So why in the world would you need a new stylus to play 78 rpm records?

The answer is simple - because your normal LP needle is too narrow for older 78s. You see, when LPs came out around 1950, they were called Microgroove records because their grooves were smaller. This allowed the record companies to put more music on a record - as did the slower speed. A groove on an LP is around .7 mills (thousandths of an inch) wide. The groove on a 78 is closer to 2.1 mills wide - about about three times wider. If you use your LP stylus to play a 78, it won't hurt anything, but it will fall to the very bottom of the groove and you'll likely get a lot of extra noise.

Real 78 experts keep a variety of needles in different sizes on hand just so they can find the one that offers the best reproduction and the lowest noise. For most of us, this Stanton needle is perfect and will do a great job on our 78s. Remember, it's as easy as pie to pop out your old stylus and pop in a new one!