No matter if you call it jumping or skipping, it is annoying as hell when you have a bit of spare time and you are trying to kick back, and then there is that jump or skip. When it happens to me it goes right through me and is like nails on a chalkboard!
We have many articles about fixing various problems that you may have with your turntable, but today we are looking at how to fix your needle jumping on your turntable. I have a few friends who have had this issue (as well as myself) however I am sure if we work together, we can get your records sounding as good as possible!
So, keep on reading to see a few tips and suggestions for ways that we can stop the needle jumping on your turntable!
Have A Look At The Cartridge
The first thing that I want to suggest to you guys is to take a good look at your cartridge. We have a whole section on the site dedicated to turntable cartridges however before you purchase a new one, let’s take an eagle-eye look at the one you have and see if there is anything there that is causing this annoying as hell skipping you are having to deal with!
I can hand on heart say that not including myself, but I have had four, yes four friends and family members complain about their record player not working right and skipping during parts of songs. I would say that most of the time, a poorly aligned cartridge is the cause of this. The simplest way to check if this is the case is to remove the cartridge and then put it back on, making sure it is on 100 percent correctly. If it is not on right, this can lead to the arm being off balance and this can cause skipping.
Styling With Your Stylus
If the cartridge is aligned properly, but records are still skipping, let’s take a look at the actual stylus. Many people who are new to the world of vinyl collecting are shocked to hear that a stylus does not last forever. Many of these suitcase-style record players are popular these days, but I would bet my bottom dollar that the cheap stylus which is on this may sound good, but it will need replacing at some point, probably sooner than you would like. A stylus gets worn down over time, especially if you listen to your records a lot, that is just the way listening to vinyl goes.
If the stylus looks fine then another thing it could be is that your stylus is not sitting on the record hard enough. If there is not enough pressure being applied by the arm, the stylus can sort of just skip along the surface of a groove and the slightest little thing will cause it to skip.
Tell Marky Mark No Good Vibrations Here!
Is that the lamest and most obscure reference you have ever heard? Well, even lamer is the fact that I consider myself a rocker, and I had this on vinyl back in 1991! Hell, I just had a look and found that you can buy this vinyl record on eBay for like a buck! What does all this have to do with your record skipping? Well, I am getting to that, I just got a bit distracted.
The point I am trying to make is vibrations can cause major problems with your record player. I had this little compact record player and I sat the speakers next to it, when the volume was too high, the vibrations would cause skips. Even just the kids running around near the record player can cause enough vibrations to make the song skip. Make sure your record player is on a nice and flat surface as that will lessen the chance of vibrations causing issues.
A Clean Record Is A Happy Record
Here on the site, I have looked at many awesome record cleaning items and I feel that you need a few of these in your home. While it is easy to blame the actual record player for the trouble that you are having and each time you hear a skip you want to Hulk Smash the record player. Well, it could actually be your record and your turntable is as much a victim as your innocent ears are each time you hear that skip.
It is very easy for a record to get dust, dirt, and god knows what else in its grooves. If you buy a used vinyl record from the flea market or thrift shop, chances are it is going to be filthy. Well, if the grooves are all covered in gunk, the stylus will have a hard time and this can cause it not to sit properly and that is when a skip can happen. Make sure you take good care of your vinyl and if you do buy used vinyl, clean it before you use it, no matter if it seems ok.
Scratches Break My Heart
I cannot tell you how many times I have purchased a used vinyl record, gave it a quick once over, and thought it was fine, and then wanted to cry as I realize it is scratched. Vinyl is very delicate and it does not take much to scratch. I have scratched a record before by dropping it on the coffee table, my son scratched one of my Iron Maiden records by using it as something to play with his Transformers on! So as you can see, no matter what a record can get scratched pretty easily!
While you can clean out dirt and other gunk, scratches are much, much harder to take care of. Some sites will give you a walkthrough on how to fix a scratch and believe me I have certainly tried, but I have never actually got it to work. If it is a particular record that skips all the time and it is a scratch, you may have to just bite the bullet and get a new copy.
