Goodwill/SA/Thrift Store Discussions & Finds

Well said Markshan! It did get closed down for a while because it got derailed. Let's not do that again. This thread is about celebrating our scores, not complaining about the lack of them.

If anything I said makes it seem like I am complaining, I'm really not. It is observation with an end goal of finding more scores! Regardless, I find the Value Villages to be wonderful places that meet the needs of many people including my wife and my daughter who is a single mother and benefits greatly from hers and my purchases from there. I also enjoy going to other thrifts, even if I don't find the scores as frequently.
 
Another thing I am hoping is that some marketing genius is periodically searching the internet to know what thrifters are looking for in their hunt. I'm figuring they must occasionally see these threads and use them to learn.

Maybe I'm just dreaming, but that is a start.
 
Personally, I don't understand how the not for profits operate. They don't seem to be very smart about how and what they put on the shelves. There is a Saint Vincent de Paul near me, and they never have anything really good.

the st.vini here is run by volunteers of course, the the local manager ran "kings stereo" home of muntz and clairion here when i was young.
i bought numerous pieces off him back then.
i walked into st.vini's and theres a set of paradigm 5se, the tweeter is not in one.
i ask for kenny [the kings guy]
he tells me "they work fine, we tested them, i was gonna take em home and fix em up"
so i give him 30 less than they asked, get home, the tweeter is inside the cab, broken, they never tested at all.
i had spare parts so all was ok
once a stereo bs salesman always a bs salesman, even for a good cause
 
I love this thread and the estate sale thread because it gives me incentive to go out hunting. I really enjoy seeing what other members are finding.

Some of the items that appear in these threads are inspirational. Let's keep positive and enjoy those special moments that make the hobby so much fun. :beerchug:
 
Question to all you vinyl hunting experts out there.
I just passed on 2 LP's at the local thrift today.
One was The Yes Album, and the other was Head Games by Foreigner.
Both had worn covers, and both had some hairline scratches, a little to many for me.
Perhaps on the borderline for me to just buy without thinking about it.

Now I am wondering if I should have bought them anyway.
They were 2 bucks a piece, so not a big deal.
I was thinking I can hold out for better quality ones, since these were so common in their day.
Then again, The Yes Album was a 1971 issue and that is getting on in years.
Perhaps I will not come across another copy in better shape.
At least not in a thrift or garage sale.
I am sure I can find one right now on Ebay, at close to retail, but a cheap find in a thrift or garage sale, perhaps not.

What is the thinking out there?
 
I personally wouldn't sweat those albums much. Both albums are OK titles, but not must haves in my eye. If you are an absolute record hound then you can hold out for better copies, they'll show up again.
 
I think it is very locale dependent. Around here, it is super easy to find foreigner. But there it might be different.

There's something to be said for holding out for best condition. That way, you will reallly know what you have in your collection. But then again, during that time, you will be going without. I guess it is a factor of where your tolerance for noise is. For what it's worth, I get great results using Spin Clean! No affiliation, just a satisfied customer. Yes is another story. They are a progressive Rock band, and as such, had a more limited following of their music. I saw them in my youth and it was phenomenal. It is one of a few times I've seen the synergy of crowd/performers. It is a powerful thing never to be forgotten!

So Yes is a little harder to find in good condition. Again, locale dependent. Ottawa was a big Prog rock city, as was Montreal, only 2 hours drive away!
 
I'm not big on buying beater copies to listen to. You would be better off checking Bartertown or the auction sites for one in nice shape. I just saw a copy of Head Games on eBay for under $6.00 in near mint condition. It's worth the added expense and if you take care of it, you may never have to look for another copy again. I have vinyl I bought in the 70s that still plays well.
 
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Please don't get my favorite thread locked down.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/in...very-member-read-this-before-you-post.173884/
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/in...very-member-read-this-before-you-post.173884/

Topics that have been beaten to death, and we’re done with them:
Complaining about eBay buyers who use sniping programs, or complaining about sniping in general.
Complaining that your local thrift store or charitable organization store is too expensive and/or never has anything interesting.
Complaining about sellers who find out what their item is really worth before you have the opportunity to make your “score”.
Complaining about “flippers”.
Not to worry, I'm not complaining. Those are simply observations based on 15 years of picking audio gear and they are factual, not judgemental. If what's out there currently floats your boat, have at it and enjoy.
 
