It seems impossible to keep the record flat with the washer underneath. The washer holds the LP 1/8" above the platter so, the only way that the LP can make contact with the platter on the outer edges is to dish the LP slightly downward. In my situation the playing surface is always dished downward even if you only lightly tighten the clamp. The playing surface always has a slight rise towards the spindle. I have tried using the clamp without the washer underneath. Due to the built in recess in the classic aluminum platter, this causes the record to dish upward. It only makes sense to me that I need to keep the record surface as flat as possible. I suppose I need to re-adjust my azimuth to account for the dish effect of the VPI clamp system.