3 Ways to Clean 78 RPM Records

Hello, this is the 78 Collectors channel, a new channel devoted to collecting 78 rpm records and my name is Joe. So first I want to answer the question “Why collect 78s?” There are several reasons. Recorded music began in the late 1800s, and until roughly 1950 recordings were primarily 78 rpm singles. From 1948 to 1960 or 61 many records were sold as both 78s and 45s, so the first 60-70 year of recorded music is documented in 78 rpm recordings. During this critical period blues, rock and roll, country music, and jazz evolved from ragtime into the genres that we recognize today setting the stage for all that was to follow. For me personally, about half of my collection consists of 60s-70s rock LPs, and I love that music. However, I began to wonder where the music I loved came from? Who were the artists that influenced Elvis, Little Richard, and other early rockers? On this channel we will discuss the records of the first half of the 20th century, with a focus on how the music evolved, the principal artists, and the growing industry that recorded them. All of this recording history is documented in shellac on 78 rpm records. In addition, we will also discuss issues related to collecting 78s, like ideas for finding them, how to clean them, how to store them, and online resources related to collecting records. I am hoping that the comment section for these videos will provide an opportunity for a discussion, comments, and corrections where necessary. I only ask that you please be considerate of others in your comments. I intend to release a new video every week If this sounds interesting to you please press the subscribe button and the thumbs up below. It will be greatly appreciated. This video demonstrates 3 methods that I use for cleaning 78 RPM records. The first uses a manual Spin Clean record cleaner. The second method demonstrated cleaning of 78 RPM records with a VPI record cleaning machine. The third method demonstrates record cleaning with a motorized ultrasonic cleaner. -Joe