INTRO

Those of you who grew up playing vinyl should be kicking yourselves now. If not for selling  your collection then, at the very least, for how you treated it. Even many of those who thought they were taking care of their collection probably weren't. All of those anti-static sprays that were touted as being helpful, were...at that moment, but as that liquid dried up inside the grooves of the LP, it actually degraded the sound. If only we had known. Let's cover some basics before we get to far ahead of ourselves.

BRIEF HISTORY

Records have been around for a long time. Before many of us were born, in fact. Music has been recorded in many fashions, shapes and sizes, but for now, I'm going to stick to the most well known/common forms. 78's came in 10 and 12 inch discs that were the norm from the 30's to the 60's. 45's and 33's became popular in the 60's, for several reasons. One, micro-groove technology allowed for more music on a disc and two, the modern vinyl was a lot less fragile and quite a bit easier to clean.

Let's talk about 78's for a bit. Most of todays generation would barely know what to do with a 78. However, if they did manage to hear one, they would most likely be unimpressed by the pops, crackles and hiss that seem to be what most people describe as their experience with this particular disc type. Were they just that bad? No, in fact, the sound of these recordings was quite nice, so what happened? Just as life wears us down, being played took its toll on the discs. And, just as we tend to become ill if we don't take care of ourselves, records also suffer from lack of personal care. And, to be quite honest, many records were destroyed by someone who was making an honest attempt to take care of them. Before we get into those details, let's discuss the basic differences between 78's and the modern micro-groove records of today.

BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN 78's, 33's and 45's

78's have deep, wide grooves cut into the disc. The music has been recorded on both sides of the grooves walls. Because the grooves are so wide/deep, a large needle/stylus is required to play the record properly. Because the record spins so fast, the needle/stylus is generally forced against the outer wall of the groove, leaving the inner wall relatively  unplayed.

33's and 45's were designed with micro-grooves. As you might imagine, the term is pretty much self-explanatory. The grooves are narrower, and not nearly as deep, as the 78's. Therefore, a smaller needle/stylus could be used, along with a much lighter tone-arm, reducing record wear immensely. With the advent of stereo, both sides of the grooves walls were used to produce and separate music for the stereo effect. Newer turn-tables had tone-arm weight adjustments and, most importantly, anti-skate controls to help keep the needle/stylus riding in the center of the groove for the best tracking/play.

WHAT THE DIFFERENCES CAN MEAN

Since we now know that 78's have different sized grooves and needles/stylus/tone-arms than those of modern records and turn-tables it is important to note the following. One should never play a 33/45 on a turn-table using a needle/stylus designed for 78's. The 78 needle/stylus does not seat well in the micro-grooves, due to it's large size. This tends to cause the needle/stylus to jump out of the groove and then skate across your record. Not good for record. Even if the needle/stylus were to track correctly, the extreme pressure of the heavy tone-arm and the large-tipped needle/stylus would eat the 33/45 for lunch, degrading the vinyl quite quickly. Conversely, while one can play a 78 on a modern turn-table, it is ill advised unless you have the capability to swap needle/styli. Most people don't even realize that this can, or should, be done. Here's what happens when you don't change the needle/stylus. The needle/stylus, designed for the modern micro-groove records, is much smaller than that used on 78's. Therefore, when a 78 is played using this smaller sized needle/stylus, it seats deeper in the wide groove, often touching the bottom of the groove. This is bad. First, the bottom of the groove contains no music and effectively your needle is riding across the bottom of the groove, much like fingernails across a chalkboard. Additionally, the bottom of the groove is known as the debris field. This is where dirt, dust and other pollutants fall, or are forced by the needle. A low riding needles can run into this debris.  Whether you needle/stylus is hitting the bottom, or just riding low enough to hit the debris, your sound quality suffers, sometimes horribly, often convincing people that the record is trashed, when the only problem is that the wrong size/type needle/stylus is being used. Modern turn-tables allow for the fairly easy swapping of needles/styli and therefore one can play these discs as long as one remembers to adjust the weight of the tone-arm and the anti-skate settings to match. Or...you could just have two turntables, one set for 78's and the other set for 45's and 33's.

