11 Top Vinyl Record Accessories Every Collector Must Have

Published Categorized as Vinyl Gear Guides

Are you looking to expand your horizons and buy some of the best accessories for record players on the market today? Are you often, say, plagued by static? Are you simply looking for a way to negate the effect of warped records?

Then you are in luck, for there is likely an accessory to placate your woes!

1. Vinyl Wall Displays

If you are the type of record collector who is in this business purely for reasons pertaining to showing off, then this will no doubt be one of your most important accessories for your all-in-one record player.

In some ways, it would be difficult to even call these turntable accessories as they pertain more to the decoration of interior space than to the proper function of a turntable.

bigantss 6 Pack Clear Acrylic Vinyl Record Floating Shelves, 12" Wall Shelf Mount & Holder for Vinyl Album Display and Storage, Acrylic Record Frame Show Your Favorite LP (Clear)

Still, though, your record collection will no doubt be looking incredibly fly and well-to-do after you install these vinyl accessories and start exhibiting your vinyl records for all visitors to come and see.

2. Record Sleeves

One of the best things anyone can do for their vinyl collection is to start putting their records into the sleeve as soon as they are done playing it. Heck, if you really want the best sound quality and record playback over a longer period of time, you should even start using sleeves on top of sleeves to get the job done.

Invest In Vinyl 100 Clear Plastic Protective LP Outer Sleeves 3 Mil. Vinyl Record Sleeves Album Covers 12.75" x 12.5

These are among the best turntable accessories purely because they take it upon themselves to shield the inner and outer sleeves further. These plastic outer record sleeves are specifically formulated to eschew any build-up of static and to foster an environment free of dust.

3. Record Dividers

There’s not much worse than not being able to find a record on the fly – if you are not the kind of person that is already storing records properly, then you best get to it! Not only will it save you a whole host of headaches in terms of organization but you are also guaranteed to have a record collection that lasts longer.

Vaultz Vinyl Record Storage Dividers A-Z - 26 Record Holder Organizer Guides - Alphabetical Vinyl LP Dividers for Album Crate, Collection Library Bin, Black

These record dividers are a great way to organize your record collection into various sections depending on how you prefer to categorize it. This doesn’t have to just be alphabetical – you can just as well construct your collection based on, say, the various record labels that they are published by, or even alphabetize by the title of the record.

4. Vinyl Stand

Here we have another accessory for record collectors who are more exhibitionist in temperament, a stand upon which you can place the sleeve for the record that is currently being played, thereby showing everyone present that you are a really cool person.

3 Pack 6 Inch Plate Stands for Display Picture Stand - 6 Inch Vinyl Table Top Display, Metal Frame Holders Decorative Plate for Book , Picture, Photo and Platter, Tabletop Art, Black 3 Packs

Indeed, record players would be remiss without one – no doubt you have also felt a little lost when you have chosen to play a record but don’t know where to place the sleeve when the record is spinning. If, like some, you are inclined to exhibit your choice of record for all to see, then perhaps a vinyl stand is what you need.

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5. Alignment Tool

Any audiophile worth their salt will have something akin to this kind of alignment tool. After all, in the world of audiophilia, the name of the game is to be as precise as possible, even in the face of impossible odds like, say, your wife or husband leaving you because your obsession has gone too far.

Turntable Phonograph LP Phono Cartridge Stylus Alignment Protractor Tool–High Contrast (VTA Sold Separately)

This alignment tool is precisely the apparatus you need to continue your never-ending search for perfection within the bounds of the spinning turntable platter. Essentially, all this tool does is help to ensure that the stylus and various other parts of the turntable are tracking the record as accurately as possible – go on, try to hear the difference!

6. Tracking Force Gauge

Of course, if you are really serious about your audiophilia, you can always invest in a more accurate apparatus with which to gauge the tracking force of your turntable.

Neoteck Upgraded Digital Turntable Stylus Force Scale Gauge 0.01g/5.00g with Orange LCD Backlight and 5g Weight for Tonearm Phono Cartridge

This digital tracking force gauge is just such a tool, allowing you to accurately measure the tracking force via digital means. The alignment tool is, after all, quite a throwback to math class where you might have to use a protractor to work out some problem on paper that might never find a real-world application. In such instances, you no doubt found yourself writing out ‘80085’ and giggling to yourself, and now you can do the same but with a digital tracking force gauge.

