Jump to content

Wildcat

Novice
  • Posts

    35
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Personal Information

Wildcat's Achievements

1W Resistor

1W Resistor (5/21)

3

Reputation

  1. Wildcat

    Framing LP?

    I've been using their EXPEDIT shelving to store LPs, but they discontinued it in favor of a newer KALLAX model. I really need another 2x4 unit, but I'm having a hard time getting it approved with the War Dept. though.
  2. Wildcat

    Framing LP?

    I'm late to the party, but I have been picking up some frames also. If you have an IKEA locally, look in their picture frame department for the GLADSAX frame. $7.99 each, quite sturdy, and easily reloaded. I just purchased another two this past Sunday. Fortunately I have duplicates of some of my favorites, so I don't have to put something from my active collection on the wall--usually the vinyl was lacking, but the jacket was OK. Perfect for framing!
  3. Wildcat

    Rush 2112

    I am anxious to hear these also. I lucked into a copy of Moving Pictures about a month ago, the two-sided Ludwig version, but the vinyl is noisy. (And I understand that may have been a common problem with this release.) I am hoping the mastering of these reissues is as good, as I'd trade off just a little sound quality in order to have a quiet background. 2112 isn't a favorite of mine, but there's no way I can pass up that hologram pressing! Like I need something else to collect. I'm still working on the Led Zep reissues. That Stevie Ray box set from Analogue Productions is calling my name also. And there are quite a few other titles I'm interested in.
  4. Wildcat

    VinylMe

    Seeing the list of past "records of the month," there is nothing there I'd even take for free. I'd rather save my dosh and buy a few more Music On Vinyl titles. I bought a few recently and have been enjoying them quite a bit.
  5. My experience exactly--grading isn't closely adhered to, and many of the other vinyl collectors I know often have issues with eBay vinyl purchases, the most common being a record that is misgraded. On the flip side, I have found a couple of rarities from my childhood via eBay and, fortunately, they were in acceptable condition (one is, in fact, as flawless as a 1953 10" LP can be, which means it's a bit noisy but it's not scratched at all, and does not sound worn). Discogs has also been hit or miss. My last order was a good example. One might have been VG+, but the NM graded LPs were probably VG+ at best. One I bought was listed in the stereo category but, when it arrived, it was a white label promo...in mono. Thing is, the LP is rare enough in stereo, and the mono (which was pressed only for radio--this was a 1973 release) even rarer. So, I'm keeping it. The other LP is noisy. Haven't played the third. But Discogs, eBay, GEMM, Musicstack, etc. are only sites that gather up individual sellers. So I really cannot blame any of them for the quality of the individual sellers. BUT...a site like Discogs helps in that they are a middleman to the transaction, and help keep things honest. What really galls me with some shops is that they will hit eBay to find out what the "street" price of their used stock is. Thing is, the clueless hipsters who are buying up vinyl as lifestyle accessories are drying up the supply of good quality vinyl for us legit vinyl collectors, and driving prices up higher than what many LPs are worth. And the eBay prices are often based nowhere close to the land of reality. At least in Discogs' favor, they list high, low and median sale prices for all items (across all grades), so it at least puts into perspective what LPs have actually sold for, vs. some inflated price by an eBay hack. I'm a bit fussy about my vinyl, so I tend to look a lot closer to condition. In one store I frequent, which is dim, I take out my phone with its flashlight and put on my strong reading glasses to examine the vinyl. It has saved me buying something that was noisy from scratches. Hidden noise can come from dirt in the vinyl (invest in a Spin Clean at the very least--I've heard they work well), or even a noisy pressing, which no cleaning can help with. To me, the biggest annoyance is worn vinyl. Many times I've picked up a few records that looked clean, but you can clearly hear "groove burn" by sibilance in the cymbals and vocals, and distortion in the midrange as you track closer to the center of the record. While I've heard it on records from all eras, it is predominantly worse on LPs from the 50s and 60s, when the tonearms were heavier (tracking force measured in megatons ), styli were spherical/conical vs. elliptical or better, and all styli were not diamond--many were sapphire, which wore down faster. And many back then did not think to change a "needle" unless it quit making sound. (My point: finding a clean, un-worn copy of an old 50s Sinatra LP on Capitol is very difficult.) GRADING. Many (perhaps most?) tend to base their grading on the Goldmine rating system. Keep this in mind, however: most dealers will do visual grading; far fewer will do play-grading, where they actually sample the record by playing it to give an idea of its condition. (Play-grading is time consuming.) Yet by my examples above, you can probably guess that an LP that looks like new, perhaps visually graded a VG+ or NM, may play back noisy and worn, as some dirt and pressing defects are not visible, and records worn with groove burn will not outwardly show that there is anything wrong. Final note, then I'll shut up. Buying sealed records is a two-edged sword. Most often, the record you open will be unplayed and pretty much clean. No wear, no "crud" deposited by a former owner, no scratches from mis-handling. Yet as another member mentioned above, some dishonest dealers occasionally re-seal records (although these are very few and far between, in my experience). However, a sealed record can still have flaws. A bad pressing, warps, a scratch left behind by poor handling in the pressing plant (such as the brand new Chris Bellman cut of Dire Straits' "On Every Street" that was released in the EU earlier this year), you name it. A year or so ago, I purchased a sealed LP from 1967 or so, which I've been searching for, for well over a decade. It was exciting to be opening what was a 45+ year old LP. The innersleeve looked fine. The LP. OK! Side 1 looks good! Flip it over...Side 1 (!!) looks good! Yes, they had pressed a Side 1 label on both sides. Fortunately the stampers were OK, and the record itself has both sides, as designed. Stuck it on the turntable, and my cartridge is jumping out of the groove. The vinyl had a nasty pinch warp. Going back to the LP jacket, I see the problem--the shrink wrap was partly puckered away from the spine, meaning that at some point in its prior 45 years of life, it was stored somewhere that was exposed to high heat, and it warped the vinyl inside. So with sealed, indeed, buyer beware! Most likely you'll have a genuine prize, but is still that slim chance there may be a hidden defect inside. And I cannot blame the seller, as they can't know what is inside that sleeve either. At any rate, enjoy the vinyl shopping! Despite all the caveats, it is still a great pastime!
×
×
  • Create New...