 🍺
Another fun and informative video. 👍
A few no-no's I've come across are..
Smoking. Pretty self explanatory.
Small children. A danger to albums and delicate turntables. My youngest thought my Jerry Lewis 45 made a great Frisbee!
Adults. Yes. I had a friend come over, and he noticed a light layer of dust on my turntable and thought he'd let me know by dragging his finger across the acrylic!
Sunlight and heat sources. Avoid having your collection exposed to direct sunlight or near wood stoves and fireplaces. Fading of the album covers and warping from heat. Yeah. Not good.
Stacking records flat. Not nice. Warping and the creation of the record wear ring showing through the cover. Yuch!
Lastly, records weigh a ton! Make sure your floor and shelving are up to the task.
I really enjoy your videos. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Robert!
Great advice as well. Especially about the heat and sunlight. 🍺
Smoking...ughh...my late father smoked for decades. When he died a few years ago, I grabbed a bunch of singles from his collection and ran them through my Spin Clean. Holy cow, the cloth turned various shades of yellow and brown...ughgh...
@@MyWeirdRecordCollection Yikes!
Paper is abrasive, so I replace the inner paper sleeves with poly lined sleeves, and poly bag the covers, leaving the original inner sleeve inside. Setup: Dual Reloop RP-8000 MK2 TT's, Ortofon carts, Pioneer DJ XDJ-RX3, DVS, Phase needless DVS, Virtual DJ, Sony Amp 2.1 channel amp and sub, Bose 501's, mirrored cartridge alignment protractor, Dr. Suzuki - Mix Edition Slipmats, & Vevor Ultrasonic cleaner. I use a wireless barcode scanner and Discogs to catalog. I play grade the vinyl separate from the covers. Sort by genre, then alphabetically.
I prefer the mofi inners, but i think for paper to scuff a record the record would have to mishandled pretty badly
@@Pluralofvinylisvinyls This makes me wat to perform an experiment to take a mint record and take detailed closeup photos, then carefully pull it in and out of a paper record sleeve 100 times, then do an analysis... MoFi or other poly sleeves are the way to go IMO. Paper's coefficient of static friction is nearly 2X of poly.
Spotted two within 20 secs. Having the inner sleeve open outwards is the first mistake, actually. Dust gets in more easily.
@@disquesettourne-disques When new, I would leave the sleeve open outwards for quick access, then switch to top as it became more of an archive.
@@jackmatson962
Makes sense
I totally agree with that, inner sleeve has the purpose to protect the record from dust therefore the inner sleeve opening must be upward.
Thanks for the great video. I have been into vinyl for 60 years and although I never touch the surface of a record, I never gave a second thought to blowing off dust every now and then! BTW, my system is a Technics SL 1215GAE turntable with an Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250 cartridge, a Technics SL 1210GR turntable with an Ortofon 2M Mono cartridge, a Devialet Expert 220 Pro integrated amp, Wilson Sabrina X speakers, duel REL T 7i subwoofers, and a Roon server with Qobuz.
Great system, Luis! I always enjoyed the LVB250 when I was using it. Great cart! 🎶
I caught them all except the first one. And then I realized I do that! So from now on, I will not be pulling the record out of the sleeve at the edges by my fingertips. Thank you for the information as always Rick! You’re certainly very kind to share your knowledge with us! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, Seth!
Drinking and handling is also detrimental, but damn does the music sound good.
Back in the late 70’s, I had an internship at the local rock ‘n roll radio station (WCMF). It blew my mind how most of the DJ’s would handle those LP’s…every mistake you mentioned. The free pile of used records all had lead-in groove noise. But, they were free to this 17 year old! My vinyl system right now is: Audio Technical AT-LP120, NAD 1155 preamp, Yamaha M80 power amp, and Tannoy Mercury 2 speakers with a BIC Venturi sub.
Was WCMF New York? It sound familiar 🎶
@ Rochester ‘78-79 was my time there
Merry Christmas to you and yours! Have a great holiday week!
Merry Christmas, Ralph! 🎄
I'm wondering about you pulling the record straight out of the cover, which looks like it could accidentally fall out. I have all of mine in rice paper record sleeves and use single or gatefold album covers.
