Any hope for an off center spindle hole?

I finally found an "almost" excellent 1st pressing UK copy of "Ziggy Stardust".
Almost because as the needle neared the middle of side one I noticed a weird shift in pitch.
It sounded like the platter motor was failing.
I went to check it out and noticed the needle moving in and out. You can see the grooves spinning and it was clear to me- this is what off center spindle must look and sound like.

Now- any way to fix it?

The vinyl is otherwise mint. No crackle. no skips. But the wow in pitch renders it unplayable.

 

Yes. Several topics covering this already on this forum.

 

CD

 

just kidding. I'm over-sensitive to off-centered vinyl, sometimes to the point where I'm almost ready to give up on vinyl. Almost.

 

get a drill

 

Or a dremel. I've fixed this issue with a dremel, but a record clamp is pretty necessary once you go down that road.

 

You need a rat tail file and a small arrow on each side of the label.

Use the file to enlarge the hole a millimeter or two - no more should be necessary - opposite to the direction the record has to move to be in round. Your center hole will become an ellipse. Then mark a small arrow on the label to remind you the direction you have to push the record over to get it centered.

It sounds scarier than it is. It's actually quite easy to do although I'd recommend you make your first attempt on an LP that's a little less precious.

 

I have a few like that, and I have a few turntables where the spindle can be fully removed, so I recenter it by eye, watching the arm and stylus, and that's good enough for me.

 

Yep like this. Then use a record clamp

 

Yes, this is pretty easy to do. You can even scrape out the hole with an X-Acto knife if you don't have a file. Once you take a few minutes to practice this procedure on a trashed record, there will really be no need to listen to off-center records again.

 

I agree with everything you wrote, except I'd avoid writing on the label. If the spindle hole operation is done carefully it will be difficult to tell it was done at all. Why then deface the label?

It's simple enough to draw a separate tiny diagram with centering instructions. The diagram could go on a sticky note placed inside the jacket. Or, when I clean a record it goes in a new generic inner sleeve, and I just write on that.

This Big Star - #1 Record Concord reissue is notorious for having an off-center side one, internet reports indicate that most copies are like that. So I carefully enlarged the spindle hole first with an exacto knife and then finished the job with a rat tail file. Afterward I cleaned the record on the VPI and put it in a new inner sleeve, and drew a little diagram on the inner with centering instructions.



Sounds great now, no pitch problems.

 

I like the solution outlined in your post.

Actually, I don't write on the label as I have plenty of old Beta and VHS labels in a small box. There were dozens of tiny adhesive backed squares on many of those videotape labels, God knows for what use initially. I draw an arrow on one and stick it on the LP's label. They are very easily removable with lighter fluid if you want to. Plus, as a dedicated LAST user for over 30 years, I'm suffering the sins of my youth when it comes to putting stickers on my records. What's another small sticker when I'm stuck with my past, so to speak?

 

Serious question, as I'm not really a vinyl guy anymore. Will these fixes fix both sides of the album at the same time?

 

I think every side is different. I have one that is off center on only one side.

 

I think this is the issue with my Last Waltz, side one. I flipped it over to play side two and the Lp didn't wander side to side. I thought though, how can this be?

Isn't there a plate on both sides of the vinyl during pressing? I thought the center hole was its own operation, so if one side is off, shouldn't the other too?

I have a Kinks Lp where I drilled the center hole off to the side. That album is off on both sides though and I think it got fixed with the one modification.

I'm thinking of drilling a larger hole, maybe 3/8" or 1/2" and then use the eye-ball method as referenced above.

Either way, I really can't understand how this happens or gets by their quality control.

 

With that one, there was a second pressing that was not off-center. Mine is part of that second pressing and is not off-center.

 

How can you identify a second pressing?

 

use the correct tool, get a tapered reamer. just enlarge the hole a bit, then you can get it correct while playing with (very) gentle nudges, it's not very difficult. A clamp could be useful, but once the lp is correctly aligned, it really shouldnt be moving around while playing.

 

You can't without cracking it open AFAIK. IIRC the first two Big Star albums have since been licensed to 4MWB and are a totally different cut now. You may be able to find an old sealed second pressing Concord but you're taking a risk that you might another off-center one.

https://www.discogs.com/Big-Star-1-Record/release/2672717

 

Yeah, that's a good question. Usually, it's a case where one side is bad while the other side is perfect, so I figured I had to chisel/file out a notch (in the right direction for the bad side) so I can put the spindle into the notch for that side, and then place it normallly for the good side, but I figure I have to mark the direction in which to push the record towards the spindle/center). That and my turntable's cartridge-holder/carrier are easily my two biggest vinyl pet peeves. I have some really-nice records that I would play a lot more, were it not for that. I hate repositioning the thing, and using a bigger spindle is out, unless I feel like drilling out every record in my collection. Big PITA.

I have a sweet 1st pressing copy of Bad Company's "Burnin' Sky" that has that problem pretty bad on side one, and I love that record. Great-sounding pressing and the vinyl is in beautiful shape. Even my Gray/Hoffman-mastered "Hits From Shaft" is a little off-center on side one, but it's slight enough where I can just reposition it and fix the problem without having to chisel/file out the center hole.

 

I just fixed my first badly off centered record -- Slowdive's latest album in silver wax. When I first played the record, the tonearm was disturbingly swinging left to right. I took a pair of scissors and slowly twisted it arount the spindle hole to make it bigger. Before I drop the needle, I try to center the record as much as possible (eye test), and put a record weight on for good measure. Now the tonearm swinging is a lot less, and I'm enjoying the record more!

 

Me too.