I agree with this. I think records should be graded visually and then then the play should be described if it differs from the visual grade. However, though, I'm confused by when people says "plays VG" as the grading guides are not for play and that can mean different things to different people. I do sometimes say "plays NM" but i usually will go into detail about how it plays (e.g. crackle at certain points, background noise, etc.).