So I recently came into a relatively rare, autographed 12" single of one of my favorite songs. Scratching it and playing with speeds seems like a ton of fun, but I’m worried I’ll hurt the record. So, is playing it on the wrong speed and scratching it, etc, bad for it? Thanks.
The speed at which it’s played is not a factor. The condition of the needle is – a worn needle will do some damage. Playing an LP or a 45 with a 78 needle would also do damage, although a record player with a 78 needle is quite a rarity nowadays.
Scratching it will definitely do damage, to both the needle and the record.
Curses. What kind of damage? Would touching it with my hand so it slows down also damage it?
Yep, damage will result if you continue to scratch it. The intensity of the damage will depend on how much force you’re using to do it. I would suggest getting a few records that you don’t care about from an old record shop or where ever, and scratch those instead. You don’t want to scratch the ones you actively listen to. Keep in mind, your needle will suffer damage too. If you continue to scratch, you’ll want to get a turntable that is more designed for DJ’ing, scratching, etc… just a suggestion.
That’s mostly, but not quite true. The amount of outward force the grooves transfer to the needle depends on the rpm. Vinniepaz should reset the anti-skating force for higher speeds if he wants to minimize wear.
Scratches.
Perhaps you’ve never tried to play a scratched record. The recording grooves are essentially concentric (technically spiralled) to the circumference. The scratches will be more or less perpendicular to the grooves. When the needle hits a scratch, it will make a clicking noise and if the scratch is bad enough, jump sideways from the groove (skipping ahead, missing something, or behind, repeating – perhaps endlessly – what you just heard*). Even if the needle doesn’t jump, hearing the scratches will be very annoying. And if the needle jumps, the record is basically unplayable. There’s no real way to “unscratch” it, so the damage is permanent.
If you touch the grooves, it can leave oily fingerprints. These can be cleaned off. It might also grind dust into the record surface, resulting in scratches (though not as bad as needle scratches). If you touch the label instead, you can avoid this.
*Hence saying that something which is continually repeated sounds like a broken record.
Radio stations used to be equipped with heavy duty turntables with flannel covers that were specifically made for running vinyl backward and forward. The DJ would “cue” the record by rocking it until we found the exact start point of the music, then back it up just enough to allow the turntable to get up to speed.
We were taught to be pretty careful with the records, because one could scratch in as little as five plays.