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New to Records

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afswolf

New Member
Hello. I just got my wife a used turntable for the holidays, and am now looking for some records. There are some new ones that I picked up for her, but what about used records? There are a ton of used music stores in town, but what are the rules when buying used vinyl? If the record is scratched can it hurt the turntable or cartridge?

New records are great, but I'm just thinking back to my days of loading up on used CDs at a fraction of the cost of new. Why not do the same for vinyl?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks.
 
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Its a bit hard to say, some LP's will look great and sound awful, some will look like frisbees and play great. At the very least get a carbon fibre antistatic brush, even better some sort of wet cleaning system (disc doctor, D4) There's lots of info on record cleaning on the boards

Do you have a new cartdridge? I would also invest $50 bucks or so into a new cart if you alreay have not.

I'm sure others will chime in with their ideas
 
afswolf said:
Hello. I just got my wife a used turntable for the holidays, and am now looking for some records. There are some new ones that I picked up for her, but what about used records? There are a ton of used music stores in town, but what are the rules when buying used vinyl? If the record is scratched can it hurt the turntable or cartridge?

New records are great, but I'm just thinking back to my days of loading up on used CDs at a fraction of the cost of new. Why not do the same for vinyl?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks.
Click to expand...


Ahhhh my sentiments exactly.

The pricing seems to go on the condition of not only the record but the cover as well.

I go to a local store here in Houston and they have different price ranges.

The stuff that's dirty with torn or worn covers usually goes for 99c.

I have found many bargains at this price especially ones where they have multiple copies.

Then there is the 1.99 - 3.99 range. Better covers but not pristine condition.

Next step is the 4.99 - 7.99 range. With good covers and very good condition.

What I do is look at the record itself with my reading glasses on, I tilt them back and forth in the light to see if there are any scratches. Marks and dust come off but not scratches.

Scratches won't hurt your stylus IMO, others may disagree, they are just annoying.

Dust is a killer though.

So when I get them home I wash them.

I use Dawn dish washing detergent in distilled water with a dash of alcohol and a soft paint brush.

Get a spray bottle full of distilled water give them a hard spray then a light brush with the detergent. Rinse that off with the spray bottle, then another brush in circular motion with the detergent a bit harder. Then a good rinse with the distilled water.

Buy those microfiber car cleaning towels such at the Microtex from Walmart to dry them off.

Let them air dry for an hour and you are ready to play.

I only got by turntable about a month ago and I already have over 30 records.

It's very addictive because I think they sound better and have more character than Cd's.

Hope you get as much enjoyment out of them as my wife and I do.:music:
 
afswolf said:
There are a ton of used music stores in town, but what are the rules when buying used vinyl?
Click to expand...

First off, welcome. I'm relatively new to vinyl as well but I can definately tell you that you are in the right place to learn.

The only "rule" I can recommend is seriously inspect every used record you're thinking about buying. It dosen't matter if you're in a snobbish record store or the local thrift. Pull the thing out and look at it. You will be able to immediately identify deep gouges. From my experience some very light scratches that might look like hell on visual inspection may not necessarily amount to much after a good wet cleaning.

I've bought both new and used vinyl over the last year and a half and I can tell you that there is no gauranty about quality. I have a new heavy Black Crowes picture disc that sounds like ass and ancient thrift store chaff that is absolutely amazing. Confusing? Yes. But one rule stands firm. It all sounds better after a full-on wet rub down and vuccum dry (but don't we all :thmbsp:)
 
HypnoToad said:
I only got by turntable about a month ago and I already have over 30 records.

It's very addictive because I think they sound better and have more character than Cd's.

Hope you get as much enjoyment out of them as my wife and I do.:music:
Click to expand...

We told you that would happen. :D:yes::banana:
 
Its addicting to say the least :) I go to some record stores that have turntables availalble to try out the used vinyl. The records are a little higher priced but this is really the only way to find warps. I do shop at thrifts too and have picked up some great stuff. Its all about the hunt.
 
I've had really good luck at antique malls, found alot of pristine albums for $1ea. versus $3-10 at record shops.
 
Thanks for the tips. We live near Boston, so there are tons of music stores in the area, and I'm looking forward to poking around.

We're going to pick up a dust brush, and the store where I bought the TT also recommended a stylus brush. Is that worthwhile?

The washing of the records sounds a bit intimidating, but with some practice on a few thrift store cheap-os we'll get it down. How about a dust gun, like the kind you use on your computer keyboard?

Thanks again.
 
Ask your friends/co workers as to what they did with their records. Some of them might still have theirs. I hit the jackpot with my boss. Also keep an eye on CL. You might find some selling a collection that matches your tastes.
 
caddisgeek said:
Its a bit hard to say, some LP's will look great and sound awful, some will look like frisbees and play great. At the very least get a carbon fibre antistatic brush, even better some sort of wet cleaning system (disc doctor, D4) There's lots of info on record cleaning on the boards

Do you have a new cartdridge? I would also invest $50 bucks or so into a new cart if you alreay have not.

I'm sure others will chime in with their ideas
Click to expand...