DETAILS REGARDING MUSIC RECOVERY FROM 78'S

78's were made out of number of materials and coated with a few more. Some of these materials begin to degrade/wear upon first use. In fact, the life-span of some of these discs is only about ten plays. Very few of the people who had lived through the great depression could bring themselves to purchase something that would cost so much and deteriorate so quickly. Thus music of this nature become something that only the wealthy could afford to dabble with. Due to the tremendous pressure caused by the weight of the heavy tone-arms, the needles/styli wore heavily into the groove, often carving deeper and deeper into the vinyl until the needle bottomed out, at which time the record was often discarded as junk. Quite the shame as this was probably not the case. Today's audiophile often has at least two needles/styli for their 78's while others have twenty or more. The concept is simply this. The 78 was usually played with a single needle/stylus. For conversations sake we will say that the needles is 3 grams and when seated in the groove, it fit half way down. After twenty plays the needle has worn the groove walls and is now hitting the bottom of the groove. The subsequent noise has you convinced that the record is trashed. However, there are two possible ways to recover the original sound, to play the record as if it had never been played before. Remember when I said earlier that the needle/stylus tended to rub up against only the outer wall? Didn't seem terribly important at the time, but what this can mean is that the other wall is still new. With a newer turn-table, you merely need to adjust the anti-skate to force the needle up against the unplayed wall and joila....a new record. However, you will be wearing down that wall as you play, so it is highly recommended that you record the music, as you play it, in order to preserve it for posterity. This method doesn't always work, which leads us to the next method. Using a needle/stylus of a different size. By using either a smaller, or more often, a larger needle/stylus, we find ourselves able to play an unworn section of the groove wall that is either above, or below, the damaged area. Of course, when riding below the damaged area, we run the risk of hitting the debris field, which is why truncated needles/styli were created. These hand-crafted needles/styli have the bottom of the needle/stylus sanded off, thus allowing the needle/stylus to ride lower in the groove without danger of bottoming out, thus giving you a better chance to recover the music.

It is worth mentioning, I think, that much can be done to restore music that has been recovered from a 78, regardless of pops, hisses, scratches and the like. Sophisticated electronics can eliminate and reduce most transient noise. Similar software will allow you to fine tune the recovered files to a state that is almost pristine. You can, with some software and a little skill, record both sides of the groove wall and cut and paste music from both sides. IE...if one side is damaged, and the other isn't, you cut the parts that are bad, from one wall, and then paste in the good part from the other wall. In some cases you won't be able to fully restore the music, but it will be infinitely better than what you started with and then in the future, perhaps, technology will be sophisticated enough to finish what you started. Additionally, with patience and the correct tools, you can perform micro-surgery on an album and recut a groove to prevent skipping. It will still pop during play, but pops can be eliminated.

CLEANING/CARE OF 78'S

Now, we discussed briefly how good intentions destroyed many a 78. The first thing to remember is that 78's have a compressed cardboard core. This core, like any other paper, will swell if it gets wet. To prevent this from happening, most 78's had a protective coating, such as shellac. Unfortunately, the use of any product containing alcohol or acetone destroys this protective coating. The same product that was used to clean and care for 33's and 45's was a form of death for 78's and many didn't know this. Thus the protective coating was removed and the record now prone to damage by moisture, particularly if stored in a damp or humid climate. Many people would hand wash their 78's in an effort to remove dust or mold. While not the safest of things to do, it was rarely harmful as long as the protective coating was still present. But washing a disc, whose protective coating had been destroyed, usually resulted in the cardboard core absorbing the moisture, swelling, then fine cracks appearing all throughout the disc's surface. If you have a record that is in this condition, and you can still play it, do it now, and record it, as it may be your last chance. This is why it is often recommended that 78's should never be wet cleaned, although a number of wet cleaning methods are on the market. I am not an expert and will not tell you what is right or wrong, only what I have read/heard. Some say that if you intend to clean your 78, record it first. If if survives cleaning, record it again. If it doesn't survive cleaning, at least you have that recording. If it does survive cleaning, you should now have a second, better, copy. If you do wet clean a 78, it is recommended that you use a wet cleaning system that vacuums up the liquid immediately. There are at least two products, that I'm aware of, that do this. One is Nitty Gritty and the other is another model based on Nitty Gritty technology. There may be others, but I am not aware of them at this time. If you want to dry clean your records, use a damp cloth and wipe them. If the cloth feels wet, or if you can wring any water out of it at all, it's too wet. Use the recommended cleaner in an almost dry state and wipe both sides down. Allow the 78 to dry before attempting to play it. Before play, use a carbon fiber brush to brush the grooves. Another suggested idea recommends playing the 78 first, using a 33 needle/stylus, with the volume turned completely down. The theory is that the needle will lie low in the groove and kick up dirt/debris out of the debris field. Thus when you use  your carbon brush,  you'll effectively do a better job of removing the junk that was caught in the grooves. Whether one should to this is subject to debate. Again, you may wish to record the disc before attempting such a feat.

One other issue that may cause noise during play is organics. Organic growth, such as mold, can attach itself to the vinyl and begin to grow. You must use a product designed to kill this type of growth and then once used, the album must be cleansed of said fluid or the fluid itself may cause further damage. Do not use tap water for any part of the cleaning process. Tap water usually contains contaminants such as minerals, flourides or softeners that, once dry, form pollutants on the disc's surface, pretty much defeating the entire purpose of cleaning the lp.