7. Single Adapter

If you are the kind of audiophile that likes to collect 7-inch records as well as 12-inch vinyl record types, then you might want to invest in an adapter like this. Though many more recently pressed 7-inch records are equipped with an adapter like this, there was once a time when you needed to own an adapter of your own to play 7-inch records.

TechPlay Pack of 5, 45 RPM Adapter for 7" Vinyl Universal for All Brands.

So, if you have any intention of playing any 7-inch records that were pressed in a bygone era, you will need your own 7-inch record adapter. Thankfully, they are still incredibly affordable, especially if you buy them in bulk. This way, you can always have one spare in case one of your audiophile friends needs one and takes one of your own.

8. Anti-Static Gun

Do you live in an extremely dry climate where the threat of static build-up is far from a threat and is, in fact, a very real and daily occurrence? Then you are certainly going to need to at least think about investing in an anti-static gun like the one below if you want to survive and prevent your records from gathering static constantly.

Milty 5036694022153 Zerostat 3 Anti-Static Gun, Blue

Incorporating a device that counters the static on a record with negative and positive ions, this particular anti-static device is incredibly effective at neutralizing static at the source. This is a great way to elide the need to constantly clean your records of static with water, for too much cleaning in this way can spell disaster for the wear of a record over time.

9. Anti-Static Record Brush

Of course, while using an anti-static gun is obviously great fun, we can’t all afford to engage in such an extravagant gesture of audiophilia. Instead, you might opt to use a carbon fiber record brush (like the one by Boundless below) which can do more or less the same thing when swept over the surface of a record.

Boundless Audio Record Cleaner Brush - Vinyl Cleaning Carbon Fiber Anti-Static Record Brush

Operating one of these brushes is incredibly easy and, in fact, can be done with the actual motion of the turntable platter. Turn on the platter and rest the brush gently atop the face of the disc, allowing the motion of the turntable to do the rest.

10. Record Weight

A record weight – or record clamp to some – is one of the basic accessories for any audiophile to get started with. The idea here is to use this weight on the center of the record to iron any incongruities in the evenness of the disc. Thus, if you are operating with a warped record, you can at least curb the effect of this warping somewhat with a record weight.

Record Weight Stabilizer, DIGITNOW Turntable Weight Clamps,for Turntable Vinyl Disc LP Record Player,Aluminum LP Stabilizer(Black) to Fits Under The Dust Cover of Turntable Vinyl Disc LP

Indeed, alongside an anti-static brush, this is likely one of the most common and oft-utilized vinyl accessories in the business. And for good reason! For how little commitment is needed to engage with it, the effects and benefits can be many and various!

11. Cleaning Gel

Finally, what audiophile would be satisfied with having all these other accessories without at least sampling the wonders of cleaning gel? This accessory seeks to put all those cleaning kits with their various parts, sprays, and cloths out of action.

Crosley AC1021A Groove Goo Vinyl Record Cleaner, 160g

Here, you simply need to place the gooey substance on the surface of the record and its adhesive qualities will pick up any dust and dirt from the surface which you can then wash off with water. Even Crosley has hopped onto the bandwagon, creating their own similar product called Groove Goo (above).

Final Tones

So, there you have it! Hopefully, your need for more things has been placated and you have found at least one accessory to suit your own journey through audiophilia.

FAQs Accessories for Record Player

What to avoid with a record player?

One of the main things to avoid when amassing a sizeable record collection is the storing of these records in certain climates which might affect the sanctity and longevity of the records and their ability to play properly.

Are turntable weights worth it?

This remains to be seen by each individual user. For every audiophile who lauds the record weight as one of the world’s greatest inventions, there is likely to be an equal number of them who believe that it is simply an unnecessary and oblique waste of time and money.

What do you put inside a record player?

Unlike a CD player, a record player doesn’t work by welcoming discs into its folds. Rather, the disc is placed on a spinning platter on the surface of the turntable where it is then met with a needle which reads the data imprinted in the grooves.

By Robert Halvari

My name is Robert Halvari - audio engineer and a total audiophile. I love vinyl because it has that natural character which brings music to life. I've been using and testing vinyl record players for around 15 years and I'm sharing my love and knowledge of vinyl by publishing all I know at Notes On Vinyl

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