| RECORD GRADING STANDARDS In grading the sound quality of a vinyl record (assuming it's been cleaned and there's no significant warpage), there are three main issues: 1.) Vinyl Visual Grade made by judging the visible wear from usage. 2.) Pressing quality after manufacture, which is the amount of surface noise such as pops/clicks/hisses/buzzes due to imperfections in the grooves of the record like small pits or bubbles. This is partially determined by vinyl quality/purity, temperature control and cleanliness of the record stamping machine. Other problems include the record being pressed off-center ("drunk") resulting in a wobbly, pitch-wavering sound. pressing by removing the centering "dome" from the turntable spindle, slowly turning the record by hand while observing in which direction the grooves are off center, and then pushing the record slightly off-center in the opposite direction until the grooves themselves are centered. It's an acquired skill. 3.) Loudness of Vinyl (Mastering volume) and the resulting Signal-to-Noise Ratio: how loudly ("hotly") or softly ("sleepily") the record was mastered to the stamper from the master tape of the music. With a hot pressing, the loudness of the music overpowers and masks the fainter sound of the surface noise. With a sleepy pressing, the music is dimmer and down closer to the level of surface noise; the listener has to turn up the volume, making the surface noise more audible along with the music. Other mastering problems include exaggerated tone settings and distortion, especially in high frequencies ("S" sounds) and upper midrange frequencies ("squawking" in the vocals or other tinny instruments). Too much bass and the needle will hop right out of the groove! ********** ******* ** * Gradings for visually detectable wear on vinyl records MINT (M) The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint. NEAR MINT (NM+/-) As above, but only played a few times. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in nearly perfect condition. EXCELLENT (EX+/-) The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing. VERY GOOD (VG+/-) The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable. GOOD (G+/-) The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discoloration, etc. FAIR (F+/-) The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced. POOR (P+/-) The record will not play properly due to scratches, uncleanable dirt etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing. BAD (+/-) The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler. ********** ******* ** * RATINGS FOR PRESSING QUALITY ON A SCALE OF 10 DOWN TO 1 10: No audible surface noise (nearly impossible to achieve). Example: Classical or audiophile music pressings on "virgin" high-quality vinyl and manufactured under "laboratory" conditions, often of European or Japanese origin. Most really good pressings will only rate a 9 anyway. 9: Very few barely audible clicks. No pops at all. 8: Frequent softly audible clicks and no pops. 7: More frequent audible clicks and occasional pops. 6: Frequent audible clicks and pops. 5: Frequent noticable clicks and pops. 4: Very frequent noticable clicks and loud pops. 3: Extremely frequent loud clicks and loud pops, possibly with occasional hisses/buzzes. 2. Constant loud clicks and loud pops, with frequent hisses/buzzes 1: Virtually unlistenable, might as well've been pressed on peanut-brittle! Go buy the re-issue of the song on CD made directly from the master
tapes. ********** ******* ** * STANDARDS FOR RATING MASTERING VOLUME HOT (+/-) AVERAGE (+/-) SLEEPY (+/-) ********** ******* ** * HOW I GRADE RECORDS FOR SALE: ?????????????????> For records with a visual wear rating between VG and NM++ , additional ratings for pressing quality and signal-to-noise ratio are included. It's entirely possible for an M or barely played NM record to sound pretty bad because it was poorly pressed in the first place. For records with a visual wear rating below VG , it is often too difficult to tell the difference between surface noises due to wear and those due to pressing quality, so only a single condition grading is offered. About grading integrity : it is my strict policy to grade these records as carefully and truthfully as possible. It's a common complaint that many record sellers tend to overgrade their stock: more than once, I've purchased a few "VG+" or "EX" records on Ebay, and eagerly put one on the turntable only to find it's a nearly unlistenable mess. Yuck! This is why I have no return policy: my record description is intended to be honest and thorough enough in the first place, so you can decide if you want to buy it AS DESCRIBED and AS IS. |