Post Update: “Groove Wear: The Elephant in the Record Store”

At the request of a couple passionate Deep Groove Mono readers, we have updated and expanded our article on groove wear to include sources and many other goodies. Mainly, there was a counterclaim that vintage cartridges did not track above 5 grams. Admittedly, this original claim of mine was more of a conjecture that lacked hard evidence, though in my new research I found multiple examples confirming my initial claim.

I also want to take this opportunity to emphasize the motivation for this article: 1. To share my experience, that the many instances of distortion from wear I have encountered over the years have almost unanimously been with vintage mono records, and 2. To share my hypothesis for why this is, that the audio equipment of the ’50s and ’60s allowed for more instances of misuse that could lead to damaging records. The article now compliments these original goals of mine with evidence supporting my claim.

My experience may be different from yours and there may be solutions I am unaware of, but I think it’s important to keep in mind that regardless of the reason why, this is my experience, and I hope my readers trust that am sharing it as genuinely as possible. My intention is not to delegitimize any equipment or records and it is certainly not to attack anyone who may believe otherwise.

Please also keep in mind that I am not an expert, nor am I claiming to be. I am a record collector who is passionate about understanding how things work and why they are the way they are. I take great pleasure in digging into a topic and resurfacing to report my findings. I may make mistakes in the process of course, and I encourage my readers to get in touch with me when they feel I have done so.

It’s been fun exploring the history of vintage monophonic audio equipment. I saw some really cool catalogs and magazines that were unmistakably a product of the ’50s and ’60s. I also learned a lot about what the audio climate was like in our cherished era of hard bop. Click the link below to see what’s new!

LINK: “Groove Wear: The Elephant in the Record Store”