How to Grade Vinyl Records - The Goldmine Standard

[@ScramjetNY]

Thanks for another tremendous and informative video Marc! You've demystified the grading process entirely with this one. I'm addicted to used vinyl bargains at the local record shops, and at times I think they even sound better than newer pressings. Even more so after a proper cleaning on my trusty Record Doctor V. Also, after all these years, I was not familiar with Goldmine - until now.

[@knockshinnoch1950]

Great straight forward no nonsense practical and very useful guide to grading vinyl. I must ay I'v been collecting vinyl since 1971 and never before have I heard ANYONE refer to bubbles on the surface of a record!

[@soundmatters]

Thanks! Glad you liked it. The "bubbles" you get on some new records are a real pain... I did a video on pressing errors covering this. It's a manufacturing fault that is sadly all too common

[@pursuitofmotive]

The subtle hail to the thief in the background made me jealous

[@soundmatters]

Great record. A return to form at the time (In my humble opinion). I'm an "O.K computer was their peak" kinda guy :)

[@peterrech2307]

Hi, very informative video. I tend to be careful buying used records on line. I used to buy a lot from Redlick in Wales (sadly gone now), whose grading was great. Most other online buying has been new records. Used ones I buy in person at stores, garage sales, estate sales or record fairs. I do buy some records online if the seller is here in Australia because it is far to costly to send the record back to the UK or USA if its not to standard. When I sell records my grading is strict goldmine grading. .......Enjoy the music.......

[@soundmatters]

Thanks Peter. Indeed - buying in a store is always preferable I find. I am finding some of the stores are over-pricing many used records these days, though. I find online great to locating particular records that I have almost zero chance of locating in a record store by chance. The want list on Discogs is great for this..... Indeed, enjoy the music.

[@TBNTX]

A quick comment: Sometimes a needle with a finer stylus can ride deeper in the groove. If the record has been well-kept, there may be fewer clicks and pops. I also use an ultrasonic record cleaner (Kirmuss) to remove any gunk from the record's grooves.

[@Kmg_24]

Very informative! I almost always grade a tier down with the records that I don't have time to audibly test, just to be safe. It's a good idea to listen to as much as you can, though! Bought an original copy of With the Beatles last week that looked worn to death, but plays immaculately.

[@staggerlee6794]

Rather than coffee coasters, don't forget that 'fair' and 'poor' rated records are handy for turning into mounted framed gold discs. All you need is a clip frame, some card to mount the disc on and some aerosol paint. 😉

[@soundmatters]

That's a cool idea!

[@1FastKawboy]

Right now I am having about 50% luck when it comes to my on line purchases. If I am buying on line, it is a LP that I know and want a better copy of. My problem is that even ordering VG+ or NM, about half of them have a skip or big repeating pop. Some sellers, not all, will overgrade a LP, price it at the low end compared to the others listed. Then when the buyer sees it, they pick it over price comparison. Then when they complain about it, the seller refunds the amount that puts it at the higher end of the true grade, selling a copy sooner then they would have. My line is that skip or pop that should never be there. Keep in mind that I do not think most sellers do that, so in the end I will just go by how things are handled and give the benefit of the doubt. This is why I always read the feed back of a seller and look for patterns that may indicate a problem. I would pay more for a copy if I trust and know the seller.

[@staggerlee6794]

Yes. Absolutely always read the buyer feedback. I personally never buy from a seller with a less than 99.6% (per 1000 sales) Lower than 1000 sales need to have100% - might seem harsh to some but once you have been burned you aren't in a hurry to repeat the experience. Also depends on how badly you want an item of course.

[@soundmatters]

Great advice on the seller feedback. Difficult when it's a new seller that's just started selling off their relatives collection. This is often the worst offender for over-grading I find, as they often don't even own a turntable and basically have no idea!

[@johnb6723]

Sometimes cleaning the record will eliminate the skips. I have actually had that issue with secondhand records at times, and a good wet cleaning gets rid of the crud (a word I use to mean stubborn dirt in the grooves that can't be removed with the carbon fiber brush) that caused the skipping or sticking in the grooves. Sometimes even getting a new stylus can sort out the problem, especially if the turntable is secondhand, then the stylus might be worn and need replacing, and worn styli have a tendency to skip or stick. The tracking force might be too light, so adding a tiny, and I mean tiny, weight to the tonearm may correct the problem. Obviously if it is badly scratched, then it will frequently skip or stick regardless and has no business being graded anything in the range G to NM and should be graded F or P or B depending on how bad the scratch damage is.