Knock on wood it's never happened to me yet (but I'll never say never) 😂
Great job Rick. Now I’m off to therapy after you identified all my record handling foibles 😊. Have a merry Christmas 🎁. Wishing you success in the new year. 🎉. Greg
Merry Christmas to you and yours as well, Greg! 🎄
0:51 BASICALLY EVERYTHING 😳
Hi Rick. I'm new to your channel, so have been catching up on past episodes. About 8 months ago, your made a video on the Fluance RT85 turntable, during which, you commented on the lack of 78rpm and the fact that a very few turntables also have a 16rpm speed. You then asked if anyone had any 16 rpm records and what was on them. I have a Goldring GL75 turntable which has 16; 33; 45 and 78 rpm speeds. I also have Five 16 inch records and Three 13 records, which run at 16 rpm. The 16 inch records require a pickup arm of 12 inches, to play them. The SME 3012 is the arm I have on my GL75 turntable. As for what they contain, the 16 inch records are Recordings of Radio Programs which were made by the BBC - British Broadcasting Corporation - for the Royal Navy. These records were played on turntables which were mounted on Gimbels, so they could be played at sea. I acquired these records during the 1980's, whilst living in Plymouth, UK. They are made of Translucent RED Vinyl and were not for sale to the Public. They were being sold off, as the Royal Navy were replacing Records with CDs, which took up less space and were also easier to handle. I hope this answers your question. My apologies for not being able to send you pictures, but I don't own a camera, nor a Smartphone, or Tablet. Russ. Portsmouth, England, UK.
Hi Russ! Wow - I imagine those are priceless. Very cool that you were able to acquire those. Thanks for letting me know about them. Cheers! 🍺
Great stuff! There is a record store locally here in MA that sells records online on Friday evenings. They also have auction items they offer too, and the woman always shows the sleeves and the vinyl. She ALWAYS touches the vinyl with her fingers and explains that it is "near mint". Not anymore it isn't. Drives me crazy! A record store should know better!
That would drive me crazy too! 😳
I wear white cotton lint free gloves when handling my albums. They keep the record, sleeves and covers clean. My albums and stylus get brush cleaned each play. Kind of over the top but really enhances the listening pleasure.
Not over the top in my opinion. It keeps them clean, Deborah! 😎🎶
The fatty acids in our skin oil will eventually eat away at the vinyl surface, that's why sometimes you'll get permanent fingerprints on vintage records
That explains it!
Once our records have been cleaned, they are never again touched by human hands, lol! When we first started “collecting” we used the disposable plastic “food worker” gloves. Now we use lint-free microfiber gloves whenever we are handling our records. We also keep a can of air on the stand right next to the turntable for quick blow offs.
Hi Adam! Great to see your name pop up!
That's a really good idea - the gloves 🎶
Lol! I used to do pretty much all of those things back in the day. I must admit that I still occasionally blow on a record if I see a stray hair or speck of dust. I think it's just a reflex action, and I can't help myself. I am so much more careful handling records today than I ever was as a teenager. Good stuff!
Thanks, Neil. Yeah - I'd be lying if I said I don't occasionally blow off a piece of lint now and then. 😂
I wish you a merry Christmas with health and joy!!
You as well, Christos! 🍺
I admit I have reached a Howard Hughes level of obsession when it comes to handling my records. I not only wear nitrile gloves whenever I handle them, but I also have to wash my hands first. The glove is no good if I contaminate it with dirty hands! "Chain of contamination" is a phrase never far from my mind. I do also have exceptionally sweaty hands, so I think my methods make much more sense for me than for most, but still.
I obsess over it too - sometimes way too much
You gave me 3 headaches in a span of 30 seconds, thats impressive
Mofi sleeves take care of most of this as they are so easy to remove record from and re-insert
I never did any of those things. Our family always had a huge respect for music and albums. I was taught by watching how my dad handled albums.
When my best friend at the time discovered Physical Graffiti and found out I had the album and wanted to borrow it, I agreed. But only after I gave her a tutorial on how to handle albums properly. Plus she had to demonstrate she absorbed the information I just gave her. And she had a deadline. I remember, I told her I wanted it back by 3:30pm on Sunday. Otherwise she would be banned from borrowing any of my other albums, as well as being charged a dollar for every hour she was late. Unless of course there was an unforeseen emergency or a matter of life or death. And I'm not kidding.
