All Things Vinyl - Records That Is.
Let me announce proudly I'm back in the record business.
And it's got nothing to do with my pals Rusty and Alec. It's all to do with having a new record player. Or if you prefer turntable. A few days ago a package arrived with this beautiful new red record player inside. And not just any record player, a Pro Ject Debut Carbon DC with the Ortofon 2M Red cartridge. My JVC turntable died several years ago. And there was a point where I didn't think I'd replace it. But I did miss vinyl and all it's attributes. Sound being most important. And then there's the artwork which you can actually see. Along with lyric sheets, that again you can actually read if you're over forty. I've setup the Pro Ject turntable. And now it's time to clean all the records old and new. Yes, even the ones still sealed will get a cleaning. More on the cleaning supplies later. Which I know will keep you all on pins and needles in anticipation. ____________________________________________ A Positive Thread... First and foremost I want this thread to be positive. Not about politics or anything else that can cause grief. I hope others will post about new vinyl purchases or what you've listened to today. And feel free to post what type of system you're using to playback your precious vinyl. ____________________________________________ I'd like to thank Mr. Jack White and Michael Fremer for getting me back in the business. I'll start posting about my new and old albums as they're played (or cleaned - yikes). I hope you all will do the same. |
I've had my ex-DJ bros vintage Technics and Toshiba turntables to play with for years but sadly his mixer was busted long ago which I used to make some sweet mixtapes with 'back in the day (when casettes ruled the world). I've managed to keep one of the direct drive turntables working (Toshiba SR255), and I also have a lower budget RCA belt driven turntable with built in pre-amp which still seems to work after dragging it by boat from Alaska several years ago. What I do with vinyl I want to listen to a lot is to transfer it direct to a CD-R with either a Lite-On DVD/audio recorder through RCA jacks, or the pro Tascam CDRW-5000 burner. Then I edit on PC in wav format with Nero if I need to remove a click or it's just a crap piece of vinyl to start with and I'm desperate. I do as little messing with as I can past cleaning the record under scrutiny.
I have some old DJ cleaner fluid with a fuzzy black padded thing on wood for cleaning, no idea where the original packaging went. Except for crap vinyl I use a mild soap and water solution just to see what it sounds like. I don't go through all this as much as I used to but I still do projects for friends. I have hundreds of LPs and 45s, my BF has even more. I do tend toward playing the CD-R copies (with nice inserts showing the LP or 7" graphics such as they may be), but do enjoy having vinyl sessions, especially of modern Sundazed and Norton type reissues and various small label new releases like State/13 O'Clock, Acid Jazz, Market Square, Dionysus etc. :] I have most Fleetwood Mac on vinyl by the way, some I've had since the 1970s. I don't have some of the Welch era or past Mirage on vinyl though. I have various solo/related things like Mick's The Visitor and agree the large liners and art are great for something important to you. I'd have to keep the 1975 LP for the great lyrics and penguin cartoons insert, and the same for the Rumours photos foldout! The quality of the Then Play On artwork and inside photo hasn't been quite all there in the two CD versions I've gotten of it so have to keep that around. |
Quote:
would be DOA. I'm curious to whether you use distilled water for cleaning? And what type of soap? I'm hoping to get all my supplies this week. But there's so much to do. |
I have water that's been well boiled for drinking (I'm hyper-sensitive to chlorine) and I use that with a very tiny amount of dish soap but that's just on your cheap bargain bin records that are dirty and I might use the proper cleaning fluid later and the nicer turntable and needle. There used to be a website put together by eBay music fans called The Roadhouse that had some good stuff about cleaning vinyl, even de-warping but I've never been very successful with that.
I also used to do old 78s on a turntable of my Father's with it's special wider needle for those grooves. Only a few of them have ever shown up on offical CD. They needed a lot of cleaning and help from the PC de-clicking and de-hissing and I made two cool CD-Rs; one with blues and early rock stuff and the other with western swing, yodelling and hillbilly boogie bop type stuff. I mention it as it was a Father's Day project but I liked it as much as he did. This year I did a latter-day Carter Family compilation for him that is a bit rare. |
I love vinyl and never got rid of anything here,I still have my original turntables along with the records as most thrown them in the rubbish when those little shiny 5 inch disks came out..
|
I'm very envious of you guys who can afford record players... I've decided long ago that when I grow up I'll save money to buy one, and then I'll buy all the deluxe reissues that all these years I could see only in my dreams. Fleetwood Mac and Peter Gabriel would be the first.
