Needles & Grooves

Feels like every time I get a record with bad skips or surface noise, it's also one that I have no chance of being able to replace

Been there sadly

Okay so... If it's any consolation... With ALL the issues I've had with vinyl. In my entire collection of 550 records, I have had zero skips. So PERHAPS... maybe... down the line if you change carts or turntables, that album will no longer skip. I'm not saying skips are always a result of the gear or setup, but they're definitely really uncommon in general. So that disc might actually be okay. Maybe, possibly.

@Mather i gave it a good cleaning and it skipped less but still in the same exact spot so I’m not hopeful it’s the equipment , even though I am due for a new cartridge / stylus soon

@Delta Don i had a record I loved that skipped in the same spot. Upgraded and it didn’t skip anymore... I think the upgrade will help!

I recently had a record I never heard any imperfections all of a sudden jumping like crazy. I thought it was the record but somewhere along the line my counter weight was all messed up and the tracking force was way too light. I have an automatic turntable so I think that could be the culprit.

What's the culprit? I recently had my STP core Walmart splatter have loud pops on 2 of the best songs. I should have seen that coming a mile away.

I agree with @Mather , I seem to have a similar degree of warped records that come in, but I can’t tell ya the last time I had a skip.