Static is not a big probem with 78's, but may affect 33's and 45's. The best way to eliminate static is to keep your environment at 70% humidity. The moisture in the air helps to prevent static charges from building. It may not be possible, or practical to keep your whole house at this humidity level, but a single room shouldn't be to difficult.

By the way, some 78's were touted as being unbreakable. This is simply not true. 78's, in fact, are quite brittle. Whether this is due to age, care, or design is irrelevant. If you want the disc to last, be very careful with it. Due not expose any record to direct sunlight or heat. Even records in the trunk of your care will warp and become useless in excessive heat. Don't let the fact that your car has air conditioning cause you to forget that direct sunlight may still destroy your records, especially during a gas or food stop. Cars heat up fast and records warp even faster.

CLEANING 33'S

While I've been referring to 78's as vinyl, they really aren't. Just a composite plastic of a type. 45's and 33's are vinyl. The 45's tend to be somewhat fragile, but 33's are survivors. There are many vinyl cleaning products on the market and most can be used safely. They almost all contain alcohol which, as you may recall, is deadly to 78's. Vinyl is safe to wet clean, just don't over do it and destroy the albums label. In fact, try not to get the label wet at all. It is recommended that you don't use tap water for any cleaning purpose. Tap water usually contains contaminants, such as minerals, flourides and water softeners that, once dry, become a pollutant on the surface of the record, pretty much defeating the purpose of cleaning the lp. Distilled/purified waters should be used. To clean a 33 or 45, follow the directions from the manufacturer which usually recommends a certain amount liquid to be poured on the records surface. Using the proper brush, easily purchased at any reputable record shop or on-line from the same, gently scrub the fluid into the grooves, taking care to follow the grooves as you scrub. After 1-2 minutes, remove this liquid by hand drying with a towel designed for this use. In case you haven't figured it out, that was the manual method. You can purchase a machine that will wet, scrub and vacuum both sides of the record all at once, in a about one or two minutes. Of course, purchasing a machine that will do it all for you costs a little over a grand. The alcohol in the cleaning formulas help to speed up the drying process. Never return a disc to its sleeve until it is completely dry.

STATIC

Vinyl tends to be prone to static build up. When charged, vinyl will attract dust and other pollutants. These pollutants will either discharge on, or run into, the needle/stylus during play creating transient noise. As stated earlier, the best way to reduce static is enviromental control of humidity levels. Other ways include installing a stactic brush on  your turntable. This brush, when installed correctly, sits just in front of the needle/stylus, collecting dust and discharging static before it makes it to the needle. this brush is usually grounded to the chassis in some manner. It is interesting to note that many records were sold/stored in paper sleeves. The mere act of sliding a record in and out of such a sleeve induces static. Thus, towards the end of the record era, many manufacturers were beginning to place their lp's in plastic type sleeves designed to prevent static. And if they didn't come that way,  you could purchase said sleeves at any well stocked record store.

CLEANLINESS

It has been said that you collection and equipment is only as clean as the dirtiest component. How far you want to take this is up to you. For instance, you might think that a record removed from a newly opened album would be the cleanest and safest to play, right? But in fact, it's almost the worst. The chemicals/fluids that are used/built up during an albums creation are still in the grooves along with all of the micr-pollutants from the cutting and drilling of the album. Thus, it is highly recommended that you clean any album before adding it to your collection and playing it. For example, let's say you bought an album at a garage sale. Unbeknownst to you, the previous owner lavishly applied anti-static spray on the album. You play the album without cleaning it. The anti-static goo, now builds up on your needle. Your sound quality degrades slightly. You finish that record and play another from your collecton. The goo on the needle is then transferred into the grooves of the album you are now playing. This cleanliness routine could, and some say should, be expanded to encompass all albums, brushes and equipment involved in the cleaning, care, or play-back of records. Some will clean their needle/stylus after every use. Like I said,  how far you want to take this is up to you or, to be more accurate, your ear. If you notice a sound difference when the needle/stylus isn't clean, then you might want to make the extra cleaning effort. If you don't notice any difference in sound quality when the needle/stylus falls out, then all the extra cleaning may not be worth your while.

