A question about Vinyl?

Seventh Son

Seventh Son

Invader
Hey guys, I just bought Iron Maiden's "The First Ten Years" 12" box set off eBay, it's in pretty good nick and the vinyl has had minimal play, majority of the singles have never been played.

Now, for the question, does playing vinyl damage it? I've never used it before, I don't own a turntable and I'm just wondering if it's worth playing them, I don't want to damage them at all, so to those of you who know your stuff, could you please lend some advice :)

Thanks.
 
I am not sure I am wording this correctly, but playing vinyl over and over will have an affect on the grooves in the records, for me I cannot hear it ... others caim they can. But in general, if you treat the records with care and do not scratch them, handle them on the edges, etc, they will last forever. I have some records from the 1960s that still play fine, I have relatives with records older than that that still play well.
 
Vinyl can be damaged over time, but the appropriate thing - in addition to what bearfan said - is needle maintenance. If you play vinyl on a very dull needle, you will widen or scratch the grooves.
 
Good point, the needle "specs" on my record player essentially say to replace the needle once a year. I usually do it every 5 or 6 months. There are people selling needles on ebay/other sites that are of good quality and only cost $5 to $6 a piece. I usually buy 5 at a time (to save on shipping costs) and just have them handy. If it even looks like it is starting to get dull, I will swap it out. However, records are my main source of music at home, so I play at least one record a day, some days 7 or 8.

I guess it is a generational thing, when I started getting into music, it was records and 8-tracks (cassettes were just starting to get more popular than 8-Tracks), so from a young age I was used to handling records (when I was 4, a relative bought me a set of DisneyLand records after we went there on vacation .. I still have 2 of them) ... they are not super delicate, but just like a CDs if you treat them right, they will last forever ... if you toss them around they will not.

I guess the other thing with record care is to keep them away from direct heat (the sun, heat vents, etc) ... I learned that the hard way when I left a few albums in my car ... and store then standing vertically.
 
Dad keeps his vinyl in a dry case under the record player, and he gets mad when the doors get left open. of course, he keeps his expensive vinyls in his safety deposit box these days. Like his unopened copy of Abbey Road or his signed copy of 2112.
 
Awesome guys, thanks a bunch, the urge to play them is becoming to great :p

but now I have to go out and buy a turntable, how much do you reckon I spend?
 
You can get a solid Sony player for $100 to $150 ... there are certainly better ones out there, but the Sony's are a good value.
 
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