Record-playing Rituals?

jeez, i feel almost neanderthal - hardly *any* ritual when i spin winyl, tho to my non-audiophile friends, i'm anal-as-hell! i guess i should show 'em this thread! ;~) but, in my defense, i have records 25+ years old, that are still in good shape.

when i have a dirty record - either i got it used, it *looks* dirty, or i notice ticks-n-pops in the 1st cut, i hand-wash it, w/mild dish soap, luke-warm water & a sponge. then thoroughly rinse & dry w/a soft lint-free towel. this isn't done too often. most times, it's yust cue-n-play. but, i *do* use a keith monks record sweeper for every play - this li'l baby effectively tracks the record in time w/the stylus, keeping dust off the stylus. it also has tiny metallic hairs, & as it is all-metal, w/a grounding wire, static seems not to be an issue. prior to the keith monks record sweeper, i used a watts dust-bug. basically the same results, but not as elegant, & not-as-good static-protection. i also have a zero-stat gun which i occasionally use, but since i installed a *real* dehumidifier in my heating system last year, there's no longer a dry-wintertime static problem chez-sedon...

ok, time to go back to my cave... doug s.

tanks albert - i will report back w/my findings... ;~)

doug s.

jeez, i don't take that many precautions when i go into/out of the animal rooms w/the aids-monkeys... ;~)

doug s.

hi detlof, nah, no monkey treadmill for the 'table - too much speed-instability issues... ;~)

seriously, tho, i *do* have to suit up to go into animal rooms frequently in my real-life yob as a project mgr at the nih...

regards, doug s.

hi detlof,

albert was also kind enuff to send me a sample, but spring chores have so overwhelmed me that i haven't had a chance to inwestigate it yet. also, i don't have a record wacuum, & albert sez it really needs to be wacuumed after application for best results. he passed on to me a cheapskate trick i may try - yust get the vpi wacuum wand (awailable as a replacement part) & rig it up to a wacuum cleaner. isle have to do this! ;~)

regarding your comparison, i've heard ewe should let several hours pass - minimum - prior to replaying a record, as the intense heat generated from the stylus on the winyl causes some groove deformation, & ewe want to give it a chance to recover. dunno which frequencies mite be most susceptible to damage - perhaps the low frequencies? mebbe this is why your bass response got a bit muddier? comments from others here, would be helpful...

regards, doug s.