# Question about Vinyl

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-vinyl/57291>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 9, 2001, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-vinyl/57291 "2001-03-09T01:27:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![chief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chief)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2001, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-vinyl/57291/1 "2001-03-09T01:27:01Z")

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what is the name of those things that are 3 pronged and plastic that are used in the center of the small records to put them on the turntable?

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2001, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-vinyl/57291/2 "2001-03-09T01:58:02Z")

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Small part of long long article about 45 rpm adapters.

Per your question AKA “45 RPM CENTER INSERTS”  
[http://members.aol.com/boardwalk7/45rpm.html](http://members.aol.com/boardwalk7/45rpm.html)

“THE HISTORY OF 45 RPM CENTER INSERTS  
By Chuck Miller (from Goldmine, issue 459)  
When RCA built the first 45rpm drop-changer players in 1949, they boasted that customers could stack their new records on the thick 1½” thick spindle, start the machine and listen to 50 minutes of uninterrupted music. The thick spindle allowed 45’s to drop safely onto the turntable (don’t do this with a 78 unless you have a dust pan and whisk broom handy), and fit the huge 1½" diameter hole in the 45’s center.

By the early 1950’s, standard record players were modified to handle all three speeds (some even had a fourth speed, 16 rpm, but that’s for another column). But those phonographs had a thin spindle, and 45’s still had that huge center hole. And if you ever lost the tube-shaped detachable center spindle that came with your phonograph - well, you entered the wonderful world of 45 adapters. "

…and on for a few more pages

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![chief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chief)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2001, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-vinyl/57291/3 "2001-03-19T23:08:54Z")

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thanks very much, i have been trying to find that out for a long time!