I was at her house once and saw how her family treated their albums and players. Miraculously I got my album back on time and in the same condition it was in when I gave it to her. And I inspected it right in front of her. I did everything short of demanding a deposit.
Our family was very serious about albums.
I love that story!
Just to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas from the Uk 🇬🇧
Merry Christmas, Ulysses! 🎄
Thanks for the good laugh. I needed that.
After over 50 years of being super careful handling my records they still look and sound great. I don’t even like folks looking at the covers as they just have no idea that that’s an important part of the collection. Albums from early 70’s still look VG+. One thing about the covers. You guys in the USA had much thicker cardboard where a lot in the uk had thinner card and a shiny surface which creased so quickly. IF you ever see a album pressed in South Africa then you would have tears as the covers were sometimes so blurred and printed so badly on thin card. My Donna Summer albums I’ve recently purchased here look terrible…. But… never played. Go figure! Happy Christmas!🎉
Happy Christmas to you as well, Stan 🎄
Do you have a link to the record holder from 33 1/3? Thank you!
Sure do. All of their products are here: stable3333.com/our-products
Hi Rick another great video... Have come across Vinyl Mitts? They are great for handling records from the cover to the turntable and back again
I haven't! I'll look for those. 🎶
I white glove when I handle all my records. I clean each record before every play. It’s part of the fun 😂
Thanks for the heart stoppers! I have been playing my own vinyl (or styrene, or shellac) for 60+ years, after a brief period when I was forbidden to handle any of my parent's LPs. Still guilty of occasionally blowing dust off by mouth, I highly recommend beginning every play with a record brush.
Agreed about the record brush!
Overbrushing adds static and I'm skeptic of the ability of those brushes to get rid of the dust. I suspect that in doing so you are packing the smaller particles INTO the groove, the bigger ones are easy to get rid of but is the fine dust the one responsible for most surface noise.
A good quality fine carbon brush should remove static, not add to it. I have not had any issues with driving dust into the grooves. In fact, when I first started using a brush on a regular basis, I found the more I used it, the less I NEEDED to use it, the effect was cumulative.
I'm not sure about my technique on handling records, but I have been using lint free microfiber gloves! I always try to used acid-free record sleeves! But I'm not sure which is best; plastic or paper Nice video! I enjoyed! Some good info!
Thanks, Fred. I always replace my sleeves with Polyethelene or Polypropylene. Rice paper is excellent as well.
Yup, of course I caught all five mistakes. I mean, well you know.
Yes, the first one - "Grabbing the record by the edge" You are spot on about the oils. In fact, grabbing a record by the edge is not much different from using products such as Gruv Glide, LAST preservative or even L Art Du Son record cleaning fluid! In fact, those products are worse as they cover the entire record with "oils" essentially. I have seen absolute disasters with phono carts from Gruv Glide! The product (oil, what have you) wicks up the cantilever and gets into the workings!
Yes, speaking of inherited records. I inherited a few from my parents and while I am not aware of any glaring mishandling (although I'm sure they were likely sloppy) they played said records on an old midcentury automatic record changer the kind were one could stack 4 or 5 records on the spindle. In fact, I think it was an old Gerrard table built-in and it had a flip needle that was never replaced. Yes, major damage was done to those records. I was able to get two of them to playable condition. The real loss was the Mamas and Papas records we had. Two family units received the first two Mamas and Papas records gratis! There was a Mama Cass connection in the family someplace and that is about as much as I know. I did "meet" Mama Cass when I was very little ( I think I was around 4 years old or so), it was at a family function oddly enough. We had the original jacket on one of them (the one without the toilet covered up). The thing is though is that none of the records were signed (nobody thought to do it I guess), they just came direct from the label or something in the mail. Had they been signed and with the original toilet jacket, that stupid thing would fetch a few hundred dollars today. By the time I got them though , the jackets were worn and had writing and everything. The media was unplayable as well.
