831 – 5577 E – Mail - Polyphony Recordings

Condition Grading
Grading used records is difficult since a subjective element is always present and variations in
equipment will cause differences in sound. My method: each disc is examined visually to note
marks which may be audible. Such defects are auditioned and, in any case, each record is spotchecked
in several places on both sides for surface noise and other defects which are not visible.
Records are then graded by as follows:
FS - Factory-sealed
A - Records in the general category of A are in excellent condition. A
record graded A- will be virtually perfect, but may have an occasional very light tick or
slight noise in quiet passages: A- is my typical grade for a domestically-pressed disc which
appears mint; it corresponds to the oft-used term "near-mint;" "A- to A" is used for the best
foreign pressings and occasionally for unusually fine American ones.
B - Records in the general category of B are in good condition. They will
have no serious scratches and will not suffer from breakup of the musical sound. A record
graded B+ will have no scratches and only minor surface noise. A grade of B or B-
indicates greater degrees of noise and may also involve light blemishes or scratches, but
the degree of defect will not impair enjoyment of the music to a great extent.
C - These records are in fair condition. They will be playable, but noisy.
D - These records are in poor condition; perhaps unplayable.
If isolated portions of a disc sound worse than the grade indicates, specific flaws are noted in
detail. A slash mark between grades indicates differences between sections of the disc, generally
between sides. Mono discs are graded with the amplifier in mono mode.
Please bear two things in mind about my grading: First, because it is based on audition (rather
than only visual inspection) it tells you not only how a record looks, but how it sounds: it is a
rating not only of how well the record has been cared for but how well it was pressed to begin
with. Second, the grade is assigned without regard for a record's age. A disc pressed in the
1950's and graded B+ is probably an excellent or mint copy of a typical pressing from that era. I
try to be conservative in my grading, but if you receive a record which you feel is in condition
inferior to its grade, you may return it within two weeks for full refund of its cost.
Happy Browsing!!!
-- Larry Jones