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Shine A Light... On A Brand New LP

I just added a small IKEA LED light next to my Okki  Noki record cleaning machine.  It is in a dark corner of the room and it was always hard to read the matrix & runout etchings.  Plus I just wanted to see the grooves better to know if it was really getting clean.

BUT, what I often notice is when I put on a brand new out of the shrink wrap LP that many have surface scuffs and finger prints.  Some even have worse that scuffs.  Normally you wouldn’t notice this under average light or daylight.  But when I use this bright light shinning across the LP, it really does show the less than pristine nature of some brand new LPs.

No names here, but I even notice a trend with some labels that really have, obviously, poor quality control.  I purchased an LP in NOLA last month and the darn thing had a chunk taken out of the lead in of the LP.  It was brand new and United-opened.  Like someone took a hole punch to it.  Seriously?  How is it possible that such an LP made it into a sleeve?  How did it pass quality control.

I also have noticed some pressing plants that are always clean and beautiful.  Anything that comes off Acoustic Record Pressings’ presses are spectacularly clean and sound so darn quiet.

Wondering if any of you vinyl fans notice anything similar with new LPs?
pgaulke60
5 responses Add your response
lps4eloise
11 posts
 
Yes, it is terrible.
The main one I avoid is United Record Pressing, talk about a festering turd of a plant. The reality is new vinyl is quite bad when compared to old vinyl period. I only buy from acoustic sounds as they will allow for returns and will reimburse for shipping as long as you do media mail.

Hopefully the Vinyl Alliance will really have an impact on quality control, and HD Vinyl’s process is promising as well.

Hang in there.
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,769 posts
 
Another good reason to clean all purchased records. Like fruit.
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,769 posts
 
And to support and patronize a quality  used record store instead of Amazon or big box stores. 
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
As I have said previously I us clean all records including brand new ones.
However obviously cannot fix scuffs and chunks missing but.....

However with one half of the world's supply of lacquer producing plants just gone up in smoke I would not expect the situation to improve anytime soon!
Quite the opposite as anything remotely resembling a record will now get sold as good!
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Yes new LPs are crap. I could give you the answer. But the more people know the more it costs, and I'm already paying too much. So DYODD.
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