My parents have a little collection of vinyls even if not royally preserved because they used to own a portable record player. We have a lot of classic Italian acts, mainly singer-songwriters, then some English acts. My mother used to have an important first edition of a Beatles album but our evil aunt stole it. It should be some thousands Euros worth now. My bestfriend's family owns an amazing classic rock vinyl collection with all the most important albums by the most classic acts, from Led Zeppelin to Smashing Pumpkins, and they have a relatively new Player. They say that in Italy there's no way to have replacement parts and when they need a needle they have to order it from Germany. When I gave to my bestfriend the LP of David Bowie's Station to station for her graduation, along with a bottle of sweet wine made by my father, they listened to it in their living room sipping the wine. |
Quote:
Also can check these forums out for the technical stuff for you geek Ledgies like me.. http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/ind...turntables.28/ http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=9 http://www.tapeheads.net/forumdisplay.php?f=20 http://videokarma.org/forumdisplay.php?f=178 http://www.vinylengine.com/ Free service manuals and instructions can be requested on these forums. http://www.freeservicemanuals.net/index.asp You have to join to download there .200 manuals downloads per day. http://elektrotanya.com plus http://freeservicemanuals.info/en/ Just search the brand name and download it.they have a limit of 2 manuals per day there. I'm a member of all or them and there's alot of free info on these forums to help anybody in need. Have fun and keep the vinyl spinning.................................................................. |
Becca,
I'm just trying to get different recipes for cleaning vinyl. I'll be trying different mixes of this and that on my older vinyl. I have Spin-Clean fluid for my new vinyl. I don't have many 78's. The only one I can think of is by Hank Williams. Speaking of The Carter Family. If you have Netflix there's a new documentary about them called The Winding Stream. I haven't seen it yet. Macfanforever, I kept most of my vinyl too. Gave away a few records that I'd never care to listen to again. Of the turntables you own which is your favorite? SisterNightroad, I've been slowly planning my return to vinyl for quite awhile now. It just takes time. You'll get there. I've been buying new records for a couple of years. And with each one it's encouraged me to keep the dream alive. I care too much about details. So it took me a very long time to decide which turntable to get. I kind of wish I were different. It can get expensive before you know it. My only advice on which turntable to get would be one that doesn't hurt your records. As in too heavy of the tracking force. Analog Planet is also a good website to read about vinyl and such. You mentioned Bowie. I have a first pressing of his latest release. I think I ordered it right before or just after he died. It sold out quickly. |
Quote:
I learned this from my friend about 35 plus years ago which is a radio DJ. I clean my vinyl with room temp water with mild dish soap to get the oily finger prints ,food stains ,beverage spills , dirt and dust off.Don't use hot water.It will warp it.Let air dry. Oh .I love the classic country artists and bands.I have tons on vinyl.Too many to list. |
Haven't had time to pick up the rest of my
cleaning supplies. But I received something special today... Jack White Acoustic In Idaho 2XLP Recorded at Boise's Egyptian Theater last year on White's five state acoustic tour. The set includes a DVD from his show in Anchorage Alaska. A picture book and a few special photos thrown in too. Icing on the cake I suppose. |
Picked up a few supplies finally.
This is turning in to a big project. Because where I store my vinyl is involved. Who wants to help? |
Quote:
My friend down the street which gave me 100's and 100's of vinyl already is at it again dumping his extras and dups that he dont want on me last week. Alot of classic Christmas music albums in this batch including Gene Autry's "Here Comes Santa Clause" and " Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" on 78 RPM records.It was great to hear the hiss and snap crackle pop playing those two records. I got to get a new needle for my TT since its shot. |
Quote:
Man you must have thousands of vinyl records. There's no telling how many millions of records that Gene Autry record sold. Cool pickup. _________________________________ I got a little exciting news tonight. My uncle is in town on a visit. And he brought me something. He said it was on the SUN record label. I'm pretty sure it's not Elvis, but I'm still excited to see who it is. I think this will make my 4,000th post. Never would have believed I'd have that many lies, um... I mean stories to tell. |
The Sun Records were:
Jerry Lee Lewis - High School Confidential / Fools Like Me Billy Riley - Red Hot / Pearly Lee |
Quote:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Records Elvis was on Sun. It could be Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis or Johnny Cash.I take any since I love all of their music. |
Quote:
Magic of YouTube......................... |
Quote:
studio there in Memphis. I'd YouTubed what my uncle gave me. Those 45's were in really bad shape. But still cool to have. |
Quote:
|
A night of preparation of vinyl cleaning supplies.
Sometimes I wish I could do things the simple way. Most people would just buy a record player. Play the record and just enjoy. Not I said the cat. |
Doing this for years .I just wash them with warm water .Sometime use light dish soap to get the fingerprint,soil,dust and beverage/food spills off it and let air dry.
