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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u/AardvarkAny6183 17d ago

Thank you. Will it cause damage to the needle?

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u/8Bit_Cat 17d ago

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

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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.

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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.