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Visiting San Francisco -- recommendations for good vinyl shops?

DesertTwang

DesertTwang

Active Member
I'll be attending a conference in San Francisco and was wondering whether anyone could recommend any record stores worth visiting? Is there some kind of vinyl equivalent to the City Lights Bookstore maybe?
 
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Amoeba was a disappointment for me. 75% of the records are new.
Go to Recycled Records, also in Haight. Not so cheap, but has good titles.
Best I went: Rasputin Records in Berkeley.
 
DesertTwang said:
I've heard of Amoeba -- is that a label also, or perhaps a store with locations in other cities, too?
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Amoeba has stores is SF, Berkeley and Hollywood; I don't know if they are a label too. Maybe check out both the Berkeley Amoeba and Rasputin. The smaller record stores I've visited are often proud of their average quality used records. Having new ones to choose from is sometimes welcome.
 
I like to browse Rocket Reuse in Alameda, 3 blocks from my home, but for someone attending a conference in SF, I can't see him crossing the bay to visit the shop. Nowhere near the selection of Rasputin, but if for some strange reason DesertTwang is in Alameda anyway (not that he will be) it is worth a stop.

Shelly_D
 
Berkeley has a good variety of vinyl shops; Rasputin and Amoeba among them on Telegraph Avenue. Also there is the Mad Monk Center for Anachronistic Media across the street, which houses Rasputin’s used music collections. There are a handful more sole proprietor vinyl shops in the area as well...


DesertTwang said:
I'll be attending a conference in San Francisco and was wondering whether anyone could recommend any record stores worth visiting? Is there some kind of vinyl equivalent to the City Lights Bookstore maybe?
Click to expand...
 
If you get to Berkeley and want to stop in at really nice equipment shop (lots of vintage stuff) take a look at Berkeley Stereo on San Pablo Ave. Spoke to the owner one morning before he even opened up. Super friendly and a real gentleman to speak to.

Shelly_D
 
DesertTwang said:
I'll be attending a conference in San Francisco and was wondering whether anyone could recommend any record stores worth visiting?
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Well a few things here
How long will you be in town?
Where are you staying?
Are you renting a car?
What kind of records are you looking for?
 
4-2-7 said:
Well a few things here
How long will you be in town?
Where are you staying?
Are you renting a car?
What kind of records are you looking for?
Click to expand...
I'll be here till Monday. No car. Staying in the center (market Street and 6 Ave or something like that). I'll have to see how much downtime I'll have. Probably not much - a half day here and a few hours there, I'm guessing. I'm looking for mostly 1970s stuff from the country/bluegrass/folk rock scene (Doc Watson, Tony Rice, Dillards, Seatrain, Pure Prairie League, New Riders of the Purple Sage -- along those lines). Is there a shop close to SFO airport I should be aware of?
 
DesertTwang..... "(market Street and 6 Ave or something like that)" Just a reminder..... be careful what you say to a cab driver........ I believe you mean 6th Street. 6th Ave would take you way out toward the west side of SF. This is a common mistake and 'causes our guests to get upset.... ;-) hahahha

Good luck searching ..... the Haight St stores would probably be fun.....
 
AudioJag said:
DesertTwang..... "(market Street and 6 Ave or something like that)" Just a reminder..... be careful what you say to a cab driver........ I believe you mean 6th Street. 6th Ave would take you way out toward the west side of SF. This is a common mistake and 'causes our guests to get upset.... ;-) hahahha

Good luck searching ..... the Haight St stores would probably be fun.....
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Thank you, yes, I meant 8th Street (I was at the airport changing planes when I typed my post and didn't have the exact hotel address handy). By the way, I just arrived and was told that this is a "bad area, lots of junkies." (Hotel is at 8th St and Market St). Sounds like walking around at night is a no-no? Are cabs the way to go? Or Uber/Lyft?
 
DesertTwang said:
Thank you, yes, I meant 8th Street (I was at the airport changing planes when I typed my post and didn't have the exact hotel address handy). By the way, I just arrived and was told that this is a "bad area, lots of junkies." (Hotel is at 8th St and Market St). Sounds like walking around at night is a no-no? Are cabs the way to go? Or Uber/Lyft?
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Defiantly not a real safe area at night after dark. Stay with cabs and or Uber/Lyft. Also, the area gets worse when you head toward Mission so don't walk that direction after dark if you can avoid it.

enjoy your trip.

Shelly_D
 
shelly_d said:
Defiantly not a real safe area at night after dark. Stay with cabs and or Uber/Lyft. Also, the area gets worse when you head toward Mission so don't walk that direction after dark if you can avoid it.

enjoy your trip.

Shelly_D
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Thank you, Shelly! Much appreciate the advice. Locals told me the same thing today, esp. about Mission St.
 
Thank you for all your suggestions! The article in Audiophile Mag was especially helpful. After two half days of shopping, I came back with considerable bounty. My impressions:

Recycled Records: Pretty good selection, on the pricy side, but some records in extraordinary shape, so I was willing to pay a little more than I would have, say, on Discogs. Super organized and well-labeled bins.

Originals Records: Very eclectic. If you're into jazz, soul, R+B, and looking for rarities, this probably is the shop for you. Smallest selection of any record store I've ever been to, and for my genres (country, country rock, bluegrass) totally not worth it. At least I found an Eagles Best Of album and a New Grass Revival album.

Groove Merchants: Frustrating. Mislabeled bins, records scattered everywhere, so disorganized that I lost the enthusiasm to browse. Selection-wise, lots of jazz and soul. Didn't find anything.

Amoeba: That's where I left most of my money. Cleaned out their bluegrass section, which is now even smaller than it was to begin with. Also found a few new records. Definitely on the pricy side. Saw some new, sealed records there that just came out for $36 that go for $25 on Discogs (new and sealed). It's kind of an odd store; You will find NM gems of old albums for $2.99 alongside totally overpriced, new and sealed records. Many of their prices reflect the "highest" category on Discogs, so I recommend to only go there for stuff that's hard to find.

Overall, I had a fantastic time browsing records in San Francisco. I also realized that by comparison, Tucson ain't too shabby in terms of record stores. I would have expected there to be more stores in San Francisco, and much cheaper prices from what I found.
 
It sounds like you limited yourself to SF proper, but if you have a chance to head over towards Berkeley this weekend don't forget Down Home Music in El Cerrito. Looks like they're having a vinyl and gear swap meet in their parking lot on Sunday, too.

edit: spelling
 
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audiotemp said:
It sounds like you limited yourself to SF proper, but if you have a chance to head over towards Berkeley this weekend don't forget Down Home Music in El Cerrito. Looks like they're having a vinyl and gear swamp meet in their parking lot on Sunday, too.
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Thanks for the tip! I don't know if I make it across the bay, it all depends on the conference program, which is quite packed for the remaining days.
 
Easy to get around Berkeley and Oakland areas - easily BART accessible and most stops are a nice short walk from the stations
 
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