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Ever drop the needle on something not vinyl?


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I have an ATLP60 and i recently hit the auto start to play a 7" but it was set to 12 so the needle came down on I'm assuming the slipmat. Kit could've been the metal user neath but I didn't stop to look. It made an awful noise and I lifted it as fast as I could. Is it possibly damaged and should I refrain from playing anything until I get a new one??

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I have an ATLP60 and i recently hit the auto start to play a 7" but it was set to 12 so the needle came down on I'm assuming the slipmat. Kit could've been the metal user neath but I didn't stop to look. It made an awful noise and I lifted it as fast as I could. Is it possibly damaged and should I refrain from playing anything until I get a new one??

 

:|

 

Yes, it wears out the needle a little.  It might wear your vinyl faster using a worn out needle, but it won't damage them.

 

That's mostly just what a slipmat sounds like, I've done it before.

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If you caught it quick, you should be fine. I switch out my needles about every 10 months or so(probably around 900  hours of play). If you're properly cleaning your records, and your stylus wasn't previously damaged or on the verge of fracturing it can handle a couple of slipmat hits in my experience. It's also going to depend on the quality of the stylus. I've done this several times with no issue, but ya never know, so continue at your own risk!

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If you caught it quick, you should be fine. I switch out my needles about every 10 months or so(probably around 900 hours of play). If you're properly cleaning your records, and your stylus wasn't previously damaged or on the verge of fracturing it can handle a couple of slipmat hits in my experience. It's also going to depend on the quality of the stylus. I've done this several times with no issue, but ya never know, so continue at your own risk!

Good advice.

Just keep in mind it's an LP60.

So even if the stylus is damaged, I'd use this as an opportunity to buy another turntable. One that isn't horrible

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  • 7 months later...

Bump because I'm clumsy/suck.

 

I'm on a Project Debut Carbon with an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge. The other day, I accidentally dropped the tonearm on the table's hard body and it skidded a little bit. 

 

Just a moment ago I put the needle onto the outer edge of the record a little too far and it made a really loud,obnoxious surface noise. I bumped it off right away, just frantically trying to get it off, and it went a few inches off the record, and landed right in the middle and then bounced a few grooves over- the arm is so light I couldn't get ahold of it. At that point I raised it frantically with the lever and hated myself tenfold.

 

The downforce weight is ~1.75g per table instruction manual, but it was free balanced, not on a gauge. I'm hearing no noticeable damage on my records. I tried examining the cartridge and I can't tell if the cantilever is messed up or anything else. I'm just really getting paranoid that I've messed up the stylus, but I know how difficult it is to say without actually looking at the stylus, and I live enough in the middle of batshit nowhere to not have anyone within 100 miles who'd know what they're talking about. 

 

I just figured I'd try to describe the situations as best I could and see what other users would do. If it came to buying another cartridge (~$120) I'd do what I had to because I don't want to ruin any records. But I won't unless it's damaged.

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It might wear your vinyl faster using a worn out needle, but it won't damage them.

 

Not sure I agree with that. A worn needle could potentially cause damage. Probably not worth the risk, at least in my opinion.

 

I'm sure we've all accidentally let the needle on our tables touch something they weren't designed to. If you're really concerned, you should probably examine it more closely using some sort of high magnification or microscope. Depending on the slip mat, the needle could "catch" and be ripped out of the cartridge body or damage the cantilever.

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Well, isn't it true that it may be damaged but there's no way to know until it's too late? It still sounds good to me.

 

I'd like to not drop a damaged needle into my $100 Paramore "Riot" or my 68' 2nd UK stereo press White Album if I can help it. But it doesn't sound questionable. It sounds good to me. 

It didn't hit the slipmat this time. It hit the record a bit hard, and landed on the table body for a bit. Just writing that makes me realize how careless. I'll have to be way more careful in the future.

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Well, isn't it true that it may be damaged but there's no way to know until it's too late? It still sounds good to me.

 

There's really only 2 ways to tell... first and foremost is a close visual inspection using a microscope or something similar, as I mentioned. A listening test can potentially tell you as well but, in my experience, only if there's really more substantial issues with the needle and not if there's a minor but still unwanted flaw.

 

As I said, if you're really concerned you may want to have your cartridge re-tipped (if possible) or replaced. Peace of mind tends to be worth the investment, in my experience. I always consider the risk of a damaged record far outweighing the cost of the alternative.

 

Based upon your comments, I'm sure you're well aware but be careful! Take your time, be patient, and never rush when playing your records. It's too easy to damage a cartridge, drop a record, or do something else that might damage your stuff. For example, if I've been drinking I refuse to touch my turntable even to show off to people. Not worth the risk. Maybe that's overkill but it eliminates a lot of potentially bad outcomes.

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I have the Less Than Jake - Slayer 7" that plays from the inside out. Well, I didn't know that so I put the needle on like normal. The needle immediately went into the mat and I freaked out.

 

Ha!  I came here to post the same thing.  Went right onto the rubber mat and proceeded to destroy the needle, luckily it was nearing the end of it's life anyways.  I taped a little note to the plastic outer sleeve reminding me about that so I'll never do it again.

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