Grading a record with a small skip that’s otherwise in VG+ shape?

Record looks like a strong VG+ and plays great. But it has a small skip at the start of the opening track. Couldn’t find what Goldmine says about a situation like this. Is it an automatic Poor or Good? Or is it a VG+ with an asterisk?

 

It’s not a strong VG+...it skips. G+ is where it maxes out, to me.

 

Did you try playing it on more than one turntable? It might not skip on a different machine with a different cartridge.

 

i would list it vg+ and then add a comment at the bottom about the skip...

 

Agree that you can call it a VG but if it’s got an irreparable fault causing a skip, then it can’t be more than a G+.

Have you checked whether you can fix the skip by inspecting the groove and using a toothpick to reshape the groove? Have saved records doing this.

 

What’s causing the skip?

Is it a feel-able scratch? If so then it’s visually no higher than VG. And in fairness, the scratching skip would technically grade the side at Fair, but you can be more specific about how well the rest of the disc plays.

If it’s a mystery skip I would investigate further. Sometimes it’s just the most specific piece of stubborn foreign material.

Is it bass heavy? I have a bunch of hip hop that demands to be played with a heavily tracked conical or else the kick drum will cause the needle to jump.

What kind of rig did you test it on? Like idledreamer said.. it’s advisable to play it on some different setups, different carts/needles and weights. Lighter tracking force doesn’t necessarily correlate to improved tracking and decreased wear, there’s a point where it’s quite the opposite. If you’re findings yield different results I would just post them in the listing, more info is always better, it shows you care.

 

I would say P+, maybe G-, even though I don't really think a plus/minus grading is meaningful at that grading level. It skips, it's automatically P. Good shoud not skip, so maybe I'll allow G-. Good means it's playable all the way through. So lower than G, is what it is.

 

As have I, but I know from experience that if it's one of those infuriating tiny scratches that go in line with the groove and you can only see it under a strong light then it might be a little harder to fix.

 

F is the highest possible grade for a record with a skip. Period.

You can explain it if you wish, and should, but for a grade, the only possible grades for records with a skip are F or P.

 

If I have to stomp on the floor to get my turntable to skip past the skip then it grades well below a VG+

 

Put it this way: if a retailer grades the record as VG+ and it skips on my turntable due to a scratch that I can only see on close inspection, it gets returned. In fact, there's a record I'll be returning tomorrow for this exact reason. If I pay for VG+, I want VG+

 

Just like she can't be "a little bit pregnant", it can't be "mostly VG+" if it skips. If you can fix the skip it's a VG. If you can't it's a record that skips and you either keep it and always start the record just past that spot when you play it. Or you give it away to someone telling them the situation, or you toss it in the trash can.

 

There really shouldn't even be a grade below G+. Or the grade should be "U" for unplayable without skipping.

 

I don't think anything with a skip should be higher than G+.

That being the case, for such a record I'd probably be trying it out on a few different tables to see if it's skipping on all of them.

 

Depends which song it skips on.

If it's my favorite song getting a bad grade.

 

Rate it VG and include a coin and a piece of tape...

 

IMO, any grading for a record with a skip is an oxymoron...In my vinyl days I would stay away from an album with that description...the skip would drive me nuts!

 

I fixed a skip on a record. I played the skipping part numerous times, with my finger very lightly touching the pickup on the inner side. After a while the skip became a click.

 

My Goldmine price guide states that even a scratch that audibly clicked throughout a record can't be VG+, never mind a skip.

 

But you couldn't really try to sell it without noting that it skips on some set ups. I mean, you could but that would certainly be dirty pool.

 

VG+ is suppose to be audibly as good as NM, just not cosmetically. That always struck me as odd. But few real world graders are that strict. A click would certainly put it in VG territory.

 

This is the only answer.

Anything higher is a disservice to the marketplace. Grade it properly, describe it accurately, and price it accordingly. Just do the right thing.

 

If the first one you played it on didn't skip, would you try it on a bunch of others to determine if it did?

IMO, it's a gray area, and case-specific.

If it skipped on 1/5, I'll admit I'd grade it VG+ and roll with it. If it skipped on 4/5, I'd call it a G+ and note that it didn't skip on a particular setup.

 

I thought the oxymoron was the guy who said "All Over Your Face!" in the old Oxy-10 adverts.

That said, records with skips are unsellable. I used to use a pair of binoculars in reverse to locate the skip and determine whether it was lodged dirt or dust or a broken groove wall.

 

you got it! very funny... I don't remember that one.
Interesting Bino thingy!