How to tell if the record is worn out?


Hi
On my recent trip to WFMU annual record show i encountered a problem that i've never dealt with before.Out of 50 records that i bought there 30 turned out to be worn out to a point where you can't even listen to them.Visually they look perfect though as if someone carefully played them from the beginnig to the end a 1000 times on a bad turntable,not a single scratch or fingerprint.I don't know if i's just a bad luck or since the show became annual instead of twice a year maybe many dealers do not care about returning customers any more?Is there any way to tell if a record is in bad condition?Maybe i should bring a big magnifying glass with me next time,the problem is:i don't know what to look for.Any opinions on this one?
overhang

Showing 1 response by billt1

I had put 300 LPs away 25 years ago. I recently purchased a turntable so I pulled then all out .They looked almost brand new. I cleaned all of the LPs manually with Disc Doctor. Every Lp I played was almost unlistenable but the ones I had just bought at a yard sale for $2 apiece sounded great. I thought that I must have ruined all my old albums with a worn out stylus or improper cleaning years ago. After cleaning all the LPs by hand I bought a VPI 16.5 and cleaned them all again using the same Disc Doctor solution. I almost fell out of my chair, all the LPs that I thought had been ruined played like new. So for me it is a combination of a VPI 16.5 RCM and disc Doctor. My guess the albums you think are worn out just might need the proper cleaning.