Record-playing Rituals?

jeez, i feel almost neanderthal - hardly *any* ritual when i spin winyl, tho to my non-audiophile friends, i'm anal-as-hell! i guess i should show 'em this thread! ;~) but, in my defense, i have records 25+ years old, that are still in good shape.

when i have a dirty record - either i got it used, it *looks* dirty, or i notice ticks-n-pops in the 1st cut, i hand-wash it, w/mild dish soap, luke-warm water & a sponge. then thoroughly rinse & dry w/a soft lint-free towel. this isn't done too often. most times, it's yust cue-n-play. but, i *do* use a keith monks record sweeper for every play - this li'l baby effectively tracks the record in time w/the stylus, keeping dust off the stylus. it also has tiny metallic hairs, & as it is all-metal, w/a grounding wire, static seems not to be an issue. prior to the keith monks record sweeper, i used a watts dust-bug. basically the same results, but not as elegant, & not-as-good static-protection. i also have a zero-stat gun which i occasionally use, but since i installed a *real* dehumidifier in my heating system last year, there's no longer a dry-wintertime static problem chez-sedon...

ok, time to go back to my cave... doug s.

I think someone should follow Albert Porter's example of generosity and send him a few bottles of First. He indicated he was running low and that he cannot buy it in his state since it is banned there. Perhaps be careful and change the label of the First before shipping to avoid Albert having to make awkward explanations to the postal system if inspected. --The only other obsessive ritual I can add to the list is moving the Shakti stones over from the digital to the analog equipment (I did not buy enough stones to cover both parts of the system), with the stone position on top of the TT motor transformer marked with a few pieces of tape. Aligning this particular stone is my way of practicing for the cartridge cueing that comes later on.

Having just shipped samples of RR cleaner to both Detlof ( in Switzerland) and Sedond ( USA) , I look forward to reading comments as to the outcome of their tests.

Thanks Albert, will report here as soon as I have tried it out.
A propos rituals: I just rememembered, that the great Enid Lumley before playing an LP( wonder what happened to her, she was thought nuts in the seventies for propagating tweaks, which are common knowledge now ) used to rotate the LP or her Mapleshade to a specific position to place the stylus on. A position she had found out to give the best sound.

tanks albert - i will report back w/my findings... ;~)

doug s.