I live with old, I mean OLD records. A couple things, first, upgrade your stylus to a Line Contact, or SAS, or other nude elliptical (for stereo, and a good mono cart...). Those styli designed for 4 channel (like the SAS) are an excellent choice for 70's and 80's records. The deeper into the groove the better (virgin territory...). Second hand records have an unknowable history, quite often the "top" of the groove has been worn by old, or inappropriate cartridge/stylus choices, or dirt. I also recommend Moving Magnet or Moving Iron for used records until their condition is known. As for cleaning old and used records I use Tergikleen mixed per manufacturer's directions in a Spin-Clean. I rinse with a spray bottle of distilled water, and then dry on a Record Doctor (vacuum) then air dry in a rack for a bit. Tergikleen can be formulated for Ultra Sonic as well, but it must be rinsed with distilled water no matter the method (get some label protectors on Amazon). The PVC (it's PVC that keeps vinyl records out of curbside recycling, nasty when melted) in the record is a recipe of different suppliers and products. Pressing plants often recycle rejects back into the mix. It is impossible to know, unless you mixed the batch yourself, just what is in your record. Some of the component parts of the vinyl mix can react badly to alcohol. It is not worth the risk of exposing your vinyl to any amount of alcohol. I have a ruined Mahavishnu Birds Of Fire LP on which I naively used a home brew recipe cleaning solution that had alcohol as an ingredient. None of the other records cleaned with that recipe show the same damage. The damage is visible through a magnifying glass, looks like ripples in a sandbar (the solvent action of the alcohol removed something and left the record "dried out"), and the damage was probably cumulative. And finally, if you can't think of your vinyl, polystyrene, or lacquer collection as Artifacts, you are bound to be disappointed. Yes, there are some excellent sounding pressings out there, and a perfect marriage of record, stylus and electronics can sound spectacular. But digital perfection is not what record collecting is about, for me, anyway. Maybe you can price your collection (3,000 is not an insignificant collection! I'm sure there are some gems in there) on DISCOGS and find your nirvana.. Good luck
Old records.
I’ve been literally keeping my somewhat recently bought turntable (and accessories) on the shelf and not using it after spending a lot on it (for me.) ( You can take a look on my profile)
After comparing it to my digital side for quite a while I decided the SQ was not nearly as good. So, I put the cover on it and let it lay dormant.
Now I have a collection of about 3000 LPs, mostly from the 70’s and 80’s. And, sad to say, most of them just don’t sound that good. However I’ve recently been playing some newer records, and the sound is wonderful. I know this not supposed to be the case. So, it’s possible all my old records have been somewhat damaged with old or faulty styli. Anyhow I now have a new lease on life with my analog side.