Want to learn how to fix a broken record? Get rid of those pesky skips in five easy steps and make your scratched records sound like new... minimal equipment required!
First, allow me to nerd out! That was a Tabu label, and in the '70s (and in the U.S.), that was an RCA affiliate specializing in R&B and disco. There...that was from memory; now, Bradnerd needs to go check: Sure enough, RCA '77-'78, but curiously (and, this hasn't stuck with me), they moved to a long-term stay with Epic/CBS from '78-'91, before going to A&M '91-'93, and Motown '93-'96 before going under!
Who you were playing, though, I have no idea, Disco Boy! Was that the S.O.S. Band? I squinted.
As for skips, I had no helpful Andy to guide me in the '70s (or any other decade, come to think of it!). Here's how Fred Flintstone, here, dealt with a skip like you had in your video (y'know, when the bird with the long beak stood on the turntable as our early-era stylus)! I certainly didn't think (and, frankly, couldn't have thought...I just wasn't that creative; I had a cloth, and that was my go-to for everything vinyl-related!) of a tooth pick. If there was a "stop" like what you had, I'd take the record off, look closely to see if I could spot a speck o' dust or something.
The only thing I'd ever do is just gently and slowly move my anti-static cloth over the offending groove. I might've also gently moved the cloth back and forth a few times to dislodge whatever. If THAT didn't work (if you can read while shutting your eyes, you might want to, here), I'd put the needle down just before the usual trouble spot. If it still did a stop like that, I'd😱gently push the part of the tonearm that housed the stylus over, or "through" the spot. I actually seem to recall that working more times than not! If it went back to playing OK, I'd usually hear the pop I picked up on your record, but certainly worth settling for that over a full stoppage and skip!
I'm glad you're teaching a whole new generation how to care for their vinyl, Andy! Don't do what Neanderthal Brad did!! A lesson for all of us!
First off, please please NERD away, my friend! By nerding you’re educating, so we thank YOU!
Second, yes, spot on: SOS Band. Why am I surprised you got that right? 😉 I loooove the stuff Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis did in the mid/late 80s (Janet, SOS Band, etc.). Their sound was (is) so distinctive. When I include R&B among my favourite genres, this is what I mean. Punchy beat, strong vocals, funky vibe. Not the boring, wannabe pretentious, half-rapped half-semi sung 😂 stuff many modern R&B acts come up with 🤣
Thanks for sharing your experience during the golden years. What impresses me — and this confirms what I always tell you — is that you guys knew exactly what you were doing without always having the theory to describe it. The beautiful thing about those times is that this knowledge was organic, almost intuitive, and thus more real. Sure, there were varying degrees of knowledge and experience (as is the case nowadays), but overall, you guys didn’t need all the theory we need to learn and teach nowadays, because you guys, for the most part, lived and breathed with turntables!
What you did with your tonearm to kind of “guide” the stylus through the problem area is exactly what we try and replicate with the toothpick nowadays. But you guys were a lot bolder, wilder (which I love), and intuitive! With a lot less information available, and without being able to Google stuff! That’s what I find the most impressive.
As always, thank you for your invaluable contributions!
Thanks, Andy! There's always a nice, comfortable chair for me in The Vinyl Room! Curiously, Dad never sat me down to tell me "the ways of the record"! Just handed me a soft, gray anti-static cloth (that stayed with me for decades!), a box full of promos, weekly, and left me to my instincts (come to think of it, that precisely describes our "facts of life" talk, too......oh, yeah, like he and I had THAT)!😂
I think that way, I grew to increase my proclivity to want to be "one with the record" to a degree. I always babied them, anyway, and if a scratch or skip occurred, I figured I could "baby it" back into working compliance! I certainly enjoyed trying....I've felt no closer to any inanimate object...it was such an immersive "hobby" and intense relationship I had with them (as I know you know). To a couple friends' dismay, I never lent them out, either!
