Grounded Carbon Fiber LP Record Brush
Nov. 2021 New improved version with thicker ground wire for greater durability.
As of Nov. 2018 BLISS exclusively offers the newly redesigned Carbon Fiber Cleaner.
What's New?
The plain carbon fiber brush has
been marketed under numerous brands for years now. The older design can
discharge static electricity from the record surface as claimed but this could only
be effectively done if the user is holding the metal handle and is
grounded at the same time. Now with our new redesign, the brush comes
with a ground wire for perfect static discharge every time when properly installed.
But Why?
Vinyl records naturally build up static, and especially so in drier conditions. Combine carpet with low humidity and you have static electricity. You don't have to be seeing sparks everywhere for static to be heard in your playback. Best practice is to remove static from the record surface immediately before each side is played for best audio performance through minimal static discharge during play.
And How?
During installation, attach the fork lug to an external grounded screw on your receiver's metal chassis; this is usually the thumb screw near the phono input. If present this likely already has your turntable's ground wire attached. In the absence of that, a screw that screws into metal used to to fasten the metal cover in place should be electrically at chassis ground to provide sufficient static discharge. If in doubt, just email a few photos of the back of your receiver to our tech for a qualified opinion.
Once your ground wire is properly attached, then as before, thousands of bristles reach down into the grooves of the record to remove dust. At the same time the brush removes static electricity, a big cause for pops crackles and other unwanted noise events. Quick and easy to use, requires no liquid, just a few rotations around the record in a radial pattern before each play and its done. The handle folds under to protect the bristles while not in use.
FAQ
Is the wire removable?
Yes it just plugs into the handle so as needed if desired, you could take it to another turntable and use it in the same manner as older designs without having to detach the wire from the ground screw in the back.
Do the folks at turntableneedles use it in the back office?
Yes, we are using the one we opened for pictures at our one of our test stations.
Are there other ways to use it?
Yes, with the ground wire correctly installed, every time to approach your turntable, if you touch the brush it will discharge static from you before you handle your records. This is especially useful in a carpeted and/or low humidity room.
Secondly, if you rig up a way on the left side of your turntable for even just a small amount of the bristles to be touching the edge of the record as it plays you will be constantly draining potential static buildup away from your record!
Is this primarily a a cleaner or a static discharge tool?
While the competition that offer the outdated version of this tool under many names and say its a cleaner, our founder, an electronics technician since 1988, considers it primarily a static discharge tool and secondly a duster. It is good for dusting surface lint and yes it can reach down into the grooves but we don't consider it a deep cleaner. We do not recommends its use with various liquid cleaners as there are other products better suited for that.