Hide in the Sound - Leather Turntable Platter Mat Upgrade

Description

Hide in the Sound
Are you tired of your felt mat serving as a dust trap?
Static electric charge is generated during the handling and playing of your vinyl records, and felt mats accumulate that static charge, which attracts dust and transfers it to your vinyl records. Static charge can also result in the annoying habit of causing the felt mat to stick to your LPs when you lift an LP off of your turntable. If you’ve paid good money for a nice solid aluminum or acrylic platter turntable, why has the manufacturer decided to provide you with a felt platter mat? Or if you’ve upgraded your turntable with a glass or acrylic platter, why use a felt mat and create dust and static issues when there is no need for it? If your rig has a standard, cast aluminum platter (like mine), definitely consider upgrading from the rubber or felt mat it probably came with.
There is at least one very high-end turntable manufacturer that is aware of this issue with felt mats. They have addressed this issue by providing a platter mat that is made of a material that does not collect static charge, and therefore does not collect dust at anywhere near the rate that felt does. This material dampens turntable vibrations without smearing the frequency response that your cartridge/tonearm/platter unit has been designed to capture and transmit. This material is…genuine leather. Feel free to read an in-depth review of a system utilizing a similar leather mat here.
I have designed each leather platter mat to a thickness of approximately 1.2-1.5 mm (~1/16"), a spindle hole that is 7.9 mm (5/16") in diameter, and an overall diameter of 292 mm (11.5"), which ensures full support of the LP’s playing surface, while still allowing a small margin of space around the edge of the LP (i.e., the groove guard) so the LP can easily be lifted from the platter without disturbing the platter mat (Refer to picture 10). All of the leather mats have been cut with a steel rule die to precise dimensions. Please note that all of the mats are made of high-quality leather which, being a natural material, may have wrinkles and different grain textures. Please refer to the pictures for details.
Two styles of leather mats are available in this auction: Split mats and Double Suede mats. The Split mats have a smooth side and a rough, suede side. Either side can be placed down, in contact with your platter, with zero slippage. I generally place the suede side down and the smooth side in contact with the vinyl, however either side will provides a flat, non-scratch, non-static, zero-slippage surface for your vinyl. The Double Suede mats have two suede sides which are nearly identical, as the name implies. The colors and types of leather mats are listed below (see corresponding pictures). I will update this listing as the mats sell. If the color or design you are interested in has been sold or isn't on the list, feel free to contact me with a request.
When you buy a mat, please specify which mat color/type you want either when you checkout using eBay or Paypal, or just send me a note through "contact seller." I ship worldwide. This listing calculates shipping rates versus flat rates for international buyers, and I had to add for "Handling" in order to offset the recent increase in international shipping rates (eBay's calculated rates are no longer accurate). Please note that I will ship to Italy, but due to erratic customs in Italy, any buyer from Italy should expect the delivery to take 1 month. I ship the mats inside a poly LP sleeve using LP mailers in order to ensure that the mat doesn’t get folded during shipment. If you buy more than one mat, I will combine your order with no additional shipping cost.
For those that decide to buy one of my leather mats, I hope you will send me feedback on your experience. Here is the list of current colors and designs. Refer to the pictures for additional details.
Picture 1 - Double Suede Mats (Clockwise from Top)
Hot Pink
Red
Black (Refer to Picture 11 to see this mat on my turntable)
Brown
Not pictured, but also available in double suede (pictures can be supplied upon request):
Turquoise, Army Green, Deep Purple, Royal Blue, Tan, Forest Green, Gold, Charcoal Gray, Maroon
Pictures 2 & 3 - Split Mats (Clockwise from Top in Picture 2)
Dark Red
White
Black
Pictures 4 & 5 - Split Mats (Clockwise from Top in Picture 4)
Orange
Dark Brown
Yellow
Pictures 6 & 7 - Split Mats (Clockwise from Top in Picture 6)
Red
Purple
Forest Green
Pictures 8 & 9 - Split Mats (Left/Right in Picture 8)
Blue
Navy Blue
Not pictured, but also available in split mat (pictures can be supplied upon request):
Hot Pink, Gray, Marbled Brown, Oxblood, Brown, Teal, Olive Green, Turquoise (darker than Teal).