Guides
Evergreen guides for vinyl collectors: turntable speed, stylus care, record grading and more — paired with the CrateCore app tools.
Getting Started
beginner · 6 min read
How to Handle Vinyl Records: Good Etiquette
Good vinyl etiquette is mostly restraint: touch less, ask before changing another person's system, and return every record to the condition and place in which you found it.
beginner · 6 min read
What You Need to Play Vinyl
A vinyl system is a signal chain, not just a turntable. Some products combine several stages, so the right shopping list depends on what is already built in.
Care & Storage
beginner · 6 min read
How to Store Vinyl Records Without Warping Them
A safe record shelf is upright, evenly supported, cool, dry and easy to use without forcing discs into a tight row or leaving them leaning for months.
beginner · 7 min read
How to Clean Vinyl Records Safely
Good cleaning removes contamination without adding residue, scratching the groove or soaking the label—and not every old grooved disc should be treated like a vinyl LP.
beginner · 6 min read
How Long Does a Turntable Stylus Last?
There is no single replacement hour for every stylus: the correct interval comes from the cartridge maker, then gets adjusted for setup, cleanliness and use.
Setup & Sound
beginner · 6 min read
Why Your Record Player Skips and How to Fix It
Skipping is a symptom, not a diagnosis. The fastest safe route is to learn whether the problem follows one record, one location or every record on the system.
beginner · 5 min read
How to Connect a Turntable to Speakers
The correct cable is only half the connection. The turntable's output level must match the input, and passive speakers still need a power amplifier.
beginner · 6 min read
How to Set Tracking Force and Anti-Skate
Correct tracking force starts with the cartridge specification and the turntable manual—not with the lightest setting, a generic number or an online listening trick.
beginner · 6 min read
How to Check Turntable Speed With Your Phone
A phone gives you a useful first check of platter speed, provided it is centred securely and the result is treated as an estimate rather than laboratory data.