Old records.

Many of us were not near as good with record hygiene back in the old days. Styluses were not as well polished and were of types that caused more wear. They were also in many instances larger then many modern styluses.

Before giving up on 3000 records I would suggest cleaning a few, preferably with a vacuum cleaning machine. The Ortofon Replicant 100, Gyger S and Soundsmith OCL styluses have much longer contact areas than old styluses and can bridge over worn areas. They also tend to be quieter. You might want to consider a cartridge containing one of the above styluses.

Unfortunately, many records are going to be suboptimal. My oldest records from the 60s and early 70s are pretty rough. Some of them came from the factory that way. I only kept the ones that I could not replace or had an emotional connection. to 

You've got it RV. It use to be somewhat predictable. Classic good to great, pop not so much. Commercial pressings of modern music still have much to be desired. There are new smaller companies that are doing an excellent job of making quiet pressings. They usually specialize in re-releases.

If you are a picky person and can not stand the occasional pop and tic vinyl may not be for you.