Many collectors prefer to use fibre (wooden) needles to play their treasured records. Wooden needles, that are either made from thorn wood or bamboo, do not wear the record surface in the way that steel needles do and produce little or no surface noise when playing. Fibre needles can be re-sharpened many times before discarding, but steel needles CANNOT.

Here are a selection of sharpeners for thorn needles. The needles are round in section so can fit into sound-boxes with round holes.