|
Quote:
|
Dear Diary,
Well not really, but it seems like this thread is revealing more about myself that any of my posts or threads ever have. That's not necessarily a good thing. On with subject... I used the Spin-Clean system for cleaning about five albums now. And after following the directions I'd have to say I'm not impressed. As a matter of fact, even though it "cleaned" the records it introduced an extraordinary amount of static to the discs. Very disappointing. So here's the first few disc I've cleaned and listened to: Dwight Yoakam - Second Hand Heart Shelby Lynne - Just A Little Lovin' White Stripes - White Blood Cells No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom Linda Ronstadt - Get Closer And a five album set with 100 Greatest Songs of the Fifties (can't remember it's exact name). I tried a different method of cleaning these that worked better than the Spin-Clean. More about that later. Monday I should receive an anti static gun. A Milty Anti-Stat 3 (I believe). I will see how it works and report back. |
To anyone reading this. If you get nothing more from
my thread than this, it is to... Buy yourself a MILTY ZEROSTAT 3 ANIT-STATIC GUN. Although it cost usually between $75 and $100 dollars. I'd say it is worth every penny. I'll admit after planning to get back to vinyl for a few years now. That I was depressed by what I was hearing. It had been so long since I listened to vinyl that I was wondering if I'd sort of romanced the idea of it. And wound up fooling myself. That crackling sound I was hearing, had it always been there? I'm not talking about the clicks and pops one would expect from scratches on the vinyl. Was it my equipment? Cleaning solutions, or my applications of it? It's easy to understand why cleaning a record would induce static electricity. But could it really be the reason I was hearing that horrible sound? Well, turns out it definitely was. I can't tell you how relieved I was. After receiving the anti-static gun Monday I anxiously used it (proper use takes practice). And on the very first listen I could tell the difference. What a relief! The other major thing I did was to replace the Pro Ject Carbon's felt mat with a rubber mat from my old JVC turntable. It was also contributing to the build up of static electricity. You could tell by the way the felt mat wanted to lift every time you removed the vinyl from the platter. For whatever reason my body seems to carry some sort of odd electrical current. Sounds like a joke, but it's true. If there's someone who's going to get shocked or give one - it's me. So that was the other contributing factor in all of this. 'Tis crazy this hobby. |
I've noticed so far that my older albums, meaning the ones
bought back in the 1980's or before are sounding better than many of the newly pressed vinyl releases. The record companies better correct this or the vinyl resurgence will be over before you know it. Next up for me is a little sheetrock work and paint. My new and old vinyl needs proper storage. Same bat time, same bat channel... |
Quote:
What a pain! |
This closet where most of the vinyl will be stored
needs a little pizzazz. Right now it's all white paint. But TMR's colors are yellow and black. Hmm...? |
Finally acquired Led Zeppelin's first four albums on vinyl.
The remastered versions of course. I had picked up Physical Graffiti several months ago. |
This thread isn't exactly about announcing new releases but...
Jack White Acoustic Recordings 1998 - 2016 Due September 9, 2016. Any guess on who'll have both vinyl and CD versions? One hint - me! |
Quote:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...C&A=details&Q= This video shows the brush being moved to the edge, but I always slide mine towards the center label, as suggested by the guys at the store where I bought it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n36kUZTo3s |
Quote:
|
I'm starting to get excited in anticipation of the 2 lp Gene Clark demos set due to ship in September! Like Sandy Denny and a few others he has grown on me over time to become one of my all-time favorite artists (he was a founding member of The Byrds). Like Stevie Nicks, Sandy Denny and Bob Dylan his lyrics are metaphorical and personal, and unlike Bob (sorry) what a voice! Wow. Can't get enough.
http://sierrarecords.goestores.com/s...pt-269908.aspx http://sierrarecords.goestores.com/s...-11526540.aspx |
Quote:
I've got a feeling if we didn't live a million miles away from each other that I'd be coming over to listen to your vinyl. |
A great vinyl day...
Linda Ronstadt Simple Dreams (Mobile Fidelity) Linda Ronstadt Hasten Down The Wind (Mobile Fidelity) Linda Ronstadt Prisoner In Disguise (Mobile Fidelity) And the Analogue Productions version of... Shelby Lynne Just A Little Lovin' Can't wait to play them when I have the time! |
Quote:
|
Quote:
The Shelby Lynne album is supposed to sound better than the other pressings. 1000's of albums? New pickups or just rearranging them? |
Quote:
I got some FM on (Mobile Fidelity). |
Quote:
|
Another day, another vinyl album...
Linda Ronstadt Mad Love (still sealed) That completes my Ronstadt list. |
Diana Krall Christmas Songs is due today.
Me likes. __________________________________ A word of caution about collecting vinyl. Hopefully this feeling will pass, but right now I'm kind of regretting my return to vinyl. I love the artwork. The sound can be better than CD's. But everything has to be right. I can't make up my mind if it's a good thing for OCD, or does it cause OCD? My compulsion has always been to chase the perfect sound. I envy everyone that can just play an album on any system without the process I go through. Chase something you can catch. |
Check your Goodwill and Salvation Army stores out.They usually have a good vinyl collections there.Today for 99 cents I picked up a 1970's country music completion album set with 6 lp's in great condition.It you buy plenty .You are helping other people.
|
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:47 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
© 1995-2003 Martin and Lisa Adelson, All Rights Reserved