[@rolandbogush2594]

Interesting, thank you. I have several times bought factory sealed records which have surface markings - I think it is 'mould release' which doesn't have any effect on the sound that I can hear, but if you were grading visually, might knock it down to NM. In my experience of buying from eg Discogs, I find dealers tend to be very conservative with their grading and have rarely bought a disc that I thought was lower than the seller's grade. If that happens, a good tip is to politely contact the seller with your observations - I got a partial refund for one recently; I suspect the seller had only done a visual check and the record had quite some noise evident. It is also not that uncommon to get factory sealed records graded as 'VG' by very cautious dealers.

[@DJShaunLouis]

VG video! :) One note missed and super important on on the Goldmine standard of "G" rated records: "... it has significant surface noise and groove wear…"

[@soundmatters]

Thanks for the addition and for watching. Happy spinning!

[@eirikrdberg1161]

I have had sleep disturbed nights thinking about the condition of my records. Better now, but I do have relapses. I tell myself that the records are about the music, enjoyment and that my records aren’t for sale anyway, so what’s the problem really? It is what it is. Some records are veg+. The majority. Others g or Nm. Shouldn’t be a mental hassle, but it has been at times for me. Today I say live in the moment and enjoy them while you are alive despite a small dent in a corner of otherwise nm record.

[@KITR-UK]

I've bought lots of records online and most of them were certainly overgraded. The listings are usually accompanied by very poor photos of the actual record and the sleeve.

[@soundmatters]

It's frustrating for sure, we've all been there. I set VG+ as my baseline really. Anything below is usually junk, sadly

[@mikewest1542]

I bought a load of Genesis LPs in a job lot on eBay and they looked perfect and the sleeves were too , apart from 2/3 records they all played just VG and some just Good according to Goldmine, it goes to show that a record can look perfect but putting in on a deck and playing is a different matter, I just assumed that the records had serious groove wear down to a worn stylus!

[@logosrising4784]

I personally grade conservatively with the “Goldmine” standards. I would suggest, for one’s good conscience and seller’s reputation, to listen to the entire LP with headphones before properly grading it for sale. A Universal Truth still exist. Being kind and generous to others will always return to you. You reap what you sow. What goes around comes around, and that thing Buddhist call Karma; all the same Truth. Peace

[@soundmatters]

Good advice for record collecting and in life. Have a great day and enjoy the music!

[@whittierlibrarybookstore3708]

eBay adds EX between VG+ and NM-

[@giantorangerecords]

That's nice, because most of the dispute seems to be between VG and VG+ and NM.

[@peterkarlsson1825]

Now we want a video on how to grade Flac files.

[@FrankJCarver]

I've found out that when I've opened some brand new sealed records, they had clicks on them. What do I do there?

[@soundmatters]

Hopefully, it's something that will go away with a quick clean of the record. If not, it's a manufacturing fault rather than a grading issue. Many brand new records benefit from a clean before you play them

[@exodusvelo]

really well explained, thanks!!!

[@DrDopplerLives]

Great vid. Thanks

[@robertmantia37]

What kind of turntable do you have there , it looks like a very good one and I really like the way it looks ! Expensive ?

[@soundmatters]

Nothing hugely crazy. It's a Pro-Ject X1. I also have a Technics SL1500, both are great for different reasons. What deck do you have at the moment? Thanks for watching

[@caperbear1]

Good video. Where did you get the light?

[@soundmatters]

Thanks! I'm glad you found it useful. Sorry for the slow reply: the light is a USB light called Uber Flex, here is a link (Amazon Affiliate link): amzn.to/4cQzUJt The gooseneck on it is really well made. Any questions, just let me know!

[@carlkennedy2499]

Hi there good good video. I have a record it plays very very well. No back ground noises but it d9se have a little skip. All plays very well and with 3.5g down f9rce plays as a vg+ i dont no how to grade this record i have stated the little skip in listing 😮

[@soundmatters]

Tricky one. Have you tried the toothpick trick on the scratch? Video on it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/naispWCLapugedU

[@litoboy5]

Great

[@sandr6769]

What about records that do have a corner/circle cut-out on its sleeve (a trick to sell unsold batch of album at a discount back in the '70s-'80s) - how does that impact otherwise NM copy?

[@soundmatters]

I'd say anything that is a modification of the cover like that would downgrade it to at least NM based on the Goldmine standard. But hey, still a great copy of unplayed I suppose

[@NeedleDropRules]

Most records that I have seen that have the hole punch or cut corner have been graded VG+ at the very highest, no matter how good the rest of the outer sleeve's condition is. The only exception would be that if it was a white label promo release, which most (if not all in some cases) would have a cut corner. Thus, you would be able to factor that in that every copy has it, and possibility mark it up to NM.

