Skipping nightmare
Can you fix a broken record? Some troubleshooting tips (including that time I fixed a skipping record with a small toothpick... and a great deal of patience)
Isn’t it wonderful when your favourite record starts skipping…? (said no one ever in the history of vinyl collecting).
Skipping is a relatively common, yet extremely annoying technical malfunction which every vinyl lover will have to experience at least once.
First things first
The first thing you should do with a skipping record is this: stop it. You may find it funny, or amusing, especially if vinyl is still relatively new in your life, but you’re not doing the record, or your system, any favours.
The reason why a record skips is because something is in the way. That something is preventing the stylus from reading the groove accurately, thus interrupting or disrupting normal playback flow.
Basically, your stylus bumps into something that it cannot read or interpret automatically, and gets stuck in that specific spot as a result.
Where and why
Once you have stopped the record and removed it from your turntable, try to determine whether it’s the record or your stylus/turntable that’s causing the problem.
More often than not, it’s the record, especially if you have a good quality system and maintain it properly.
Some low-quality turntables (e.g. plug-and-play/briefcase-style turntables) are more likely to make records skip (particularly picture discs). There are limitations as to what you can expect with these machines.
If you suspect it’s your stylus or turntable, try other records and compare. You may need to replace your stylus, recalibrate the tonearm, or upgrade your turntable altogether.
Troubleshooting
There is no easy way of fixing a skipping record, but here are some tips:
Check the record and see if you can spot anything unusual (like a spot or mark) in the problem area.
Inspect the area in good light. You may have to experiment with different types of light (sometimes, daylight works best; other times, a phone torch or desk lamp will do the trick).
Do not touch the record. You can (and most probably will) make things worse.
Give the entire record, especially the skipping area, a good wet clean, using specialised products (vinyl cleaning fluid and a microfibre cloth or pad).
Do not use any other products. Stay away from abrasives.
Once clean and dry, test the area again. Still skipping? Repeat the process with a different light.
If and when you can spot something (like a dot or mark), try to determine how superficial it is. This is key. Sometimes, bits of paper sleeve can get stuck onto the record, but they tend to be superficial (I once managed to remove one of these using a toothpick… and a lot of patience).
Be very gentle. Patience is everything.
Do not force rub anything (not even a microfibre cloth) onto the record. You underestimate how sensitive the material is. If you rub or press too much, you may inadvertently damage other sections, or make a bad situation worse.
If the mark is embedded into the record surface and doesn’t budge, there is unfortunately nothing you can do (not immediately, at least). For all the joy it brings, vinyl is an unforgiving format. Try it on another turntable just to be sure, but you will most probably have to replace that record.
Can you think of other good tips? See you in the comments!
Thanks for reading/listening and, as always, happy spinning!
Great tips! I always found it funny that the phrase "broken record" meant "repeating" record. Not "skipping" or "jumping," though it's possible the most common usage -- describing a person who keeps saying the same thing over and over -- could include jumping or skipping from topic to topic.
This has nothing to do with what you wrote, but back in the day, I had a cheap turntable and records would skip pretty regularly. When I eventually bought the CD of the same albums, or, heard the song on the radio, I would think something was wrong with the song because IT DIDN'T skip. I still hear songs expecting skips at certain spots, decades later.