Why Does My Record Player Keep Skipping?
The good news is skipping almost always comes down to one of a small handful of causes, and most of them are quick and cheap to sort out. Here are the usual suspects, starting with the most common.
Dust and Debris in the Groove
This is by far the most common cause, and thankfully the easiest to fix. A bit of dust, a stray fibre, or a bit of static built up grime sitting in the groove can be enough to physically knock the stylus out of its path.
Give the record a proper clean, ideally with a carbon fibre brush before every play, and a deeper wet clean with a proper record cleaning solution every so often for records that see a lot of use. If skipping stops after a clean, that was your answer.
Tracking Force Set Too Light
If your tracking force is too low, the stylus simply isn't being pressed firmly enough into the groove to reliably stay in it, especially through louder or more dynamic passages. This is one of the most common setup related causes of skipping.
Grab a proper VTF scale and check your tracking force against your cartridge's recommended range. If it's sitting below the recommended minimum, adjust your counterweight and bring it back into range. It's a five minute job and genuinely one of the first things worth checking if a record skips in multiple different spots rather than always the same one.
A Warped Record
If the skipping happens at the same point every single rotation, and especially if you can see the tonearm visibly rising and falling as it plays, a warp is very likely your culprit. Hold the record up to eye level and spin it slowly to check.
Mild warps sometimes play fine with correctly set tracking force, but a more significant warp can physically lift the stylus out of the groove at that point every time. Record flattening services exist for salvageable warps, but a badly warped record may just need replacing.
Worn or Dirty Stylus
A stylus that's worn down or covered in built up gunk can't sit properly in the groove, which leads to mistracking and skipping. Check your stylus under a magnifying glass for visible wear, flat spots, or debris buildup.
Clean it gently with a proper stylus brush, always brushing from back to front, never side to side. Consider a stylus gel cleaner, a small pot containing a polymer gel that removes dust and direct when you lower the stylus into it. If it's simply worn out from age and use, which typically happens somewhere between 500 and 1000 hours of play depending on the stylus, it's time for a replacement.
Anti Skate Set Incorrectly
If your anti skate setting is off, it can cause uneven pressure on the two groove walls, which in some cases contributes to mistracking and skipping, particularly on more demanding passages. Check that your anti skate roughly matches your tracking force setting (most tonearms have a dial or small hanging weight for this), and adjust if needed.
Turntable Isn't Level or Sitting on an Unstable Surface
If your turntable itself isn't sitting level, or it's placed somewhere that picks up a lot of vibration, like a shared shelf near speakers or a surface people regularly walk past, this can be enough to disturb tracking. Use a small spirit level to check your turntable is properly level, and consider a solid, dedicated surface if vibration seems to be a factor. Speakers placed too close to the turntable itself can be a sneaky cause here too, since the vibrations they produce can physically transfer into the stylus.
Damaged or Scratched Groove
Sometimes skipping isn't a setup issue at all, it's physical damage to the record. A deep scratch can literally throw the stylus out of the groove and into the next one, sometimes causing an actual repeating skip where the same few seconds loop over and over. Run a finger gently across the surface, if you can feel a scratch rather than just see one, that's likely your cause, and unfortunately there's not much to be done for that specific spot beyond replacing the record.
Incorrect Cartridge Alignment
A poorly aligned cartridge can cause tracking issues across parts of the record, particularly further toward the inner grooves where tracking error is naturally higher if the alignment isn't optimised properly. If skipping seems to happen more toward the end of sides, it's worth rechecking your alignment with a proper protractor.
A Quick Troubleshooting Order
If you're not sure where to start, work through these roughly in this order, since it moves from the most common and easiest fixes toward the more involved ones.
- Clean the record properly
- Check and correct your tracking force
- Clean the stylus
- Check for a visible warp
- Check anti skate
- Check your turntable is level and on a stable surface
- Check alignment if the issue seems to concentrate on certain parts of the record
When It's Just the Record
Occasionally, despite doing everything right, a specific record just has a manufacturing fault or damage that causes it to skip no matter what you do. If a record skips consistently in the same spot even after cleaning and confirming your setup is correct, and you can't feel or see any obvious scratch, it might genuinely be a pressing fault. Worth checking with the seller in that case rather than assuming it's something on your end.
Most skipping issues really do come down to something simple, dust, tracking force, or a stylus that needs attention. Work through the list methodically and you'll almost always land on the answer.
You can view our selection of setup tools, cleaning brushes, vtf scales and more by going here.