[bigshot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by number1sixerfan /img/forum/go_quote.gif But, I value the music I already have via lossless compressions. I am looking for vinyl because I have read many post that state they are much more resolving than most cds.

Formats don't sound good or bad. CDs and LPs are both capable of sounding great. The problem is the mastering in the case of CDs, and the pressing quality in the case of LPs. There are good and bad in both formats.

That stuff about being more "resolving" is audiophool hoodoo. If you're a "rekkid collector" it's not a matter of sound. It's all about the music.

See ya
Steve

 

[bigshot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyface /img/forum/go_quote.gif A problem I've had with vinyl I've bought (online and at thrift stores/flea markets/garage sales) is that it simply hasn't been well taken care of, and the various scratches and scuffs really degrade the experience. Has anyone any tips for sources of mint-condition (or very close to mint) vinyl?

Learn to spot groove damage and inspect records carefully in daylight before you buy them.

See ya
Steve

 

[bigshot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fetalgoat /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would probably avoid vinyl unless the genre I was interested in had an overwhelming amount of artists that still produced vinyl records

Disk records were produced for 80 years. That's an awful lot of great music to absorb. If all you're interested in is current music, records is a waste of time and money. You've got to have broad musical tastes for vinyl to make sense.

See ya
Steve

 

[Robgo]

hadn't thought of it that way.

 

[number1sixerfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigshot /img/forum/go_quote.gif Formats don't sound good or bad. CDs and LPs are both capable of sounding great. The problem is the mastering in the case of CDs, and the pressing quality in the case of LPs. There are good and bad in both formats.

Yea, that's what I meant by lp vs. cd. I have read about this before and I admit it is hard to believe one way or another. I will just have to see for myself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigshot /img/forum/go_quote.gif That stuff about being more "resolving" is audiophool hoodoo. If you're a "rekkid collector" it's not a matter of sound. It's all about the music.

And I guess I am different as for me it's all about the sound quality. I get gratification out of improvements of sound quality, whether the difference is large or small.

Thanks all, now I just need to decide what all to get.

 

[ADD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by number1sixerfan /img/forum/go_quote.gif And I guess I am different as for me it's all about the sound quality. I get gratification out of improvements of sound quality, whether the difference is large or small.

Hi,

Yep. Vinyl blows away anything digital. It's all to do with the format. Vinyl is just far better. Simple as that. And the difference is large, not small

 

[jsaliga]

If you're going to get into vinyl it helps to be flexible. As bigshot said, you need to be into a lot of different kinds of music to really make vinyl worthwhile. If you're into classical music and jazz then you are pretty much set.

I also buy vinyl from many sources. For jazz, Blue Note and Prestige has reissued most of their greatest jazz recordings on vinyl and prices are at about $10 per record. I have bought a ton of them and have been very happy. The cost is much less than you will find for a NM copy of an original pressing of most titles that are in demand.

For classical I look to buy records in bulk lots whenever possible. I have made some terrific purchases off of eBay. For example, I bought 12 boxed sets of Opera on the Decca label that were still sealed for $1. Most deals have not been quite that good. My target price per disc for vintage classical records is less than $5 each. If you buy bulk you can frequently get the per-record-price below that. Sometimes I don't mind paying more if the titles are something I am eager to have. Recently I spent $40 for a NM boxed set of all nine Beethoven symphonies, with Otto Klemperer conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra. I really wanted the set, so the price was less of an issue for me.

For rock, there are plenty of outlets for used vinyl. eBay is also a great place so long as you shop carefully and go in with the correct expectations. What I did was buy some records here and there from a number of different sellers in order to establish a business relationship with them. If I was happy with the records I bought then I would give them more business. There are two or three used record dealers on eBay that I buy most of my used rock vinyl from, and I usually only buy albums that are graded NM. I'll take something that is a little less in quality if it is particularly hard to find, but I try to stay away from beat up records. I don't live too far from Boston, and there are several very good used record shops in Cambridge. So whenever I am in the area I make sure to stop in and take a look around.

