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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
daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,835 posts
 
@mijostyn. The LP12 is best played without the lid. I don’t know of anyone who listens seriously to the Linn that plays it with the lid on...easy to hear how it impacts the SQ negatively. 
BTW, for those who don’t know, the Linn LP12 platter is actually a two piece unit, consisting of an inner platter/spindle and an outer platter, I don’t think it rings at all.


wolfie62
352 posts
 
@slaw 


“Now, since the crazy guy from My Pillow is out there endorcing Trump's prophecy, I'm ashamed.”

A highly inflammatory political/religious slur.

Not cool. Not professional.
slaw's avatar
slaw
20,408 posts
 
@wolfie62,

That's the same reaction I've had over the past 4 years.
chayro
2,927 posts
 
OK - I have brought this up before and it always created a strong reaction. Gruv-Glide will totally eliminate the static problem. I will not speak to whether it improves the sound or anything else. It stops the static. I no longer use it because my Basis table has a grounded spindle and it doesn’t seem to be a problem. I have never noticed any degradation in any record I used it on, and when used on a well-cleaned record, I never noticed any problems. This product is still being sold and if it hurt records or sound, I’m sure we’d be hearing about it. So you have your choice - you can fight with static, fool around with ion guns or any other PITA rituals or use GG and end the static. Your choice. Last thing - don’t confuse this with Groove Lube, which, IMO, is a sticky, horrible mess, notwithstanding the fact that I respect the guy that makes it. If you search here for Gruv Glide, you will see the pros and cons and people who were very relieved to have the issue resolved so they could relax and actually listen to music.
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
@mijostyn. The LP12 is best played without the lid. I don’t know of anyone who listens seriously to the Linn that plays it with the lid on...easy to hear how it impacts the SQ negatively.
Actually I do not know ANYBODY with any half way serious system  that plays with the dust cover in position and down on their TT.

Except Mijo.........
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