It's interesting how locale sensitive albums are. As soon as classic vinyl with a recognizable group hits the thrift around here, the decimal immediately starts marching to the right, YES and Foreigner included. If they were $2, I would have snatched them if they even looked remotely playable.
 
i do find record buying opportunities often enough that I hesitate to pay retail for something I may find on my "hunts".
The exception being anything really special and rare an thus less likely to encounter in my travels. I would more likely try to see if Barter Town could fill my wants.
 
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I have recently stopped buying any vinyl below NM+. I was always excited to find good titles in the wild, but when I would pull them out later to play I just felt disappointed that they weren't in better shape. It took a long time to realize it, but there are 50 year old records in mint shape out there. Keep digging.
 
It's interesting how locale sensitive albums are. As soon as classic vinyl with a recognizable group hits the thrift around here, the decimal immediately starts marching to the right, YES and Foreigner included. If they were $2, I would have snatched them if they even looked remotely playable.
Slim pickings around those parts?It is here now also.It always wasn't like that though.
 
In Pittsburgh there is so much vinyl that it has to be either very rare or practically free for me to bother with anything below VG+.
 
We get more decent equipment than a lot of places thanks to the large amount of wealthy retirees that make south florida their home, but we seem to get all the people that loved Lawrence Welk and anything with "101 Strings" or "Reader's Digest" and tons and tons of insipid elevator music. I can't even begin to imagine the kind of soul-less creature that would listen to this stuff but they certainly seemed to buy them back in the 60's and 70's. If you're a fan of mid-century to 1990's Latin music, there's also a gold mine of minty vinyl for you here, but alas, I'm not.

I did have one huge score last year when one of my local thrifts received about 8 large boxes full of hundreds of classical and opera music that was obviously someone's beloved collection. Almost 40 box sets and a few hundred records from Aida to Zaide and everything in-between. They had apparently just come in and hadn't yet been destroyed by whoever it is that paws through records and can give a shit about the next guy. I noticed a lot of them had the little round "LAST" stickers that indicated we not only had a music lover but an audiophile's collection.

So I says to the lady, I says, "How much for those records?" She tells me they usually charge a buck each. So I ask, how much if I take all of them? And then she thinks for a minute and says $25 ok? I couldn't believe my luck. I guess they just wanted to move them out of the store! It took 4 trips to get them all in my car. I'm still going through them and listening. I wasn't a big fan of opera, but the box sets come with books that translate the Italian to English and after sitting down with the Aida set, I was hooked! I'm even learning Italian!
 
I did have one huge score last year when one of my local thrifts received about 8 large boxes full of hundreds of classical and opera music that was obviously someone's beloved collection. Almost 40 box sets and a few hundred records from Aida to Zaide and everything in-between. They had apparently just come in and hadn't yet been destroyed by whoever it is that paws through records and can give a shit about the next guy. I noticed a lot of them had the little round "LAST" stickers that indicated we not only had a music lover but an audiophile's collection.

I wasn't a big fan of opera, but the box sets come with books that translate the Italian to English and after sitting down with the Aida set, I was hooked! I'm even learning Italian!

As an opera major in college, this post delights me. The lyric book is called a libretto (since you are learning Italian). Who are some of the leads/conductors? I'm curious as to the era of the records. For me, there is Pavarotti and there is everybody else, YMMV.
 
I'll post some pictures this evening when I get back from toiling in the salt mines.

In the meantime:

Don Giovanni Decca 412-5
Sutherland Bacquier Lorengar Horne Gramm Krenn

Wagner/Jochum Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg DG 2713011 Plácido Domingo, Roland Hermann and a few others.

Arabella Angel Records "Digital" DSCX-3917 Julia Varady, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

Fígaro. Angel Records 3608 D/L "S" Eberhard Wachter and Elizabeth Schwarzkopf
 
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All over the place time wise. Sounds like they came from a true collector. Also all German stuff. I was more into the Italian "Bel Canto" (Verdi, Puccini, etc..)
 
Found this Numark DM1001X Mixer/Preamp in front of the local record store on top of an empty speaker box by the dumpster.
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Sounds Great and easily strong enough to push my 1971 Magnavox 1P3943 Amplifier through some re-foamed JBL 2600 Speakers!
RLj27En.jpg
 
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