I couldnt agree more, its amazing how great some records look and how bad they sound and how awful some look but after a good cleaning how gorgeous thet can sound.
One thing I do is not buy albums were a scratch looks 3D as in so deep its obviously gonna pop, scuffs, smudges and surface scratches are usually gonna be ok. Rub your finger gently across a scratch, if you can feel its imprint that usually bad news.
And if your gonna go ape **** buying used Vinyl you should get a record cleaing machine, doing it by hand can work great but is so time intensive you will spend longer cleaning it then it actually takes to play. Thats my rule of thumb, if cleaning takes longer than a fraction of the actual time on album then you need to investm in a quicker idea.
 
I just bought my first records tonight. I went to a thrift shop, ignored the cover quality and checked for scratches. Found some great finds (unfortunately the original recordings of Glen Miller was scratched beyond reprieve :tears:). But all in all I got five nice looking records for $7, not bad! :D Now if only my TT would get here....
 
I went to a new thrift tonight and found some really nice LPs. SuperTramp Paris, SuperTramp Breakfast in America, Supertramp Crisis?What Crisis? aloong with 3 others at 1.00 apiece. They were very well taken care of and looked never played :) Be patient, they will come.
 
I have just about abandoned the local record store in favor of thrifts, like GW, SA, etc. As others have already mentioned, some records look almost pristine, but still sound super scratchy even after a good cleaning (I use the Dawn method too). The record store seems to rate the quality based more on the cover quality than the disc; and how would they really know anyway without listening to them all. OTOH, I have found at least some correlation at the thrifts between cover quality and disc quality; it's just a much lower-cost gamble.
 
Welcome to the wonderful world of vinyl!!!

I have an RCA discwasher brush; it's a wooden block with cordoroy type material that you brush the dust off the record. and if the record is filthy enough, you use this cleaning solution on it as well. I don't know how I ever did without it!

I've been into vinyl since before it regained popularity, back when vinyl was considered lame; the mid-late '90s. I didnt care what anyone thought, I liked vinyl, and if I like it, it's all that matters, eh?

but now more and more people are getting into vinyl, and new releases are coming out on vinyl too.

I really can't stand the whole digital thing. I don't like MP3s; I like to have a hard copy of my music. I don't even like CDs.

For me, it's all about vinyl, cassettes, and 8 tracks.
But definately vinyl and 8 track.
Now if 8 tracks would make a comeback, that would be awesome!!!
 
Welcome!

afswolf said:
Thanks for the tips. We live near Boston, so there are tons of music stores in the area, and I'm looking forward to poking around.

We're going to pick up a dust brush, and the store where I bought the TT also recommended a stylus brush. Is that worthwhile?

The washing of the records sounds a bit intimidating, but with some practice on a few thrift store cheap-os we'll get it down. How about a dust gun, like the kind you use on your computer keyboard?

Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Glad to see you here. There's a ton of great information on this forum. Be patient, use search and you can get a lot of questions answered.

Instead of a stylus brush, many of us here use a white Mr. Clean Magic Erasure. Just gently dip the stylus in the erasure. Do a search here.

A record brush will help. If you buy much at garage sales and thrifts, you'll eventually need to come up with a more thorough way to clean records. I consider a vacuum record cleaning machine the ultimate solution. I built my own for around $100. It's made more difference in my enjoyment of records than just about anything I've done. Scratch free but dirty records sound amazing once cleaned.

I peruse record shops occasionally, but there are few near where I live. It has to be something special for me to pay $5 or so for a record. I actually enjoy the "pig in a poke" experience of thrift shops and garage sales.

Doug
 
Stanton681EEES said:
Originally Posted by HypnoToad

I only got by turntable about a month ago and I already have over 30 records.

It's very addictive because I think they sound better and have more character than Cd's.

Hope you get as much enjoyment out of them as my wife and I do.

We told you that would happen. :D:yes::banana:
Click to expand...

Yes you did and as Maxwell Smart said:

"And Loving It!":thmbsp:
 
ahhhhh Vinyl

What can I say about vinyl, I have been a serious collector for about 12 months. Mainly buying from ebay UK or ebay Australia, sometimes in the states too. It all depends on what your after, and how much your prepared to pay. Condition is everything and 1st issued LP's cost more too. I buy all the classic rock LP's which are highly sought after and hard to get(and find) hence the value of them. I've bought albums in mint condition that are 40 years old and look like they have never been played, and they cost an arm and a leg. Its just the price you pay for owning a slice of rock history:yes:
You have a look on ebay for a mint Jimi Hendrix album and you'll be very supprised and what they go for. I sometimes update copies I already have to get one in better condition ones.

It is soooo addictive and can get out of control, but hey who cares. I'm listening right now to my mint copy of Who's Next by the who. and it sounds incredible:music:


My advice would be set yourself some kind of budget for an album and make a list of all the ones you like to own. I have lists all over the house then just cross them off as you go. It not the quantity of records you own but the quality and the choosen classics that'll always be cool:guitar:

Check out the thread I started " What do you consider the greatest album of
all time" and you'll find which are all classic LP's to collect:thmbsp:

Good Luck, you'll need it

Daza
 
i don't use the record jacket condition to gauge whether or not i'll buy an lp.

you can't play the record jacket, and the condition of the jacket doesn't necessary equate to the condition of the record inside the jacket.

aside from a very thorough visual examination, the only way to be sure is play-grade, although not many vendors have the facilities for that.
 
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