I was going to mention that, too.....and, you picked up on it. As soon as you brought up the toothpick and explained how to manipulate it through the groove, I made that connection with what I tried to do by simply using the equipment already at hand! As fun as it is for you to step into the wayback machine, it's certainly fun for me to go back to my teenage bedroom and "see" it all again!
Thank you, Brad! I'm so glad you feel that way because that's how you should feel around here 😊
Interesting that your dad never told you in detail the ways of the record (or the facts of life, for that matter 🤣) but I guess times were different back then. Though one could argue that, in some areas of life, children nowadays have it a lot easier, you were encouraged, back then, to become more resourceful and independent, as you had to figure most things out for yourself. It's that resourcefulness and independence that many young ones lack today.
So cool that my piece and these comments have taken you on a journey to your teenage bedroom! It's beautiful to hear that I can somehow contribute to this journey and help you reminisce about life with your records. It's an honour, and one of the main reasons I do what I do! ❤️ Thanks again!
I used to simply press the needle of the record player down while it played on the skipping part! I probably didn’t do the needle any good, but it usually worked.
Thank you, Francesca! This makes a lot of sense, and it's along the lines of what Brad was mentioning in the comments above, as he used to do something similar (if not identical). I love how intuitive and practical you guys were back in the day.
Yep, I have done this as well. I have also had to widen center holes on LPs that were too small/tight to fit the record onto the platter (using an X-acto I spin the point of the blade a couple of times to carefully shave the hole and then use compressed air to blow the shavings away). I also wash the record to guarantee no tiny vinyl shavings are present.
And, on a couple of new pressings, I have had center labels that were bubbly - only to realize that the sticker machine stuck two at once, making the top one bubbly! I carefully used my trusty X-acto blade and made a tiny slit into the top/bubbly sticker and then slowly peeled it off to reveal a perfectly flat center label sticker underneath! If anybody is reading this and it sounds familiar - trust me, it works!
Ahhh, records. They are quite needy! But, as with all things in life that we love - take good care of them, and they will take care of you in return.
Thanks for your comment! Isn’t it annoying when the centre holes are not wide enough? I’ve never tried the X-acto trick, but it’s a great tip!
Never had that issue with labels, fortunately.
Since you’ve been collecting for many years, I thought I’d ask: are these issues new (or new-ish) or have they always been around? I mean, in the 70s and 80s, for example.
The double sticker/center label issue has only ever happened on new pressings. I have never had this issue with older LPs. Warps in pressing are also things I have only come across with new LPs -especially edge warps (which are the worst and can greatly affect play!). If an older LP is warped - it's usually due to something a past owner did or has been sealed under tight cellophane for decades.
I have a vintage Thorens turntable, and I think its spindle is slightly larger as I have only experienced this issue since owning my Thorens (about ten years now). However, I have since found out to help keep the LP centered, many older albums/labels had the center hole drilled slightly smaller, and many vintage TTs adapted to this standard by making smaller spindles (clearly Thorens resisted!)!
Thank you! It makes sense that these issues seem to be new (i.e. post revival). I didn’t know about the spindle issue you mention! So interesting. Our beloved passion keeps us (and our manual skills) on our toes! 🤣
I have a couple records where the center hole is so narrow, that I've stopped playing them-- mostly 'cause I'm afraid I'll break them getting them off the turntable. Thanks for the X-acto knife tip! Pretty sure we've got one at the house.
I hear you. If you are ever in a situation where the record won't come off, grab it from the edges using both hands (i.e. one hand on each end, diagonally across) and "rock" the record gently back and forth, as if you were "shaking" it. Use quick and gentle (but firm) movements. It will come off more easily this way.
If you do shave the center hole do light spin with the tip of the blade - test the record. Still too tight - try it again. Always best to do it a bit at a time. The other way to do it would be a bit of medium grade sandpaper rolled around a small dowell.
Thanks for this toothpick tip!
My pleasure!