FACTORS THAT MIGHT AFFECT PLAY

There are many factors that come into play that affect sound quality. The type of needle/cartridge you use, the style/weight of the tone-arm, whether or not your tone-arm has weight and/or anti-skate adjustments, whether or not you platter speed is variable and to what degree, whether you platter has belt-drive as opposed to direct drive and what type. The condition/cleanliness of your equipment has some impact as well. What most people don't realize is that your turn-table, and the disc on it, are subject to vibratory oscilliations, particularly those from the speakers in  your system. Think of the car you heard coming well before  you saw it. The booming bass, the way your windows vibrated, followed quickly by your teeth, as the car approached, passed, then faded away. These same vibrations can be picked up by the very sensitive needle/stylus which then feeds the signal back into the system along with the data it just took off the groove wall of the record. The resultant noise can be quite the nuisance/surprise. So try not to aim your speakers at your turn-table. Nor should you put your turn-table on your speakers. Your turn-table should be on a solid surface that is as free of vibration as you can manage. A 200 pound rock might to the trick, but could clash with your decor. Many people wall mount their turn-tables, as load bearing walls usually don't vibrate much. Just make sure to use a solid/sturdy platform and mount it directly and solidly to the stud beams.

PURCHASING/BUYING

Ok...when  purchasing or listing albums here are some things to keep in mind. First, if you want to sell, or buy an album, you need to know/provide the basics. The first two are the title of the album and the name of the band/artist. If an album's title is the same as that of the artist, IE...if the artist is Sting and the album is called Sting, then the way to list/search for that title is Sting  Self-titled. This makes things a lot easier, cuz if you just type in Sting on the search, you will get every piece of music Sting every performed, times the number of people selling it. You might conceivably get over 500 listings, with no way to filter it down. And this is assuming you were smart enough to limit your search to the music category. If you didn't, you'll get posters, movies, advertisements and what the heck else has Sting's name on it. Another way to avoid this is to include the albums catalog/reference number. This number identifies the albums producing company, the album and sometimes whether the album is original or a reprint. This number can usually be found in a number of places. The first is on the edge of the album ,along with the title and the name of the artist. It is also often located on either the front or back of the album and is also usually present on both sides of the record itself. When searching for an album, you could simply type in this number, with no name or title, and it should appear. For instance, a search of CL-1422 might turn up ten instances of Sting's self-titled album where your prevous search brought up 500. The drawback to this is that not everyone uses the reference self-titled, nor does everyone use the catalog/reference number. The next step is to identify the condition of the album you are buying/selling. Most use the Goldmine standard, which can be found in many listings or via an internet search, as a primary reference. I am not too concerned about this rating, as it is subject to opinion. However, many sellers will provide a Goldmine rating/grade with absolutely no description of the problem. This tends to aggravate me, as I want to know where and what the damage is...exactly. What questions you ask are now deteremined by what you want. Mostly, I want vinyl that is in VG++ condition or better. I am not so concerned about the sleeves or covers, so long as I can play the vinyl without a lot of noise. The vinyl should be flat. Depending on the era of the album, you may wish to know if is in stereo or mono. You may wish to know if it is original or a reprint. You should want to know the dimensions and speed of the disc. Is it 7 inch (generally a 45), ten inch (usually a 78), or 12 inch (either a 33 or a 78). You'd be surprised at how many records I find listed as other, or not specified. I find listings in this unspecified category to be suspect at best. Either they are too lazy to provide this important information up front, or they don't know how to tell the difference and this means that don't know squat about rating/grading albums and I, for one, won't be buying from them. I don't worry about sleeve condition as I usually end up replacing them anyway. I have only one criteria for an album cover and that is that I must be able to place the disc into the cover via the usual side, and that the disc should not fall out of any other side. IE...the seams of the cover should be intact. Whether you are a collector or just somebody looking for good music to play, I can only tell you to do your research. Know what you want, what you are willing to pay, and what price range is reasable for the item you are looking for. Know your grades. If at all possible, pick up a copy of Goldmines Record Collectors Guide as a reference. At least then you'll know whether the item you're bidding/listing is the common blue label valued at one dollar, the rare red label with the six eye logo valued at fifteen dollars, or the one of a kind, how were you so lucky to get this signed, mistitled, song missing from the the side two track list, copy valued at a half million. When buying, be sure to check the seller's feedback rating and DSR's before you bid/buy. I prefer a seller with a 100% feedback and at least 4.8 or better on all DSR's. At the very least, I look for a high rating in item description. This makes me believe, that above all else, the item I bought will be as expected when it arrives. I can put up with no communiation and a late delivery as long as the item is what I wanted.

A PLACE TO FIND MORE INFO

Okay, last thing. If you'd like to learn more about records, their history, creation, and archiving, perform an internet search using the search words "Vintage 78's". Look for a document created by the videointerchange dated December 16, 2008. This is a surprisingly informative document that far exceeds the little bit of information that I have left for you in this single missive. No, I'm not kidding. Just wait until  you read it. Then you'll know I was being serious. Ah well. I hope this helps you understand a little bit more about records and there care. I like listening to them still and even though I probably don't qualify as a true audiophile, I still think that records are far superior to CD's when it comes to raw, beautiful sound. Play an album, and then the same CD, back to back. See what you think.