Can You Fix a SCRATCHED Record? NO, so Learn How Vinyl Scratches and Scuffs Impact Playback

[@pamelarw58]

Thank you for the clarification for everyone including younger Vinyl Record fans! 👍😀

[@alejandromontesdeoca1907]

I was just in your store yesterday, and I knew you looked familiar. I was the guy that asked you if the Peaches Crates were for sale. I forgot my CC in your store, and it was safe and sound in your hands. Amazing store with a great shopping experience. The listening room is King! Even my wife loved it, so it may open up my opportunity to Man Cave a listening room of my own 🙂 Thanks again and see I'll be back soon. Take Care!

[@DeafManVinyl]

Great talking with you, man. Looking forward to seeing you again!

[@vbathory3757]

You CAN repair some jumps and scratches, but they can never be removed. I figured out how to repair skips when I was 15 with an old turntable I had with a ceramic cart. What I was essentially doing is removing the piece of vinyl that is obstructing the groove which was caused by (in most cases) the perpendicular scratch. These I had the most success with. The more time I spent, I could even get rip of the pop or tick the scratch caused, but it’s very time consuming, and I’m was too aggressive I could end up scratching out the entire groove (causing a hissing sound) which is non repairable. Scratches that were parallel to the grooves could also be fixed but very difficult because I’m basically reshaping the walls of the grooves so the stylus doesn’t travel down the scratch or detour across 1 or 2 grooves that the scratch created. The first time I was successful on one of those was on a Grand Funk LP that belonged to the father of a friend of mine. He was a huge fan and that scratch happened in the late 70s so since then, every time he listened to “I don’t have to sing the blues” it would jump twice near the beginning. Once I got my hands on it in 1995, I gave it back to him without telling him what I had done, he played it, and almost fell out of his seat he was so happy. The scratch was physically still there, you cant get rid of it, but you can clear out the debris from the grooves and reshape the walls of the grooves, so that the stylus will travel down the grooves as originally intended.

[@tomlayman3141]

Thanks for taking time to share that info.

[@tomlayman3141]

Actually some times a light rubbing of a deep scratch with the tip of a tooth pick can help mitigate the problem area. I know it works because I've done it many times.

[@rodlytton765]

I had a copy of exile on main street that kept getting stuck on the groove on the start of sweet virginia. A guy on KZbin showed how with a needle or pointed object you can stop the jump. I tried it and it worked. I thought I might have to buy a new record so some big money was saved!!!

[@revkenwiz]

Another tip, when a record skips or gets stuck, as vinyl is spinning I touch the area with my finger to see if it’s debris versus a scratch. Peace & Love

[@carlosguerra7441]

My parents had a stack changer record player from the early 70s. The 45 RPM vinyl records needed a yellow adapter on the center to play on those types of turntables. My current SONY turntable comes with it's own 45 RPM adapter. Most of my parents vinyl records still play great with barely or no skips. Most of them are 50 plus old. Some hair like scratches on their vinyl, but still sound & play great overall.

[@Lukasz.Ligus.81]

Hey Man. You should make more often videos about records. Tell us what you like these days. Any new band is in your focus…..

[@michaelhayes5760]

I was thrilled to pick up a 1973 printing of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. So thrilled that I didn't notice it is too scratchy to enjoy; basically unplayable. What the heck else can I do with this thing? It didn't even come with a cover I could frame. Just a record in a sleeve. Luckily I paid almost nothing for it. I guess it really is true that you get what you pay for, huh?

[@scoutdy6547]

Art project? Or recreate that scene in Shaun of the dead

[@Go4Corvette]

Thanks for the info. Hope to see more videos from your channel soon. Take care, Mike

[@stephenburleson7827]

Thanks for the info, man. Also gotta say, love the Lamb of God shirt.

[@brettstorer9341]

😇😇Great video very helpfull the lps you used were all in my collecton

[@edwardevans652]

Thanks for this excellent information. I knew “the cold hard truth” that scratches were unfixable, but needed to hear it from you today. Bought an album at my local store and to my eye, the record looked VG- to G+. The owner tried to upsell it, but after we play tested the record in-store, it sounded like a Girl Scout campfire roasting S’mores! Tried to talk the seller down to a fair price of $5 less with no luck. So I took a chance hoping a thorough cleaning would help. NOPE! 3 out of the 5 tracks had surface noise, and only one composition where the surface noise was annoying, but not severely overwhelming. The HumminGuru couldn’t tame the snaps, crackle and pops. The lesson: Remember your wise words in this video and stay firm on my price or walk away. Good thing is I can exchange it for an album at the same price.

[@DeafManVinyl]

"Girl Scout campfire" ... classic!

[@davidparkin-i8z]

Thanks for the info, just saved some money.

[@DeafManVinyl]

Great to hear!

[@aramkaterdjian5952]

I Use Adobe Audition to clean my records it takes care of pops and cliks my records are near mint condition but youre wright about you can not fix records and seem to no what your talking about thanks for your info

[@davidaston5773]

If you can't repair the scratches - then, can't you remove the original layer of information and replace it with a brand new one?

[@JTSuter]

3:24 this is exactly how one of my records looks right after I just opened it today! And it definitely affects the sound. I was super careful, but nonetheless it seems scuffed from production. How often does that happen? Mine was a limited edition LP too...

[@DeafManVinyl]

Man, that is happening all too often. Pressing plants are running wide open 24/7, and quality control is suffering. We get tons of returns at the record store - everything from scuffs and skips, to the wrong record in the jacket. Sometimes, a quality used record from a local shop (i.e., one you can actually lay eyes on) is a safer bet.

