Should probably say something about my record clamp. Its my own design.
Built from some cut up BDR Shelf material. Look real close at the platter, there's a small black washer that fits around the spindle. Made from laminated carbon fiber in my shop, its just thick enough to hold the record about a millimeter higher than the platter. The underside of the record clamp is dished out.
The way it works, as the clamp is screwed down it pushes the record down onto the platter. But since the center is higher it pushes the edges down first. So even a warped record is forced to lay flat. Also the whole record is pressed into the platter evenly from center to edge. Holds the record flat like the VPI ring clamp, without the ring.
This clamp works so well its almost like a vacuum hold down. Whatever air was between the record and the platter is pressed out. The effect is so strong that when the clamp is removed the record stays stuck to the platter for a second until finally air rushes in and it pops up.
Its not a fancy 2 piece design like a lot of reflex clamps. Basically it is nothing more than a 1/4-20 thread insert in a piece of carbon fiber. Not counting the BDR Shelf, which was scrap, it cost next to nothing. Yet it sounds better than any other record clamp I have tried.
Built from some cut up BDR Shelf material. Look real close at the platter, there's a small black washer that fits around the spindle. Made from laminated carbon fiber in my shop, its just thick enough to hold the record about a millimeter higher than the platter. The underside of the record clamp is dished out.
The way it works, as the clamp is screwed down it pushes the record down onto the platter. But since the center is higher it pushes the edges down first. So even a warped record is forced to lay flat. Also the whole record is pressed into the platter evenly from center to edge. Holds the record flat like the VPI ring clamp, without the ring.
This clamp works so well its almost like a vacuum hold down. Whatever air was between the record and the platter is pressed out. The effect is so strong that when the clamp is removed the record stays stuck to the platter for a second until finally air rushes in and it pops up.
Its not a fancy 2 piece design like a lot of reflex clamps. Basically it is nothing more than a 1/4-20 thread insert in a piece of carbon fiber. Not counting the BDR Shelf, which was scrap, it cost next to nothing. Yet it sounds better than any other record clamp I have tried.