record cleaning machines

[Wallerton]

Hey, anybody out there own/use a record-cleaning machine? I'm really, really curious about the Nitty Gritty machines...wondering whether they're really worth it. I've heard they can sometimes work miracles. However, I'm having a very hard time convincing my wife that this is something I NEED.

Your thoughts?

[Patrick]

The machines - Nitty Gritty and VPI - are things of convenience.

What you really, really want first, though, are the Disc Doctor's Miracle Brushes and Record Cleaner, about $45 direct from http://www.discdoc.com. These are a pair of felt brushes with rubber handles and a bottle of fluid, developed by a chemist from Missouri. The cleaning system is purely manual, one brush for scrubbing with the cleaner fluid, the second brush for rinsing with distilled water. Then you put the records to dry in a dish drying rack (!).

The Doctor gives instructions on how to combine his brushes with a vacuum machine such as the Nitty Gritty or the VPI for added convenience - and it does make the project much easier and faster.

More to the point, however, the Doctor's system will TRANSFORM dirty records. It will even transform new records, which typically come with some clicks and pops or pieces of embedded paper from the innersleeve. It's also really effective on records from the '60s and '70s that came with plastic-lined innersleeves that over the decades have left invisible (but noisy) residue on the vinyl, such as Deutsche Grammaphon or other European classical releases.

You will not believe the difference. You should also invest a $15 Audioquest antistatic brush for day-to-day cleaning. The Disc Doctor system only needs to be used once (!) per record.

I realize this sounds like a sales pitch, but I am true believer in the Disc Doctor. It's cheaper than RCMs and is by far the most effective product I have ever used in a lifetime of collecting records. (Btw, do not get it confused with the Record Doctor, which is a specially-branded Nitty Gritty record cleaning machine marketed by the Internet company Audio Advisor).

One warning: Disc Doctor will not repair damaged records! If a record sounds noisy due to damage, rather than dirt, then forget about it.

Good luck!
Patrick

[Wallerton]

Well, you've definitely given me something to think about--looks like it comes highly recommended.

Still, the convenience factor has me thinking about getting a machine. And, with hundreds of records in my collection (and untold thousands of dollars invested over the years), the price of a Nitty Gritty 2.5 doesn't seem THAT unreasonable... and HCM Audio has a pretty good sale on right now.

Have you (Patrick) or anyone else out there had any experience--whether first- or second-hand--with the NG or any other machines? Impressions?

[Patrick]

I use a VPI 16.5 with the Disc Doctor brushes and fluid. It's mostly automatic (platter motor and vacuum) and highly convenient. But it costs $449.

I bought it before I got the DD system. I think an automatic Nitty Gritty would be just as good, and a manual (you rotate the platter) Nitty Gritty almost as good.

Patrick

[bitterfruit]

Patrick,

You should post the picture of your baby for all the world to see again.

Bet she makes daddy so proud.