2. analog
  3. 154563-119399

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

Showing 1 response by uberwaltz

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!
More to discover