[@guillermoandresmemmelcabal8185]

Hey! Great video, it helped me (roughly tho) grade some records I have! ☺️ Still I have a question for anyone who could help. So, I've got a copy of Metallica's "And Justice for All" from 1988 which plays almost perfectly, except for a bit of skipping around track 2 of Side B (One, for those interested). It was there when I first bought it, and according to the seller, it can be attributed to a failure in the pressing. How could I come around to grade this particular record?

[@soundmatters]

Hey. Glad the video helped :) - That's a shame about the Metallica record. Have you inspected the surface for defects? Also, have you tried it on another system to see if it plays through on different decks?

[@guillermoandresmemmelcabal8185]

Not as thoroughly as you do, I guess. It was a listening inspection. I tried it on a vintage RCA record players and in some friends' players as well, and sadly the skipping is still there. Otherwise I took care of cleaning both discs and they're in good shape.

[@soundmatters]

@@guillermoandresmemmelcabal8185 That does sound like either a scratch or a defect in the pressing of some sort. What a pain. You could try looking for a scratch and using the "toothpick method" (I've got a video on this) to "unblock" the scratched groove. That said, if it is just a bad pressing, there's not much you can do about that sadly. Have you tried looking it up on Discogs to see if there was a whole batch with this same issue?

[@djb8816]

I like my records used

[@williamdenton5716]

When I'm buying records, this is what I have found... Mint NM - Excellent, Pristine VG+ - Looks Good/Great VG -50% chance it's playable I don't buy less than. VG...

[@josepfernandezmarsal6279]

What about new records you buy that have some factory defect? Are they still considered NM or M?

[@soundmatters]

That's definitely a separate category really I'd say. Always frustrating as you don't know until you open the record, of course.

[@johnb6723]

If the defect affects the listening quality, then it cannot be considered NM or M. Some flaws (the most minor ones) have no noticeable effect on the sound, while the most serious ones may cause skipping or sticking.

[@LK25278]

To be fair, technically it should be VG+ if we're being strict. If you literally cannot hear the defect at all you might put NM but i would mention the defect and tell the buyer they can ask for pictures. It's unlucky but that's how it is.

[@CBT5777]

What is VG++?

[@justinparkman3585]

You can tell what condition a secondhand record is in until its been played it dosent matter where its brought from .even if you've brought it at a record fair and looked at it. just because it looks nice doesn't mean it will sound nice.

[@mikewest1542]

I must have had a least nearly 200 near mint records that I have bought on eBay , lol😂

[@philipsharples615]

I don't buy records online for the simple reason I can't see the condition for myself. When I do sell anything from my collection, I always give a visual grade alongside how the record plays and the equipment that it has been played on. I also wet clean everything before I sell.

[@asheden3779]

Grading gives me such anxiety.... I think VG+ is too wide of a field and NM i think is too limited. I feel i always undergrade but if you have a 60 year old vinyl that plays almost flawless but obviously isnt brand new... I hate putting them in a VG+ category with another vinyl of the same age thay clearly isnt as perfect.

[@martinjn2920]

This was an enlightening video, not sure I agree with this scale of condition, it looks to me as though people are trying to convince themselves that 'average' just doesn't exist. All this good, very good, very good plus is just plain bonkers, and if your vinyl is below good well it's just rubbish, what a load of nonsense. Last week I received from Mr Postman a box containing 2 LP's, now at the moment according to the 'Goldmine' scale they are both mint as they haven't been opened and are therefore unplayed, yet one jacket is marked, but not by the supplier it was clearly marked when it was packaged at the factory, the top left corner is marked under the shrink wrap, I have jackets on LP's that are in better nick that this new one but they are not mint???? Recently I did a bit of secondhand LP shopping picked up two LP's one for £5.99 and the other for £7.99 from my local record store, both LP's are original pressings of popular artists from the mid to late 1980's so 35+ years old, in both cases the jackets show over three decades worth of being loved and enjoyed, the records inside were pretty damn good, a few minor pops and clicks on one whilst the other is all but silent, not bad for something of that era and sold as 'Average condition'. Me thinks that there is a lot of smoke being blown around to make something look better than it is. Just my humble opinion other opinion's are available.

[@rafacq]

Skip the first four minutes and save you some time!

[@Trebor2024]

Good information but too much repetition!

[@JohnSmith.907]

very well explained, huge help thank you!

[@soundmatters]

Great! Glad to hear it helped. Happy collecting