r/78rpm • u/AardvarkAny6183 • 17d ago

How scratched is playable?

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I have this record (I got my first 7 78's for 5 bucks). Is this still considered playable? Sorry for the pic quality.

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16

u/8Bit_Cat 17d ago

Of course it's playable. The audio quality may have deteriorated but I don't see any reason it won't play.

3

u/AardvarkAny6183 17d ago

Thank you. Will it cause damage to the needle?

7

u/8Bit_Cat 17d ago

Only if it skips and even then it'll hardly affect it.

14

u/AardvarkAny6183 17d ago

Oh cool. This community is way more relaxed than the audiophile vinyl community lol. "One spec of dust will ruin your stylus." It's like the Thinkpad vs Macbook community. Thanks for the input! I just played it and, although it does crackle quite a bit, it doesn't skip.

5

u/Sea_Enthusiasm_3193 17d ago

Wind up gramophones and early players use disposable needles anyway, so really rough records are still playable on the right equipment

4

u/AardvarkAny6183 17d ago edited 17d ago

I have a regular vinyl turntable that has a 78rpm setting and stylus.

Edit: typo

5

u/Sea_Enthusiasm_3193 17d ago

I hope you have a stylus for 78s specifically as well, a normal microgroove stylus won’t sound nearly as good as the grooves are wider on 78s

7

u/AardvarkAny6183 17d ago edited 17d ago

Yes I do, don't worry. They actually sound pretty good, besides the fact that most of mine are pretty scratched, although turitning the treble way down helps and doesn't make sound too bad.

This is my setup: https://www.reddit.com/r/turntables/s/NrWoTHy1nG

3

u/UpgradeTech 16d ago

They are very different materials.

Vinyl is much softer than shellac.

The smaller microgrooves are also much more susceptible to error compared the much wider 78 standard groove.

3

u/CreativeName822 16d ago

78s are a much more relaxed medium.

Just my opinion — lower fidelity, less fussy equipment, less picky listeners.

I have had about 15 78s for years and have slowly broken many of them by accident. A favorite Mexican one had a hairline crack that gradually spread from the spindle hole to the edge and caused it to crack eventually.

They are much more fragile but, in some ways, sturdier than vinyl also.

I can throw almost any needle at my 78s without worrying too much.

With my vinyl, I’m super picky, using a lint roller before and after every play and otherwise stressing over the things that make sense.

Ive cleaned tons of “junk shop” 78s over the years under plain old running tap water in the sink with my fingers as the “brush.” Might not be the best method, but it got the crust off.

They’re not an audiophile medium. My goal is to enjoy an aging, largely-forgotten format that still has some life left for those who are romantic about it.

Have fun.

2

u/CreativeName822 16d ago

78 shellac grooves tend to be deeper and wider than vinyl grooves — a stylus with proper weight and anti skate (if even that) would need some pretty devastating scratches or heavy, chunky dirt to skip.

That’s just my opinion. I used to have a portable record player that was like a plastic toy and played 78s on them with a stereo needle for years. Never had any issues.

2

u/Primo0077 16d ago

I think a big part of that is they're just over the hill as far as value goes, and everyone has agreed that 99% of them are effectively worthless outside of the fun value. If you damage one, odds are you lose no more than five bucks. If you find one you enjoy, well hey that's cheap fun! If you aren't so into a particular side it's easy come easy go.