Blowing on records is bad, yes. You might give your record Covid! Joke aside, yes you are spitting on the record even if you don't think so. Also, I have seen one guy use a photo squeeze blower on the record before play. That is also a dumb idea. While you are not getting things from your mouth on the record you are not effectively dusting it and certainly not neutralizing static charge, In fact, you may be introducing it. An anti-static carbon fiber brush designed for dusting records or a peristatic felt brush is all that should be used to dust a record before play. While not a effective duster, a Thunderon brush may be used to control static charge in lieu of a Zerostat gun or what have you, Thunderon brushes work just as good. Remember, none of these brushes will remove stuff from the grooves, they are for surface dusting.
I have a similar device for holding records like the one from 33 and 1/3. Although I don't use it to hold a record I jut took out to play. I use it when processing with the Kirmuss USRCM, it comes in very handy. My "procedure" if you will is I always lift the dust cover on my turntable first and then take the record out of the sleeve when I am ready to place it on the platter and play. (of course a dusting with a anti-stat carbon fiber brush and a swipe back to front on the stylus with a dry stylus brush happens). Immediately after play I put it back in the sleeve and jacket.
None of us live in clean lab environments of course, but I do play records with the dust cover lowered. I know that strikes disgust in some audiophiles, but at least in my case it doesn't effect the sound one iota and serves as an extra measure to keep some dust off the record. I figure enough dust and such lands on it the second you remove it from the sleeve, no point adding more if preventable to some degree.
That is extremely cool that you met Mama Cass. Such a talent - and what a voice! And I was not familiar with the Thunderon brush and just looked it up. Now I know what I want to get 😊
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Like I said, she was at least distantly related someplace in my family or something otherwise I can't explain how she was at a family function and how my parents and my aunt and uncle all received the first two LPs in the mail way back in the day unannounced. My aunt did date Mike Love of The Beach Boys steady for almost two years back in the day, so maybe there is also connection there? I remember very little of meeting Mama Cass, but I do remember it was at my aunt's house at the time and I remember the kitchen table and the console behind the chair she was sitting in and how my dad's side of the family did not like her. I was only about 4 years old. I can't tell you what I had for lunch, but I can tell you what I was doing at age 4 or something. (Actually, my short term memory was effected by a mini stroke 20 years ago and has not gotten any better, but it opened my long term memory to incredible levels).
As for the Thunderon brush, yes they work well. Sometimes it has worked better than my Zerostat at certain times for some reason. Thunderon is not a brand as you may have discovered. It is a material. You can pick up thunderon brushes at lab supply houses, Sleevecity, Amazon, all kinds of places. Mine was around $22 back when I got it. I keep it in a lidded container as it did not come with a container. I do that so it does collect a bunch of house dust and such.
I shake my head when I see people still write and/or make videos claiming stacking records on a changer is harmless. Total BS. You can sometimes hear them slide and scrape together in videos when one drops and hits the other. Yes, in a perfectly made stack of 45s, the raised labels should keep those separate, but even then, making the stack of any type of record introduces chances for damage, as well as the overarm which makes full contact with the record on top used on many changers. The best changer ever made was a VM 1555...it used no overarm and stopped the platter while it slowly and gently lowered each record automatically, not restarting the platter until the record was fully down.
I do #1 and need to stop asap. I also blow on a record (very rarely) to get somethig off it, even though I know it's not a good idea and I use an anti-static brush eveytime I play a side!
I still catch myself blowing lint of a record 😂
Another sin I see (in my own home! Noooo!) is: putting record partially into the jacket, then TAPPING IT AGAINST THE TABLE to get the disc the rest of the way in. I hear the disc hit the bottom of the jacket and two things fire off in my head. 1. The record was just struck on its edge against a tabletop. 2. The jacket paper has been mashed ever so slightly, breaking off bits and making the spine less legible.
Seen that one too!
The inner sleeve opening should be placed upright in the outer jacket so it doesn’t fall out
Since I started recollecting vinyl I handle it all the way with latex gloves on, especially brand new stuff cos I don't want finger smudges even on the sleeves! Maybe I go *too* far, I don't know.
