Buying Vinyl Records Advice and Guidance | Grade Abbreviations

Vinyl Records - How to buy the best quality Vinyl Records

Vinyl grades - How to buy the right graded record for your Collection

Welcome to Studio Records guide to buying and collecting Vinyl Records.

 Buying records can be a daunting experience, with all the different grades and abbreviations in the vinyl world!

First thing to understand is that Vinyl Records are not digital (CD / Streaming), they are Analog, which in short means that the medium (Vinyl) itself is required to give the sound, as opposed to Digital which needs no physical medium to create the sound, just a device to read the information(sound).

So the condition of the Vinyl is going to affect the sound you hear, so even with pristine vinyl records the sound is not going to be completely silent, there will be to varying amounts some 'noise' accompanying the music.
 So you might not really want to buy vinyl records if you want that silence, albeit you may be, what we call an Audiophile who wants Analog but also the silence, then it is possible but will become very expensive! more of that in our Audiophile blog.

On a positive Vinyl Records carry a better sound, which includes every detail of what was recorded, Digital excludes some of that detail and is why so many people prefer their music on vinyl.

 Now you know what your buying, you need to get a grip with the grading system that is universally used, I have created one for both the vinyl and the sleeves with pictures here ➡︎ Grading Guide  

Should you need to clean Records 100% yes you should have the means to clean your records, and regardless of where they come from, are how old they are cleaning makes all the difference, many people buy poor sounding vintage records and are disappointed, but with a quick clean they can be transformed, even a EX or NM record with no marks may play poorly, but this is due to the fact they may have not been played for many years and accumulate dust and dirt in the grooves, and once cleaned properly will play like new again.
Giving the record a few plays will also make it sound better each time as your stylus (needle) will remove debris deep down in the grooves.  

That's it! but not quite.. unfortunately there are a huge amount of factors that affect the gradings given by sellers, along with terminology and abbreviations used professionally, so let's explain.. 

 

Terminology / Abbreviations

Vinyl 

Scratches - a scratch is something that has cut into the groove of the record perpendicular to the groove (across it) , this will impair the sounds by means of a click during playback, but this is acceptable by many and varies on its depth and the quality of your record player.

Groove Scratches - as above but these scratches are not perpendicular but cut parallel to the groove, these are not good as they cause the needle to jump across the grooves, rendering a record as unplayable.

Surface / Light Scratches - these are far more minor than scratches as they have not cut into the playing groove, and so do not impair the sound, the problem is that only experienced dealers can (90% of the time) visually tell the difference between a scratch and a surface scratch!

Paper Scratches - These are similar and confused with the above, but they are very light surface scratches, that can be caused and named from occurring from the paper/card sleeve the record is housed in, and why Audiophiles prefer to purchase specialist inner sleeves to prevent this among others happening.

Groove Rub - Groove rubs are damage to the record that run around in the grooves and normally caused by incorrectly set up decks (record players) or a worn stylus (needle), however these don't normally overly affect the sound.

Dust / Debris / Unknown surface matter - Physical particles that get stuck to the vinyl surface or deeper into the grooves, this is what causes the biggest complaint because this will cause significant issues such as Jumps, Sticking, Skating, Loud Clicks, fortunately these can normally be cleared and remedied by simply cleaning. Cleaning Vinyl Records is another matter and covered in more detail from the link.

Warps - warped records normally occur when they have been stored incorrectly, vinyl records need to be stored upright and never laying flat! heat will also warp vinyl records. Warped records vary from minor to extreme, minor warps will still play with no problem as record player tone arms have a fairly good tolerance, but once the record gets to a certain amount the tone arm will stop making contact and render the vinyl unplayable.

Mould / Damp - records that have been stored for a long time in damp / wet or cold conditions can start growing mould on the surface, although this is not particularly nice its can generally be overcome with a good cleaning method, it's the covers that have the big problem with damp!

Scuffing / Scuffs - Scuffs vary greatly but are where the vinyl has been knocked against something, or dropped, so the mark on the vinyl is generally located to one area not all over, these can be visible but not heard during playback, but obviously scuffs can be worse and affect sound.

Dulling / Dull Surfaces - vinyl is bright and shiny but if not cared for correctly can dull, this can be caused by sunlight, heavy use or poor cleaning solutions, dulling does not render the record unplayable but is a sign of the above.

Sleeve rub - simply a mark on the vinyl caused by the sleeve (inner or outer) these do not normally have any detrimental affect to the sound.

Rippling / Fogging - having a rippling or fogging pattern on a record is normally caused by the inner sleeve, over the years there have been various linings used for inner sleeves and many have proven bad for vinyl records, this can affect the sound by way of hiss, it can sometimes be removed by good cleaning methods.

Record Sleeves

Foxing / Spotting - this shows as brownish stains in the paper or card covers, normally caused by cold or damp, unfortunately this phrase is also used because of its visual similarity, to mouse urine AAH!! but many a vinyl has been subject to rodent attention when stored in outbuildings. Good cleaning will suffice.

Mould - Biggest killer of record sleeves, sleeves will decay in a manor of ways, if you get them before its too far gone then dispose of inner sleeve that have mould, try cleaning the outer sleeve inside and out and replace with new inner sleeve.

Silver Fish -  Yikes!! yes these insects can live in and eat your record covers, they will appear in records that have got damp, and will spread to your other records, if the sleeve is salvageable proceed as above.

Rubbing / Shelf Wear - Wear on spines and faces of the cover, caused by friction and tightly stored records.

Ringwear - as above but mainly caused by the round record imprinting itself on the cover, this occurs more on certain sleeves. 

Corner Cuts / Hole Punch - this was done to records when imported or exported around the world, for tax purposes, generally records from the US would have a corner cut off or a hole punched / drilled to show the tax had been paid.

Dints / Bumps - these are very common with vintage and new vinyl albums, corners of the sleeves get small dents from handling and storage.

to be continued...