If there is a particular title you want on vinyl you may need to be patient. For example, for several months I have been trying to find a NM copy of The James Gang Rides Again, and I haven't had much luck. There are plenty of VG copies of this title out there, but I would rather wait in the hopes that a better one might be available.

--Jerome

 

[bigshot]

All I did was tell my friends and family that I was collecting records. Pretty soon, I had a small warehouse full of great records for free. Scan the paper for record collections for sale too. Odds are you can go in and pay a dime a disk and get the whole batch. Record dealers usually are the only ones bidding on complete collections, and they rarely pay more than a quarter a disk in large lots.

See ya
Steve

 

[jsaliga]

More power to you if you have that kind of time on your hands where you can shop for large lots of records and then go through them and grade them, seperating the keepers from the junk.

I would rather pay someone to do all of that for me because my time is much too valuable to me than to to spend it wading through albums like that. I only want records that I'll actually play and listen to. So to me, paying a record dealer five bucks or so for a NM copy of a record that I really want is a bargain. It isn't such a bargain if I buy an entire lot of records for a dime or a quarter each and then spend a ton of time (that I can charge customers about $200/hr for) sifting through.

--Jerome

 

[bigshot]

I think the difference is that my purpose in vinyl is to find music that I can't find elsewhere. I'm not just looking for clean copies of music I already know.

Going through the batches, and sampling the records to see how they sound is the FUN PART, not a chore. 78s are the most fun, because I can bring a bagful down to Starbucks and sit on the patio with my suitcase Victrola and have a great time sifting out the treasures.

Buying large batches is interesting from a sociological point of view. (You get to know a lot about the person who collected the records.) And it's a great way to find great new music. If someone took the trouble to collect, catalog and store the records in the first place, odds are they thought the music was good.

Most dealers I know buy large batches, cherry pick the good stuff out for their own collections, and sell the crap. The only time you'll find a good record with them is if they have dupes- and then you'll get the copy that is poorer quality at a greatly marked up price.

Music is what matters. Time spent listening to new music is never a waste of time.

See ya
Steve

 

[jsaliga]

Sometimes I honestly think you do this just for the sake of being argumentative...

So what is it?? Do you seriously think that music isn't important to me because I have a different value system than you? You don't know me well enough to draw any meaningful conclusions about what music means to me, so please don't trivialize it and make general comments based on a couple of posts.

Simply put, my experience in buying used vinyl is not the same as yours. Regardless of what it is you think that dealers do or don't do, I have bought hundreds of great records from dealers that I really wanted and which sound terrific. And I did so at a price that I believe was fair and reasonable. So all I can say is if the only dealers that you know sell crap, then frankly you don't know the right dealers.

You're right about one thing...music is what matters, and I'm doing fine with it thank you very much.

--Jerome

 

[crazyface]

Hi Steve!

Thanks for your reply to my message! I should have been more specific -- I can usually tell the condition of a record pretty well by looking at it now. What I meant was more that, the sources I go to (ebay, GEMM, flea market, etc.) tend to stock predominately less-than-good-condition vinyl, at least in the genres that I really dig. I'm not really into 60's-80's rock/pop, and this seems to be most of what's offered in good condition; like you (seemingly), I'm trying to find more obscure or esoteric records (like, apart from having specific tastes in terms of jazz and classical, I love stuff like Raymond Scott and Spike Jones.)
So I'm just having kind of a tough time finding stuff, in good condition, that really suits my tastes. I'd just love to know more sources, that's all.

I know there are tons of websites out there with huge stocks of vinyl, listing their stock in enormous and simple text files - but I'm getting stuck, as a beginner, finding mostly catalogues that are for genres I'm not too big on, like gothic or punk, etc. If anybody knows any more good sources, please PM me!