Turntable noobie...what advice do you have?

Learn the Goldmine Standard of record grading &  to sight grade a used LP so that you have a good idea of whether it has surface noise. I do NOT buy anything under a VG+ grade. Read the Goldmine grading scale and learn it. Find used sellers that grade  use Goldmine correctly. A VG record does NOT play great. That is sales talk and it is wrong. leave the VG's to the record collectors  who just want it for their collection.

There are lots of new reissues on the market. They are good but generally have the new cost whereas, you can get some good records for $5, depending on your location. It was only 2 yrs ago I picked up some NM in the $1 section. It was some lesser known artists. But I listen to a lot of lesser knowns. Besides, it adds to the thrill when that $1 record has some really good music with no SN. . 😀 There is a lot of good music out there.Have fun

As you have a +$600 Cartridge, usually there is the hope to end up with a 1000 Hours of usage before any concern for the sacrificial stylus is needed, $0.60cents as an approximation per whole Album replayed is a attractive value in todays money spent on Cart's.

As a New to Vinyl user, the disciplines around the cueing of the Stylus is best to be give an additional attention, as this is where many have had there heart wrench moments. Take your time and eye it in, and drop the arm very slowly, this is a method that has shown contamination has collected on a stylus, as the interference can be detected prior to the LP being in contact with the Stylus. don't be shy to make contact in the first tracks play time while confidence is building 

Also if a person is prone to a snooze there are simplistic devices that will lift a Tonearm at the end of a Album Sides replay.

Cleaning the Source Material is a common discussion you are being offered.

I clean using a Manual Method over my Ultra Sound Tank, I feel very confident in my method for removing particle of interest that are less that 10 microns. There is something alluring about listening to a very long term owned vinyl that conjures up a thought of being meticulously clean, it is a pat on the back moment.

I can complete 10 Albums in approx' 1 Hour, so all LP's are cleaned, I don't prejudice against used or new, all get their 6 minutes of specialised attention.

When cleaned I use the method to exchange the paper inner sleeve for a Anti Static Sleeve, the idea of exposing the LP to Micron Particles seems better controlled when the Anti Static Sleeve method is adopted.

If the cleaning discipline, is able to add an additional 500 Hours to a Stylus usage then all is well, and the replay will diminish to $0.40 cents a replay.

If the Cart' is able to be retipped with a Stylus oc choice for a $200ish fee,  and another 1500 Hours is achieved, due to the purification method used for the Source Material,  then the replay is approx' $0.26 per Album, now that is bang for buck. 

High quality cueing is crucial to this equation 🕵

@ghdprentice 

I totally second the hunt for vinyl - much more fun without the internet...

@pindac  - he is spot on about cleaning new vinyl too.

I hope thee administrators don't mind - but the best thread on ultrasonic cleaning is on Whats Best Forum. The Ultrasonic bath for me was £110, the turning wheel about £60 - i made my own drying rack with bits from Screwfix (threaded rod in heat-shrink) i also made my own solutions in a 2 stage process. Quat and isopropyl with distilled water then isopropyl and distilled with a wetting agent. It'll save you money in the long run because it will prevent stylus damage over the years. The chap from Expert Stylus advised me to get some toothpicks - put a thread from a cotton bud - use spectacle lens cleaner - and clean your stylus at the end of each side of a record. Sorry to rabbit on but I explained it as succinctly as possible.

I also have two set up records from HiFi News and Cardas - well worth it. Most importantly don't get bogged down and enjoy yourself - vinyl has a habit of you exploring musical tastes and genres you otherwise will not.

For used LP buying you’re fortunate to be in Portland!

Music Millennium is great for new LP’s, though you will pay full retail for them. MM also stocks a fair number of used LP’s, and at generally reasonable prices, some as low as $2-$3!

Here are some other good used LP shops in Portland:

- Crossroads Records, 8112 SE Harold Street (just off Foster Road). This is a multiple-vendor operation, one large room with individual sellers. Thousands and thousands of records, so plan for at least a few hours of browsing.

- Jackpot Records, 3574 SE Hawthorne (a block away from Fred’s Sound Of Music hi-fi store). A good little shop with a limited but high-quality inventory. They are also a new reissue label, their release of The Flamin’ Groovies’ fantastic 1976 Power Pop classic Shake Some Action (produced by Dave Edmunds at Rockfield Studious in Wales) due later this month.

- Little Ax Records, 4142 NE Sandy Blvd. (right by the Hollywood movie theater). A small shop, but with very hip inventory. At LA I finally found a copy of Out Of Hand by Gary Stewart. They also had a copy of John Simon’s Journey album, but as I already have a copy (found a few weeks ago at Tomorrow Records---see below), I left it for another person of exceedingly-good taste ;-).

- Tomorrow Records, 700 SE Hawthorne. A medium-sized shop, with a very diverse non-Rock inventory, particularly Jazz (though also plenty of Rock). They also sell 70’s-vintage mid-fi components, if you’re into Japanese receivers, Dual record changers, and JBL-type loudspeakers (I’m not). Great inventory, reasonable prices.

- 2nd Avenue Records, 400 SW 2nd Avenue. This place reminds me of the late-60’s hippie-era shops of my youth, though without the patchouli oil/skunk stink (thank God ;-). Kind of a mess, but with lots of records and associated parapherlania (t-shirts, etc.) at good prices. Very narrow isles inside, metered parking outside.

Of course a Google search will lead you to lots of others, but the above is a good start. Discogs is also a great source, though the seller’s adherence to grading standards varies somewhat.

As for record cleaning: IMO absolutely required if buying used LP’s. Do NOT play a used LP without a deep cleaning first! A vacuum-style cleaner from Record Doctor, Pro-Ject, or VPI, as a minimum.

And then you will need LP storage shelves. Check out the IKEA EKET for a cheap option. A 4-cube 27.5" square assembly for $60, better imo than the LP collector-favorite Kallax (more structurally stiff, with a back panel).

Michael Fremer did a little test whereas he played his copy of The Who Tommy kept in a tattered record jacket that he has played hundreds of times. The test proves that records are virtually indestructible if taken care of. It sounded as good as day one. The video can be seen on you tube, Analpg Planet. So don’t be afraid to play your records! Digitizing/recording them is unnecessary, unless you want to of course, which can also be fun.