Play your LPs or just the CD-Rs...

[DrJ]

Now that I have a nice amp with a good phono stage, I've been enjoying the hell out of vinyl. The CD-Rs I make of the LPs sound really good, but not quite up to the LPs themselves.

So my question is: if one is faithful about changing the stylus as recommended by the manufacturer, and careful with the tone arm adjustments, keeping the LPs dust free, etc, how much wear do you actually impart on the vinyl with multiple plays? I definitely don't want to cause major wear on the OOP, hard to find stuff. Any recommendations?

[Chuck Nessa]

File the cdrs away as backup and play the damn records. Why die with an "unworn" collection? Enjoy!

[DrJ]

Thanks for the input, Chuck. That's what I was leaning toward, but need just this kind of push!

I think I'm going to have a bumper sticker made up as a variation on the "I'm spending my kids' inheritance" standard:

"I'm wearing out my kids' rare vinyl inheritance!"

[Chuck Nessa]

If these are "originals" from the '50s and '60s, any wear you give them in the next 30 years will be less than they got in the first year.

[DrJ]

Nah, they're mostly good quality reissues, and most of those are OOP Mosaics. I haven't really gotten in to tracking down original vinyl and probably won't for a variety of reasons except for stuff that can't be found in other formats.

Regardless, you're still on point - even if I play some of the better-loved LPs once every few months, which is optimistic, they're not going to be getting real heavy wear.

Edited November 28, 2004 by DrJ

[patricia]

My father's collection of jazz from the thirties and forties, lovingly taken care of through the years, plays as well, or better, because of the better needles and turntables, now as it did when it was new. He ALWAYS put each record back in it's paper sleeve, then into it's cover, after each use, storing them on their edges. This keeps the dust, dirt and scratches at bay. Much more damage is done, IMO, by people who stack their records on a spindle to play them, or, worse, chuck them on the floor, in piles, waiting until they are finished playing records to finally put them away.

I wouldn't hesitate to play my vinyl, even if it was being gradually worn away during the process. It will last, with luck, long beyond my children's old age.

Edited November 28, 2004 by patricia

[wolff]

Sounds like you understand the basics and will not cause the records undo damage.

I do not worry too much about wear from playing LP's. I have enough that I do not play them over and over which could be a problem.

Here are my real worries:

Dropping an LP and watching it roll across the floor.

Sliding/dropping the tonearm in an inappropriate manner.

Having a pet or small child get ahold of an LP or jacket.

[DrJ]

Good to know Patricia, another push to keep me enjoying the vinyl!

'Course you must be talkin' a lot of 78s if his collection dates back to the 30s, which are a bit of a different ball game...but the main point is similar and well taken!

wolff 

Posted: Nov 27 2004, 09:54 PM

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Here are my real worries...

Sliding/dropping the tonearm in an inappropriate manner.

Yeah, I just foolishly did that a couple weeks back by accident, with a reissue copy of Dave Burns' WARMING UP! album (Vanguard) that was otherwise in pristine shape. Now there's a big loud click in the middle of track 2 that persists for a good 30 seconds, in the midst of a great Bobby Hutcherson vibes solo, but what the heck - easy come, easy go, at least there's no skipping.

Edited November 28, 2004 by DrJ

[patricia]

Sounds like you understand the basics and will not cause the records undo damage.

I do not worry too much about wear from playing LP's.  I have enough that I do not play them over and over which could be a problem.

Here are my real worries:

Dropping an LP and watching it roll across the floor.

Sliding/dropping the tonearm in an inappropriate manner. 

Having a pet or small child get ahold of an LP or jacket.

OR, [a hanging offence IMO], people who pick up the tonearm while the music is playing and carelessly drag it across the surface of the record, causing a scratch, which can't be repaired.

When I was little, my dad let no one touch his records, but him. He kept them in a locked cabinet, which at the time struck me as obsessive. He would carefully take the record out of it's sleeve, by it's edges and carefully place it on the turntable to play it.

If you treat your vinyl right, it's almost indestructable.

That "nick" you mentioned concerns me, not because of the record, although that's permanent and annoying, but whether the slight scratch will damage your needle.

Edited November 28, 2004 by patricia

[DrJ]

Yeah, it might - but I've now got that LP on CD-R and will avoid playing that section. It's only a $10-15 LP that can still be found so I will probably get a clean new copy eventually for that reason.

[wolff]

I've learned never to go near the tt with long, baggy sleeves. I always roll them up.

Drinking and tt operation is always a risky endeavor, also.

Does LAST still make that preservative? I've never used it, but used records I've found that did are in great shape.

I find myself going to the CDR's a bit more recently, but just for convenience and making sure it's a good dub.

On a few occasions, usually after rolling one across the floor, I find myself buying doubles. Keeping one sealed to use or sell at a later date. This would work well if you know it is one you are going to play a lot.

[Leeway]

If you have a reasonably decent rig, the amount of wear you will place on an LP in normal use is not worth worrying about.

Man, I just put the record on, play it, put it back and go on to the next one. I don't want to turn it into a fetishistic thing. I just want to enjoy them. Not to be morbid or anything, my guess is your records (and mine) are going to continue to be enjoyed by collectors and fans long after you (and me) are gone

[Harold_Z]

Play the vinyl when you can really sit and listen. If your doing other things, put the cdrs on.

[porcy62]

File the cdrs away as backup and play the damn records. Why die with an "unworn" collection? Enjoy!

[sidewinder]

As long as your stylus is in good shape and your deck is balanced properly with tracking set up OK, there shouldn't be any worries whatsoever about vinyl wear. I've got LPs which have been played for the best part of 30 years now from new and which still sound near mint. In fact, I'm often amazed at the resilience of some of the older pressings to general abuse and mishandling (BN originals are particularly good in this respect).

[Tjazz]

Play the vinyl when you can really sit and listen. If your doing other things, put the cdrs on.

I thought the rule of thumb was to only play an LP once a day too. So if you want to listen to an album multiple times, play the CD-R.

Someone suggested that if you play an LP without letting it REST, the grooves may still be shaking slightly, so the next play might cause more wear in the grove. Seemed reasonable to me.

Edited November 28, 2004 by Tjazz

[Clunky]

File the cdrs away as backup and play the damn records. Why die with an "unworn" collection? Enjoy!

agreed

[Shrdlu]

I think you all are right, but, you know, my LP --> CDr copies, made with Musicmatch, sound so close to the vinyl, and so much better than even a 24 bit Japanese CD, that I would be very happy to play the CDrs. The problem is the time it takes to do the transfers, which have to be done in real time, of course.

I do play a lot of vinyl, though.

The comments about wear, if you look after an LP, are right. I have never put many marks on an LP. It is easy to take care of them. I just wish that the used LPs that I buy had been looked after properly. Time and again, a NM or VG+ LP arrives here loaded with crackles, and then I have to chase the sellers up. Most are pretty helpful about it.

Does anyone agree that Columbia LPs seem to have lasted better than, say, Impulse or Verve LPs? I have recently picked up some Brubeck Columbias in superb condition, but usually when other labels get here, they are pretty noisy. Perhaps one can't expect clean vinyl from smaller companies that probably didn't release many copies of their albums. Any comments on this?