[@VinylPro]

4:50 have you raided on that record ?

[@mikecoffee100]

this was a very helpful video Thank You

[@DeafManVinyl]

Glad it was helpful!

[@marcelobrunorodrigues7630]

Hello, I have a record that has a small hole in one of its tracks, about 1 mm diameter. How can I fix it?

[@tylermiller5181]

Hey Deaf Man! Some questions about turntable mats here. Can mats damage my records? What material mat would you recommend for minimal record wear?

[@DeafManVinyl]

Hey Tyler - I can't see how a mat (the stock rubber one or a replacement felt or cork one) could hurt/wear your records. Just blow the dust off it every once in a while and you should be fine.

[@CC-um5cu]

Hey Deafman! just started watching your channel about a week ago and really enjoy your contributions. I'm waiting for my new Pioneer DJ 500 turntable to arrive today and excited to jump back into the world of vinyl! I gave up all my albums back in 1983 when I switched to CD. Received my tone arm gauge and am thinking about how to clean my vinyl records I'm planning on buying. I hear distilled water and microfiber towels. Appreciate your thoughts. Thank you.

[@Falcnuts]

He has two vids on the subject!

[@elvispresley3234]

Love your channel, but find it so disconcerting when handling records with those rings you wear. :))

[@DeafManVinyl]

Noted! I actually usually take them off.

[@elvispresley3234]

Sorry to have picked, but what a defenseless, professional response :)) Great content. @@DeafManVinyl

[@carlosgoulart7865]

Hi. congratulations on the videos. (Brazilian in the area) with modest system: at-pl120 and denon 600ne (pma + dcd), Bookshelf Klipsch R-15m. in order to improve the sound and add an equalizer. which would indicate preamp phono ? and equalizer? Thanks in advance!

[@DeafManVinyl]

Hey Carlos! I believe the Denon is an "integrated" amp, so it should have the pre-amp built in. If that's the case, you would just add an equalizer in-line with the amp. Good luck!

[@estherbrown1718]

I have a really weird question. Can I put a chalk pen on my vinyl Instill remove it without damaging my vinyl I’ve been wanting to put the words to a love song on the vinyl but I’m nervous that it would not come off and it be for my boyfriend when I choose to with the chalk paint, be able to come off without damaging it?

[@estherbrown1718]

Also if it would damage the vinyl please let me know before I make a huge mistake or if it when it please let me know also, that would be great!

[@djm955]

I've noticed that some records in my collection, that had a noticeable click, became less noisy overtime. I mean, the click became (at least to me) less pronouced. I know it sound strange, but yes, that's what I hear or maybe I get used to the click?

[@williamr3840]

It's probably because scratch debris jammed in the grooves has been loosened and raked out by continued playing. :0)

[@nomoniker7917]

@Djm955 CLEAN > PLAY....CLEAN > PLAY For a rough record do this 10 times or even more & NO, youre not imagining it, THEY QUIET DOWN, they improve. The wealth of wrong information is endless on the internet. I've brought back records in horrifying shape, much to the bewilderment & befuddlement of record enthusiasts who think they knew better.

[@djm955]

@@nomoniker7917 There's definitely something in this. I am not a scientist, but I would speculate that with every play, the stylus shapes the scratches on the grooves, but as I said, It's just my speculation...

[@djm955]

@@williamr3840 I agree with this.

[@nomoniker7917]

@Djm955 Youre completely correct. A record is, under less than ideal circumstances, unfortunately a wearable object. Depending on your equipment, tone arm & stylus, it wears down to some degree. Ive had records that looked like garbage, skipping & repeating at 3 separate points...I resolved all the issues. Does it play & sound like a mint disk? Of course not, the pops & clicks are muted, it plays through very well. It took repeated cleaning to clear the grooves but it certainly is possible. Keep in mind, with damaged records, THE DEPTH of the damage is everything. I reconditioned a valuable jazz record for a gentleman, he thought it was worthless with how it looked & so did I. Until the first few cleanings & inspection with a strong magnifier, I couldnt be sure. Long story short, he cant believe it plays as nice as it does.

[@charlesrutledge647]

I HATE SCRATCHes Nice Store vinal dude

[@ELPCOTILLION-SD1970]

Cuss...Then Steal A New Copy Of Thst Scratched Record...Just Kidding...😃😃

[@nomoniker7917]

NOT TRUE.... This gentleman is sincere but he is incorrect.

[@marcenciels]

The solution is?

[@nomoniker7917]

The grooves on a record are nothing more than an assemblage of circular valleys. The needle/stylus rides/moves through the valleys. A scratch or skip is when the walls, the sides, of the valleys have bent, cracked, whatever & are in the way of the needle. Clear the valley, clear the grooves, & your record will play. You need steady hands, a powerful magnifying lens/loupe, a very fine needle or X-acto knife, something with a tiny fine pointed end, NOT a sewing needle, theyre too big. Then patience, go slow. Clear the grooves & your record will play. The exception to everything I just said if is your record is gouged or if the scratch is extremely deep, it will NOT work.

[@FoxHound-ch1yy]

Bought a brand new record thats one of my favorite album, there's a blemish on it and it skips... a BRAND NEW record thats skipping coz its got a blemish on it... i was so angry about it. I can skip past that bit and the rest of the record plays fine and sounds amazing but this is the problem... even brand new records aren't always 100% schmick.