I wouldn't say it's too far. At least they are clean! 🎶
I'm new to records and i understand the way to pull them out but what if your album has two records how do you only pull one out and not both because when i try to let just one fall out onto my hand so i don't touch the grooves the other one comes out as well sorry if I'm not explained clearly or if its common sense😅😅
I get what you are saying. If both records are in the same sleeve it can be tricky. I pull them out by the inner sleeve first. No real right or wrong way - just being aware is 98% of the battle
I collect rare 45s
When I go to the record shows, I see them playing very rare records on the Sesame big bird record players with the big fat needles
It drives me crazy
Oh no! That would give me nightmares
Yes! They should at least get a Sound Burger now that they make them again.
When I mentioned that they’re ripping up the grooves, they just laugh. They think I’m neurotic.
You showed in the first second one thing that many people do out of laziness. And it's a very bad habit: inner and outer sleeve opening same side. Worst case your record rolls straight out on the floor in the dust when you pick out your record.
Of course people see DJ's do it, and they're professionals, right? Yeah, professional 'criminals'. The same that gave us 'scratching', with their sweaty finger on the record using their 'professional' DD Technics 1200 going whh...hhw...whh...hhw...wheee
DJ's tought people so many bad habits. And they didnt give a s#.. because they all got their records for free (mostly). You know that song "God is a DJ". What could go wrong?
Something that also always bothered me: putting records on the TT dustcover. Or, the horror... an ashtray! Or a soda can. A mint dust cover is 50% of your record players resell value, easily!
Sometimes new records are so stuck to the inner sleeve that it's either cutting it up or indeed, use your fingers.
It's nice to see a real teacher explaining these basic hygiene things. Some people are so pig-headed. When I was in charge of vinyl in our local thrift store i remember one women who pulled all records out with her hands to inspect them, and then putting them back. I had to keep asking her not to do that. And when I wasn't looking... 🙄
Always the records that were in the worst condition eother had no inner sleeve or facing the same way.
FYI, it's the sweat and acidity combined with oils that make our fingerprints eventually dissolve even paint and plastics.
Great info, Jeep! Thanks for all that
I give some of those mix DJs a pass since they're using a turntable as their musical instrument, though I'd love to see one put appropriate gloves on first. He or she could even use it as part of their stage presence, like a gimmick that might catch on eventually with others. In some cases, such as DJs that just do blends, etc., they could get away with just using the edge and/or label for manual control.
Loosely related: one thing I have mixed feelings about is vinyl art, when people turn them into decoration, clocks, letters, picture frames, whatever. Feels intentional - using the record in the wrong ways.
Merry Christmas vinyl-heads!
I completely get that , Gabor. I sometimes pause when I see album art used that way 🎄
I only got 4 and the one I didn't get I'm very guilty of, always taking them out by the edge. I am guilty of leaving records on the player for weeks at a time sometimes, not sure how bad that is though, hey the cover is on.
I am still guilty of doing some of these things, Don. My brother is famous for leaving his on the turntable for days too
To many to count. Vinyl record should be in the sleeve on the back outside of the jacket 4:36 5:16 6:14
All I could think in that first minute was "WHY DO YOU HATE THAT 'CARS' RECORD SO MUCH?!?!?!?!" 😆 Mainly because I lost my original of that record decades ago, and only just found a vintage copy in a second hand shop recently which I now treasure...
😂. That's actually a bad copy of the Cars album that I use for demos like this (I have a great copy that absolutely love)
Not keeping the cover open wide enough when pulling the record out. (some prefer to pull out the whole sleeve)
Pawing the record. 😉
Blowing spit on it. 😉
Rubbing the spit and dust you couldn't blow off into the record. 😉
Tossing the record.
The saying came from the old bushes beans commercial
You have the album in the record cover wrong. The album should be put in the sleeve then the sleeve should be in the cover so that if it slips out the sleeve will protect it
I have to admit I cringed when I saw you pull that record out from your shelf -- with no outer poly sleeve. Simply because I know from personal experience that when pulling an unprotected album cover out of a shelf, the friction from the shelf plays hell on the wear-and-tear of the cover.