First, allow me to nerd out! That was a Tabu label, and in the '70s (and in the U.S.), that was an RCA affiliate specializing in R&B and disco. There...that was from memory; now, Bradnerd needs to go check: Sure enough, RCA '77-'78, but curiously (and, this hasn't stuck with me), they moved to a long-term stay with Epic/CBS from '78-'91, before going to A&M '91-'93, and Motown '93-'96 before going under!
Who you were playing, though, I have no idea, Disco Boy! Was that the S.O.S. Band? I squinted.
As for skips, I had no helpful Andy to guide me in the '70s (or any other decade, come to think of it!). Here's how Fred Flintstone, here, dealt with a skip like you had in your video (y'know, when the bird with the long beak stood on the turntable as our early-era stylus)! I certainly didn't think (and, frankly, couldn't have thought...I just wasn't that creative; I had a cloth, and that was my go-to for everything vinyl-related!) of a tooth pick. If there was a "stop" like what you had, I'd take the record off, look closely to see if I could spot a speck o' dust or something.
The only thing I'd ever do is just gently and slowly move my anti-static cloth over the offending groove. I might've also gently moved the cloth back and forth a few times to dislodge whatever. If THAT didn't work (if you can read while shutting your eyes, you might want to, here), I'd put the needle down just before the usual trouble spot. If it still did a stop like that, I'd😱gently push the part of the tonearm that housed the stylus over, or "through" the spot. I actually seem to recall that working more times than not! If it went back to playing OK, I'd usually hear the pop I picked up on your record, but certainly worth settling for that over a full stoppage and skip!
I'm glad you're teaching a whole new generation how to care for their vinyl, Andy! Don't do what Neanderthal Brad did!! A lesson for all of us!
First off, please please NERD away, my friend! By nerding you’re educating, so we thank YOU!
Second, yes, spot on: SOS Band. Why am I surprised you got that right? 😉 I loooove the stuff Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis did in the mid/late 80s (Janet, SOS Band, etc.). Their sound was (is) so distinctive. When I include R&B among my favourite genres, this is what I mean. Punchy beat, strong vocals, funky vibe. Not the boring, wannabe pretentious, half-rapped half-semi sung 😂 stuff many modern R&B acts come up with 🤣
Thanks for sharing your experience during the golden years. What impresses me — and this confirms what I always tell you — is that you guys knew exactly what you were doing without always having the theory to describe it. The beautiful thing about those times is that this knowledge was organic, almost intuitive, and thus more real. Sure, there were varying degrees of knowledge and experience (as is the case nowadays), but overall, you guys didn’t need all the theory we need to learn and teach nowadays, because you guys, for the most part, lived and breathed with turntables!
What you did with your tonearm to kind of “guide” the stylus through the problem area is exactly what we try and replicate with the toothpick nowadays. But you guys were a lot bolder, wilder (which I love), and intuitive! With a lot less information available, and without being able to Google stuff! That’s what I find the most impressive.
As always, thank you for your invaluable contributions!
Thanks, Andy! There's always a nice, comfortable chair for me in The Vinyl Room! Curiously, Dad never sat me down to tell me "the ways of the record"! Just handed me a soft, gray anti-static cloth (that stayed with me for decades!), a box full of promos, weekly, and left me to my instincts (come to think of it, that precisely describes our "facts of life" talk, too......oh, yeah, like he and I had THAT)!😂
I think that way, I grew to increase my proclivity to want to be "one with the record" to a degree. I always babied them, anyway, and if a scratch or skip occurred, I figured I could "baby it" back into working compliance! I certainly enjoyed trying....I've felt no closer to any inanimate object...it was such an immersive "hobby" and intense relationship I had with them (as I know you know). To a couple friends' dismay, I never lent them out, either!
I was going to mention that, too.....and, you picked up on it. As soon as you brought up the toothpick and explained how to manipulate it through the groove, I made that connection with what I tried to do by simply using the equipment already at hand! As fun as it is for you to step into the wayback machine, it's certainly fun for me to go back to my teenage bedroom and "see" it all again!
