If you want to preserve a record you need to use a quality needle and change it
after each play. The Chamberlain needles on eBay are fully polished, but the
diameter is too large and they contact the shoulders at the beginning of each
play.
You see many victrolas with records that look new, at least you used to. When
the reproducer was new with soft gaskets the reproducer was compliant and they
changed needles each time. 70 years later with hard gaskets and the same
needle the records wear.
I believe that as long as the record is shellac a steel needle is OK unless the
record is rare or an early one then you would want to use bamboo. The vinyl
78's and the flexible Marconi records I would not use a steel needle with.
I suggest medium tone needles, you get less distortion.
The shellac records were made with an abrasive so they will accomodate steel
needles, I learned the hard way vinyl is badly affected by steel needles. I
do not think electrically recorded records are adversly affected by a steel
needle, I have never noted any problems. The run in groove appeared around
1930 to 1933 from what I have been told. I welcome comments. Steve
> Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2013 23:06:36 -0500
> From: chris...@cox.net
> To: phono-l@oldcrank.org
> Subject: [Phono-L] Newbie Question - How To Tell an Acoustical Record
>
> Hi all,
>
> I've just gotten my first keeper wind-up phonograph, a Victor VV 8-35
> (which a list member is refurbishing the mechanics of, I can hardly
> wait!), and I have a really elementary question: How do I tell which
> records can be safely played with a steel needle?
>
> I suspect all Victor batwings are OK. But is there a general rule of
> thumb besides date (would that be pretty much 1930s and before?) As late
> as when? Is absence of a spiral run-in groove a reliable indicator?
> Does "electrically recorded" mean too late?
>
> I belong to an antique radio club and at the last meeting one member
> sold another a table model along with half a dozen albums of 1940s-1950s
> 78s. I told them both that the steel needle in the heavy acoustic
> reproducer will ruin those records, and with the right records you also
> need to replace the needle for every play. But they went ahead
> demonstrating the machine and turning the grooves white. Oh well.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Chris Kocsis
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