Turntable noobie...what advice do you have?

@lewm is SO right about record cleaning machines not necessarily being anti-static devices. In fact, I have found that more than two revolutions of the drying function on a VPI vacuum machine will CREATE static on an LP. Fortunately, two revolutions leaves the LP completely dry, and static free.

I myself never felt "silly" using the Zerostat, but that’s moot now that I have the superior Furutech DeStat III, a fantastic, highly effective, easy to use, anti-static device. Too bad about the price :-(. Lots of brand new/factory-sealed LP’s exhibit a considerable static charge when removed from their sleeve, often emitting a "cracking" sound when leaving the sleeve. Speaking of sleeves, after cleaning a used LP replace the original inner sleeve with a poly sleeve from someone like Vinyl Storage Solutions in Canada, half the price of the identical MoFi sleeve. And replace new paper sleeves too.

@mijostyn: Good point about the Dust Bug not being conductive; that had not occurred to me. It's been a long time, but I seem to recall the Bug traversing an LP side at about the same rate as the arm on my AR turntable (this was in 1969, before some of you were born ;-).

One thing that makes such a device irrelevant to me is the fact that imo the most important time to neutralize any static charge on an LP is before you clean it. If, like mijostyn, you don't "believe" in cleaning an LP before playing (other than with a dusting brush, of which I have the Hunt, Decca, and new Audioquest), I guess you disagree. We all find our own preferences in LP care; whatever works for you is cool.

Consumer alert: A while back I instigated a thread dedicated to disclosing the used LP's I had recently obtained, which has laid dormant for quite some time. For the benefit of my Portland neighbors, I will now go to it and list the LP's I brought home this week. 

Clicks and Pops, poorly produced new vinyl, poor storage  medium. Every time you play it  you degrade the record, permanently, especially with the low priced cart that will end up on the end of your arm. And whats the point of new releases digitally recorded transferred to vinyl?

Put some money into a GOOD DAC,, a tube one if you like. I have a Kora Hermes with a dual tube output  stage and it makes anything plugged into it sound gorgeous and analog like.

Forget the hipster turntable,their time has come and gone....

Why bother, really.  Clicks and pops, poor new pressing, digitally recored music transferred to plastic?  Whats the point. If you need to see something go round and round go open reel.

Much sexier than a Thorens.