Thank you, Brad! I'm so glad you feel that way because that's how you should feel around here 😊
Interesting that your dad never told you in detail the ways of the record (or the facts of life, for that matter 🤣) but I guess times were different back then. Though one could argue that, in some areas of life, children nowadays have it a lot easier, you were encouraged, back then, to become more resourceful and independent, as you had to figure most things out for yourself. It's that resourcefulness and independence that many young ones lack today.
So cool that my piece and these comments have taken you on a journey to your teenage bedroom! It's beautiful to hear that I can somehow contribute to this journey and help you reminisce about life with your records. It's an honour, and one of the main reasons I do what I do! ❤️ Thanks again!
Absolutely genius.
Thank you, Jared! Much appreciated
I used to simply press the needle of the record player down while it played on the skipping part! I probably didn’t do the needle any good, but it usually worked.
Thank you, Francesca! This makes a lot of sense, and it's along the lines of what Brad was mentioning in the comments above, as he used to do something similar (if not identical). I love how intuitive and practical you guys were back in the day.
Thanks for the tip, Andy!!
Never in a million years would I have thought of this. I also could've really used it yesterday. lol.
Gonna try this on a couple of new (to me) records later today and see how it goes.
My pleasure! Glad you found it useful. Good luck, and let me know how it goes!
Yep, I have done this as well. I have also had to widen center holes on LPs that were too small/tight to fit the record onto the platter (using an X-acto I spin the point of the blade a couple of times to carefully shave the hole and then use compressed air to blow the shavings away). I also wash the record to guarantee no tiny vinyl shavings are present.
And, on a couple of new pressings, I have had center labels that were bubbly - only to realize that the sticker machine stuck two at once, making the top one bubbly! I carefully used my trusty X-acto blade and made a tiny slit into the top/bubbly sticker and then slowly peeled it off to reveal a perfectly flat center label sticker underneath! If anybody is reading this and it sounds familiar - trust me, it works!
Ahhh, records. They are quite needy! But, as with all things in life that we love - take good care of them, and they will take care of you in return.
Thanks for your comment! Isn’t it annoying when the centre holes are not wide enough? I’ve never tried the X-acto trick, but it’s a great tip!
Never had that issue with labels, fortunately.
Since you’ve been collecting for many years, I thought I’d ask: are these issues new (or new-ish) or have they always been around? I mean, in the 70s and 80s, for example.
The double sticker/center label issue has only ever happened on new pressings. I have never had this issue with older LPs. Warps in pressing are also things I have only come across with new LPs -especially edge warps (which are the worst and can greatly affect play!). If an older LP is warped - it's usually due to something a past owner did or has been sealed under tight cellophane for decades.
I have a vintage Thorens turntable, and I think its spindle is slightly larger as I have only experienced this issue since owning my Thorens (about ten years now). However, I have since found out to help keep the LP centered, many older albums/labels had the center hole drilled slightly smaller, and many vintage TTs adapted to this standard by making smaller spindles (clearly Thorens resisted!)!
Thank you! It makes sense that these issues seem to be new (i.e. post revival). I didn’t know about the spindle issue you mention! So interesting. Our beloved passion keeps us (and our manual skills) on our toes! 🤣
I have a couple records where the center hole is so narrow, that I've stopped playing them-- mostly 'cause I'm afraid I'll break them getting them off the turntable. Thanks for the X-acto knife tip! Pretty sure we've got one at the house.
I hear you. If you are ever in a situation where the record won't come off, grab it from the edges using both hands (i.e. one hand on each end, diagonally across) and "rock" the record gently back and forth, as if you were "shaking" it. Use quick and gentle (but firm) movements. It will come off more easily this way.
If you do shave the center hole do light spin with the tip of the blade - test the record. Still too tight - try it again. Always best to do it a bit at a time. The other way to do it would be a bit of medium grade sandpaper rolled around a small dowell.