Cheap overgraded records

[Moogaloo]

Just griping, feel free to join in :-)

It seems to happen to me a lot recently, I buy a record for under a tenner rated at VG+ when it arrives it plays like crap, but I think can I be bothered with the hassle of returning it for a refund.

VG+ particularly for 45s seems to cover everything from sounding like a fire to playing cleanly nowadays.

I think I will have to start asking them to verify the condition before sending

[eclipsechaser]

Just griping, feel free to join in :-)

It seems to happen to me a lot recently, I buy a record for under a tenner rated at VG+ when it arrives it plays like crap, but I think can I be bothered with the hassle of returning it for a refund.

VG+ particularly for 45s seems to cover everything from sounding like a fire to playing cleanly nowadays.

I think I will have to start asking them to verify the condition before sending

Personally im getting great success in that price range although I do clean them all and some of them get a

Considering the volume of records you seem to get have you thought about a record cleaning machine. There are plenty of articles on here showcasing budget to advanced.

[Moogaloo]

I did my first PVA clean last week, I wonder if the PVA I used was too runny, when it had dried I took it off and discovered a load of wet glue had gone underneath, so I had to do the other side too and then I had the same problem as on the original side, eventually I got rid of it all, but it sounds the same quality and now gets stuck at the beginning. Ho hum.

What brand of PVA do you use Phil?

[eclipsechaser]

I did my first PVA clean last week, I wonder if the PVA I used was too runny, when it had dried I took it off and discovered a load of wet glue had gone underneath, so I had to do the other side too and then I had the same problem as on the original side, eventually I got rid of it all, but it sounds the same quality and now gets stuck at the beginning. Ho hum.

What brand of PVA do you use Phil?

Chris pva takes about 2 days to set. Too early you get that problem. Too long like a week and it can start peeling off and you don't get the purchase needed. Any pma sold to kids is the one you want. My first few attempts were not too good either.

[Moogaloo]

I did it leave it to dry the trouble was the glue running of the sides and gathering underneath luckly it was still wet underneath and had not glued the record to the cardboard base! It is childrens washable PVA I am using, I just wonder if mine is runnier than others.

[Campag Record]

I feel your pain and the reason I don't buy much online. I'm always pessimistic and expect bad condition records, even when graded EX or VG++++. Very rare I'm totally happy with the record.

And there's no surer way to piss me off more than pulling out buys from my early online days when I would often bid on the first copy I saw come up. Overpaying for knackered common US LP's!

[stylesforfree]

And there's no surer way to piss me off more than pulling out buys from my early online days when I would often bid on the first copy I saw come up. Overpaying for knackered common US LP's!

This.

I did learn quickly. If I see something particularly rare on offer for a cheap price I usually contact the seller first. My success with Japanese sellers has been stellar and most of them seem to know how to grade a record properly. A lot of the stuff ive bought recently has been of VG+ calibre.

I did get a Sharp Five record that was graded as G+ but it plays closer to VG-.

What is the universally accepted grading standard? Is there an online resource for one?

[AlanP]

I use PVA quite often now - the condition of chazza finds here can be lamentably dire. I use a iceblock stick kinda thing to smear it round and get an even coating, then run it around the edge to mop up any excess and keep the record as flat as I can while putting it down to prevent run-off. works a treat so far although best results have been with 45s. did take a few runs to get it right though.
I got a big 1L bottle from a home DIY shop.

[eclipsechaser]

I did it leave it to dry the trouble was the glue running of the sides and gathering underneath luckly it was still wet underneath and had not glued the record to the cardboard base! It is childrens washable PVA I am using, I just wonder if mine is runnier than others.

Yeah run off on the underneath can be an issue but you learn to not put on too much. Check my avatar from my drying technique.

[babycart]

Under-record run-off is not a problem if you glue the other side once the top side is dry.
This also helps protect the grooves from your fingers.
You end up with an entirely glued record, and I reckon you could probably put it away fully protected and peel it when you want years later.
If there´s any opaque whiteness at all, don´t peel.

[Moogaloo]

Does that not make it difficult to peel if the top is joined to the bottom? If still comes away easily this might be a solution along with Phil's cup drying

[babycart]

Does that not make it difficult to peel if the top is joined to the bottom? If still comes away easily this might be a solution along with Phil's cup drying

I reckon it´s always a bit difficult to start the peel. Once, when I was in a Steve Jobs-style visionary mood, I invented the "under-wobblay peel tab" as an alternative to RedX's "over-wobblay" (his excellent photos are still visible on this old thread) but I don´t use it any more. I just chibble away with a fingernail. It´s a bit like having a go at a scab.

[eclipsechaser]

I reckon it´s always a bit difficult to start the peel. Once, when I was in a Steve Jobs-style visionary mood, I invented the "under-wobblay peel tab" as an alternative to RedX's "over-wobblay" (his excellent photos are still visible on this old thread) but I don´t use it any more. I just chibble away with a fingernail. It´s a bit like having a go at a scab.

yeah I peel from the inside mainly just in case I leave a scratch. Better than scratching the grooves and the end result is a record that play better albeit perhaps with a small scratch in the runout area. I never really got on with the wobblay peel tab technique although I did play with putting builders tape on the pva and lifting off. It can be difficult to master.

[Viva Chiba]

I sometimes take a gamble on VG discs - did OK on the weekend as I picked up cheap (well, comparatively ...) but reasonably playable copies of freakbeat bangers 'Come on Back' (Paul, Ritchie & Cryan' Shames) and The Attack's 'Any More Than I Do' from the local fayre.

I occasionally gamble with mail order VGs and do OK ... a lot of the time, old and chunky 45s play EX, especially if of the loud and raucous variety.

Have just taken my greatest ever dance with danger by buying something for $6.00 from the US which was listed on Discogs as "G+". Expensive popcorn disc that can sell for $100+ (which I don't want to pay ...) so worth a go. I'm optimistically hoping that a G+ may be something like a UK VG - i.e. it will play OK - but personally, if I was selling anything at this grade, I think it would denote that it was irrepairably shagged.
Fingers crossed.

[emperor tomato ketchup]

I sometimes take a gamble on VG discs - did OK on the weekend as I picked up cheap (well, comparatively ...) but reasonably playable copies of freakbeat bangers 'Come on Back' (Paul, Ritchie & Cryan' Shames) and The Attack's 'Any More Than I Do' from the local fayre.

I occasionally gamble with mail order VGs and do OK ... a lot of the time, old and chunky 45s play EX, especially if of the loud and raucous variety.

Have just taken my greatest ever dance with danger by buying something for $6.00 from the US which was listed on Discogs as "G+". Expensive popcorn disc that can sell for $100+ (which I don't want to pay ...) so worth a go. I'm optimistically hoping that a G+ may be something like a UK VG - i.e. it will play OK - but personally, if I was selling anything at this grade, I think it would denote that it was irrepairably shagged.
Fingers crossed.

A G+ might play alright but have been played so much that the music:crackle ratio is very poor.