needle wear out from playing bad records?
ive been curious to know if a needle can get screw up from playing very old records that sounds very clickly.
Yeah. If the records are dirty, or dusty, all the shit will accumulate on the needle.
Clean those records before you play 'em, damnit! And keep a little soft brush (like you get when you buy new needles) handy.
^ this
also, invest in a carbon fibre record brush. They are made for cleaning the dust out of grooves. They will work a little bit for grime, but if they are too bad, your records will need a cleaning.
And if your vinyl record is REALLY dirty:
If you are on a budget I have used windex, water and a mild soap with a softer paper towel going along with the grooves. Never had an issue after cleaning. But nothing compares to a deep cleaning.