I get a little crazy with the sleeves. I keep the cover and the record in the outer sleeve, but separately -- that is, the record doesn't go into its actual cover, lest the bottom of the cover get worn down or split from the weight of the record. (Old Capitol albums are especially prone to that.) Record goes into a MoFi (or similar) inner sleeve. Cover goes into the outer sleeve right-side-up, and I put the inner-sleeved record also into the outer sleeve -- behind the cover and with the see-through side of the sleeve facing out (so the contents of the label can be read so you know what's on at least one side!) and the opening facing either right or left to prevent dust from entering. If the album cover is a gatefold, the inner-sleeved record goes between the two flaps of the gatefold; if it's a multi-record set, one record goes inside the flaps, the other goes behind as described before.
LOL - I bet I took it off before hitting record. I sometimes have to record 2-3 times to get a decent shot. I'm like you - everything goes in a poly sleeve and inner anti-static sleeve.
Instead of blowing on it, I recommend using a giotto's air blaster.
$20 from Amazon. Brad from LaGrange, GA.
Thanks for the great tip.
Plus chillie sauce
😂
Don't drop the album back in the sleeve. Just like buddy did to that French pressing of Safe As Milk by Captain Beefheart in the movie High Fidelity. Nothing like putting a split in the sleeve and cover. Maybe not all at once. But after it becomes a habit. So after 10 times of doing it. It freaks me out that there are certain record pressing plants that actually drop the record into a sleeve.
I've seen that too!
Cheeto dust has been proven safe by the FDA 😂😂
I'll admit - I ate a bag of Cheetos last night 😂. Not kidding either
Hi Rick, happy holidays. Enjoyed your "video". Now for a couple of fun facts:
You appear to be losing your Boston accent. You used the word "here" and sounded like a national pronunciation instead of "heeya". I was only slightly disappointed.
Believe it or not, there is a real word for Cheeto dust. It is called Cheetle, unlike the actor Don Cheadle
The record holder you showed is a real problem solver. Kirmuss sells a similar product for $65 which I think is still pricey, but I also use it in the process of record cleaning.
PS. I really do enjoy your Boston accent. Take care, best regards, Wayne
Hey Wayne! I am sure my accent will always be with me 😂. It ebbs and wanes depending on what I'm doing. If I don't think about it or get passionate about something, it comes back full force.
I'll have to remember "Cheetle"
Cheers and Happy Holidays 🍺
So today I learned not to grab records from the sleeve using needle-nosed pliers after changing the oil in my car (and then throwing the album like a frisbee at the turntable until it lands just right). But...putting 10 pennies on top of the cartridge is still okay, right?! 🤣
Half dollars work better 😂😂😂😂
@3:54 -- Can I have a hint? Maybe just a first name?
I so want to... 😂
Baked Beans ^^
GM ❄️🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🎄
It is bone cold here in NH right now, Carmine!
Taking a record off of a still spinning turntable. What? You say. No one is that stupid. Well I.....I mean my friend used to do that regularly when he was a very young man and because he was young and nimble there was no issue. However, when I tried....I mean when my friend tried it about 5 years ago the vinyl nearly went flying. Lesson learned and I haven't done it since. Er...He hasn't rather.
😂😂😂. I can only imagine the destruction that would happen if I tried it
Dried spit on a record turns harder than cement. And that results in crackling sound. So, avoid blowing on your vinyls.
Cheers to that! 🍺
The first thing you're doing wrong is storing the record inside the sleeve
There are little or no oil glands on the fingertips or the palms (as well as the soles). There are sweat glands which basically do the same thing in clogging up your stylus.
Dear God that was painful to watch. I’m going to need therapy to recover.
😂😂😂
I never eat KFC or Taco Bell listening to vinyl. That is more streaming food, IMO.
😂😂😂
th-cam.com/video/0epWToAOlFY/w-d-xo.html
Ha! Thank you! Glad I asked 😂😂😂
I agree on all mentioned. I get super annoyed at experienced collectors (who’ve done it for decades), who in their videos, pull their records from the sleeves by the outer groove.
I admit to doing the same thing for year 😂
@ Rick, it’s like a chef recording a food prep video. If they’re tasting from a spoon and placing that same spoon back into the pot, just don’t let the public who watches your video see it. 😀
Hey rick. I have Parkinsons disease and I found this device to avoid getting finger prints on the album.
It’s
@@paulmalbeuf9213 Hi Paul! Your comment got cut off somehow. Dying to know what you found.