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Options for ridding records of static electricity

I am getting back into vinyl, listening to “garage sale” finds and also new albums that I have been picking up. I have a nice old Linn Sondek LP12 with the felt mat. Every time I go to remove a record from the spindle or flip the record, static electricity grabs the felt mat and it sticks like a magnet. I have to very carefully flip the felt mat at the corner with my finger but one of these times I’m going to slip and smudge or scratch a record. 

I’ve seen the “Milty Zerostat” and seem to remember this product from back in the day. I see that it is still made and there is one eBay vendor that has them for $77. Is this my best bet? I thought Michael Fremor talked about these in one of his videos. 

Are there other products I should look at to reduce static electricity on my records? Thanks for any help you can give.
masi61
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
Replace that felt mat right now!
Try one of member Slaw (above) patented MyMat.
Your music will thank you for it......
tomstruck's avatar
tomstruck
350 posts
 
The felt mat is one of the sources  I replaced the felt mat on my Rega with a suede mat second make sure the tables is ground to the phono stage 

Enjoy the music
Tom
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,393 posts
 
Again, remove the felt mat. I'm using a Herbies mat on my Linn Axis.

The Zerostat is still a great solution for removing static from a record (there are directions on how to properly use it).
There's the Milty, and then there's the original Zerostat on Ebay. Look for a lightly used Discwasher Zerostat, the red one.


daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,835 posts
 
@masi61  The felt mat on the LP12 is certainly the cause of the static issue ( well one of them), unfortunately it is also the best mat IME for getting the best sound from the table. Replacing the mat will probably mean a reduction in SQ, and no more static issues. Alternatively, if you want to hear what many folks are saying is a great mat ( albeit, at a high price) the Collaro mat is supposed to be better than stock ( I have not heard it). 
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,437 posts
 

The Zerostat is imo somewhat tricky to use (if you squeeze the trigger too rapidly, it "clicks"). I long ago found a better static eliminator---the Nagaoka Kilavolt No. 103---but it is long out of production, and rarely seen for sale.

If you don’t mind spending a little money, there is a great one now available---the Furutech Destat III. It’s the best anti-static device I’ve owned and used. Good on CD’s, too!

I’ve always hated felt mats, and though Linn insists theirs is essential to the Sondek’s complete design, I see no reason for that deck to be unique in that regard. I would consider trying the Herbies mat and/or slaw’s. Both are very reasonably priced, and I believe offered with a money-back guarantee.

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