Victrola Record Player Keeps Skipping? (Try These Fixes!)

If your Victrola record player keeps skipping or jumping, this comprehensive guide will help! There are a lot of possibilities for skipping.

They include:

These are the primary suspects, to name a few. 

In this guide, we’ll go through all possibilities in-depth, so you can discover and fix your issue!

How to Fix When a Victrola Record Player Keeps Skipping?

Note: Check whether the center hole of your vinyl record is broken, shattered, or damaged!

1. Clean your Record or Try New

Well, the most common cause for skipping, well-known as the “jumping” issue with the Victrola player, is your vinyl record.

When dirty or scratched, skipping will occur, so the first thing to do is clean the record and thoroughly inspect for any scratches on the grooves.

How to Clean a Vinyl Record?

Cleaning your records is an essential step for maintaining the longevity of both the record and the stylus.

By the book, you need a microfiber cloth and record cleaning solution but, don’t worry if you haven’t got these.

All you need is a clean cloth (that doesn’t leave particles behind) and clean lukewarm water to thoroughly wipe down the record. That’s it, now attach it to the spindle and check if it’s skipping.

Quick Tip: If you have a brand-new record, we recommend trying it to immediately tighten the circle of possibilities. 

2. Level Out the Victrola Turntable

If your Victrola record player skipping on new records, the next thing to check is the leveling of the entire turntable.

This might sound odd, but it’s actually one of the most frequent possibilities.

To level out your Victrola turntable, follow these instructions:

1. Acquire a spirit level or another leveling instrument.
2. Make sure that your turntable is on a solid surface.
3. Verify that none of the record player legs are missing.
4. Also, check for any obstructions on the bottom/legs.
5. Close the lid, if you have the briefcase-styled player.
6. Put the spirit level on the top of your Victrola player.
7. Ensure that the air bubble is exactly in the middle.
8. If not, level your turntable using the adjustable feet.
9. If the legs are not adjustable, use sheets of paper.

When your Victrola record player is perfectly leveled, you can test whether it’s still skipping!

3. Clean your Record Player Stylus

The stylus, also known as the “needle” is where the magic happens, as well as where the skipping occurs.

Hence, if the stylus attached to the cartridge is unclean, or simply worn out, your player will skip parts from the record as it will not pick up the vibration from the grooves.

Here’s how to clean the Victrola record player stylus in easy steps:

1. First, you must acquire a soft cloth, preferably a microfibre.
2. You don’t need to detach the cartridge from the tonearm.
3. Gently lift the tonearm to reach out to the stylus.
4. Using the clean cloth, wrap up the stylus and gently clean it.

That’s it. You can now test whether your Victrola record player is skipping!

Warning: Be extremely gentle when lifting the tonearm and cleaning the stylus!

4. Adjust Tonearm’s Tracking Force

The tracking force, controlled by the counterweight unit on the back of the tonearm is another potential cause for Victrola record player skipping issues.

If your tracking force is incorrect, the stylus can either press too hard or too lightly on the record. 

This will ultimately prevent the stylus from picking up the vibrations from the grooves properly.

Adjusting the tracking force requires an Allen wrench, which must have been supplied with the accessories of your Victrola record player.

Find it and let’s get into the adjustment instructions:

1. Using the Allen wrench, release the tracking force.
2. You need to rotate a quarter turn counterclockwise.
3. Gently detach the tonearm from the tonearm holder.
4. Then, rotate the counterweight to balance the arm.
5. Hold the weight, and rotate the number ring to “0”.
6. Rotate the ring and weight, for 1 and a half turns.
7. Starting from 0, going over 0 again, and setting on 1.
8. Finally, holding the weight, tighten it with the wrench.
9. Also, set the anti-skate knob to the recommended 1.5.

You can position the tonearm back into the holder and test whether the skipping continues.

Quick Tip: At this point, it’s recommended to align your cartridge using an alignment protractor!

5. Check and Clean the Player’s Platter

Another very important thing to check when your Victrola record player is skipping or jumping is the platter and spindle.

If something (object or particle) gets underneath the vinyl record, this leads to uneven spinning or disbalance of the tracking force and stylus pressure on the grooves.

So, remove your vinyl record and carefully inspect the platter for anything that may prevent the record from spinning freely.

Also, take a quick look at the spindle in the middle for anything like a hair wrapped around it, or something else that may prevent the vinyl record from fitting optimally.

We also recommend cleaning the platter, and if it’s removable, taking this one step further and cleaning the bottom side.

This will guarantee perfect balance and might stop the skipping.

Note: If you notice any damage on the platter, there is a high chance that’s the culprit for the skipping, so replacement might be necessary.

6. Replace your Cartridge and Stylus

The cartridge is the component that converts the vibrations picked by your stylus to an electrical signal, and when faulty, your Victrola turntable is prone to skipping.

The replacement is quite a delicate process as it requires carefully removing the cartridge and its wires from the tonearm.

Step #1 Unplugging Wires

There are two wires that you must disconnect before you can dismount the cartridge from the tonearm.

You will need a flat screwdriver to undo the screws and unplug the wires from the cartridge that go into the player’s tonearm.

We recommend taking a quick photo of the wires.

Step #2 Cartridge Removal

To remove the cartridge from the tonearm, you must first undo the screws on the headshell by turning counterclockwise until they come loose.

Then the cartridge could be easily dismounted.

Step #3 Cartridge Installation

To install the new cartridge in place you first need to position it on the tonearm exactly as the old cartridge and rethread the nuts into the headshell.

The final step is to connect the wires sticking out of the tonearm to the new cartridge, according to their color pattern or image you’ve taken.

Important: After the new cartridge has been installed, you need to perform a VTF adjustment!

7. Optimize Wireless Signal (Bluetooth)

Well, if your Victrola record player is skipping or jumping while you’re outputting the audio to a Bluetooth device, this could be from the connection rather than your player. 

So, to justify this, we first recommend disconnecting from Bluetooth and testing the audio quality from the built-in speakers of the Victrola record player.

Yes, Victrola has integrated speakers, so this will help you find out whether the skipping comes from the turntable or the connection.

If you don’t hear skipping/jumping when listening from the turntable built-in speakers, then the issue is with your wireless connection.

To optimize a Bluetooth signal, you can try these steps:

• Move your Bluetooth speaker closer to the turntable.
• Forget and then reconnect the wireless connection.
• Test via a different Bluetooth speaker or smartphone.

Tip: You can also hear skipping/jumping due to an inappropriate (AUX or RCA) connection, so always test the audio quality on the built-in speakers.

Victrola Record Player FAQ:

Q: Can Skipping Occur Due to Faulty Speakers?
A: Yes, skipping on the Victrola record player can occur from faulty external speakers, worn-out built-in speakers, loose connections, or defective ports/connectors.

Q: How do I know if My Cartridge/Stylus is Faulty?
A: Well, by excluding all other possibilities such as cleaning record/platter/stylus, performing VTF, adjusting the tracking force, and leveling your Victrola turntable.