300 - GRAMOPHONE NEEDLES 78 rpm gramaphone records

Change your needles after playing each record to prevent irreparable record damage. Steel needles should only be used for 1 to 2 plays and then discarded. They should never to be used for 3 or more plays. If you have needles that are scattered about the phonograph, it's best not to use them because they may severely damage your records very quickly. The first time the needle was used, the tip was ground down to the shape of the record groove. By putting the needle back into the reproducer, you're creating a lathe because the needle will cut right into the sides of groove of the record.

The technology of the time was that the tip of the steel needles would wear quickly to the shape of the groove in the record. Ground greenstone was added to the mixture of shellac and carbon black when the records were pressed in molds to be made. The greenstone acted like a pumice to come in contact with the needle and grind it to shape quickly. After two full plays of the record, the needle becomes worn down and that is when record damage starts.

The needles come in three types: soft tone, medium tone, and loud tone. For better listening pleasure, the loud tone needles work best with the earlier records made prior to 1920. The loud tone needles can be used anytime that a louder volume is desired. On worn records, soft tone needles work best. Not only do they offer a quieter sound, they also reduce the buzzing of the reproducer. The soft tone also reduces the noise created from worn spots on the record. Medium tone has a great average volume and can be used with most records.

Those of you with external-horn machines should consider getting a mixture of needles, soft or medium or loud tone. With no volume control on your machine, you'd need to use either type of needle to offer the greatest amount of sound when needed. This is the same way the customers in the past had to listen to their machine. If the machine was in a small room and didn't need much volume, they'd use the soft tone. The loud tone would be used if they were listening to the music outside or if they were in a large room with a lot of friends and family.