How To Buy A Used Record
Posted July 1 at 7:52 am by Krist Novoselic
Flipper Seattle June 27, 2008 Photo: Gillain Gaar
I have been collecting records for over 25 years and have accumulated nearly two thousand. Many of these I bought used. It’s fun to rummage through stacks of old records. Even after all these years there’s still surprises and curiosities to be found. Vinyl isn’t just about ears, the big covers and sleeves have much for the eye also.
Long Play vinyl discs seem to be making a comeback in the music world. It has been reported the one-stop retailer Fred Meyer is selling LP’s. Apparently some discs were ordered by accident and they actually sold so the retail chain decided to keep them in stock.
I buy new LP’s. I own the new Raconteurs and REM records on vinyl. There are reasons why I hold onto records and it’s not only about nostalgia.
Ever since computers and music started to merge, there’s been a debate between the virtues of analog and digital music reproduction. Sound processed through vacuum tubes and magnets does gain certain characteristics. Analog music will tend to be warmer to the ear. On the other hand, digital reproduction, through its inherent perfection can come across as cold.
Even though there might not be a scratch on that old record you found at the second hand store, it still can be worn out. There’s an easy test to gauge the quality of a used record: just ask the seller if you can hear the disc. The trick is to listen to the last track. If it sounds fuzzy, the record is worn. This is due to the mechanics of the reproduction.
We hear music through speakers. A speaker is a coil, magnet and diaphragm that moves air. A microphone has the same components as a speaker but it receives the movement of air. Think of holding a microphone to your mouth. A little diaphragm is vibrating a magnetic coil. That electronic field is amplified and the speaker reproduces the sound louder through a bigger coil and diaphragm.
Vinyl reproduction is the same. A needle connected to a coil moves across the grooves of the record. As the needle makes its way to the end of the record, it travels faster because the disc radius gets smaller. As a result the little bumps cut into the grooves get bunched up. The tighter grooves at the end will reveal the accumulated wear in the old disc.
As a result of the inevitable wear of a record, I have been transferring some to a digital format. I don’t have a problem with digital, my issue is with the Compact Disc format. The standard CD was developed around 1980. Computers can show you what the sound waves look like. Vinyl will always have a range of taller peaks and lower valleys than a CD. The CD usually looks flat on the screen of the audio recording program.
The reason vinyl has hung on over these years is because it’s quality audio in a consumer format. I make high definition recordings of my old records. This takes up a lot of memory. Imagine having a portable media player with only fifteen or so songs on it? It doesn’t make sense. Streaming media promises to bring high definition music into our homes. That’s when my wall of records will go. Until then, I will still listen to the rich sound of vinyl - unless the record is worn out!!
Comments
Hey Krist, I must admit that I gave up on my Vinyl's when my player broke down, I agree with what your saying though.
The thing I like about Record Players though are that they are still very much compatible with todays modern speakers (well, if you get the right kind of cable with them).
P.S The racenteurs are a great band!
Posted July 1 at 2:01 pm by CharlieHey Krist, I must admit that I gave up on my Vinyl's when my player broke down, I agree with what your saying though.
The thing I like about Record Players though are that they are still very much compatible with todays modern speakers (well, if you get the right kind of cable with them).
P.S The racenteurs are a great band!
Posted July 1 at 2:01 pm by CharlieThank you for the buying used vinyl tip!
I remember when In Utero came out you could buy the vinyl version one week before the CD & Tape versions were available.
That probably was the last "new" album I bought the analouge version of.
One thing that always stood out was the recommended Bass/Treble settings on the inside of that cassette sleeve.
Posted July 2 at 9:13 am by BuzzI think nostalgia's playing for you, though. I grew-up on CDs and tapes and I can't stand a record, it's too good. I like tapes because of the crankly sound, I honestly think it gives it a better layer of polish.
Posted July 2 at 10:21 am by KromsFunny you should write about this Krist. Im pushing 38 yrs old and i grew up with vinyl but havent really listened in years. Just last weekend i pulled out my box of Lp's from the garage and me and some friends went through them. Devo, Tsol, Agression, Suicidal, flag, bowie, queen, ROCK FUCKING 80. (Dammit no Nirvana but im looking now.) Yes i was and still am all over the map with my tastes. All of this great stuff....and some not so great. So i decided right then and there to go out and pick up a turntable. Im going back to collecting vinyl..almost any turntable you get now can transfer the LP to mp3 if you want. The feel, smell and album liner, the sound (even the minor scratches and skips) make listening so much more enjoyable in my opinion.
It is true a lot of artists do release new material on vinyl, even the Foos.
I am looking forward to my trip back in time and into the future. Rock on.
AA
Posted July 2 at 11:56 am by AstralAstrayI'm seventeen years old, and I'm just starting to collect old vinyl records. It's just something different about the LPs that make it much more enjoyable to listen to than CDs. The clicks and pops and such just add to the records. I have this one Lennon single, #9 Dream, that I found at a secondhand store for a quarter, whenever I listen to it I can just lie down on my bed and I'll feel like I've gone back to that era.
Posted July 3 at 2:22 am by SarahMy only problem with collecting though is finding stores that sell vinyls. Mostly I look for secondhand stores but there doesn't seem to be alot around.
Glad you posted this!
-Sarah
Hey Krist, as I'm reasonbly young, I'm into the 'new' music so it's pretty difficult to get hold of vinyls of new songs, altough Amazon does help you get hold of 3rd party sellers, I believe though.
Something I'm looking into I think.
Posted July 4 at 3:06 pm by AdamMy father is an avid record collector... (Yes, he's even got some Nirvana in there) The whole basement is devoted to his record collection. He must have about 5,000 — if not more. The reason why I never became a record collector myself is because I was taught at an early age that they were very precious and irreplacable, and I think I'm too careless or rough with my CDs. I don't want to ruin any of his vinyl, or even my own. When it comes to music, I wear things out too easily.
I agree, the sound of vinyl is way beyond compare. But I was raised on radio and tapes, and we all know the quality of those. When I listened to my first record the whole way through (it's a Doors live album), I almost couldn't stand it's "perfection." I understand how enjoyable one's listening experience is with vinyl, but it's a big and slightly uncomfortable change for me to make. But I'm working on it, slowly. Thanks for the amazing post Krist!
Posted July 5 at 9:57 pm by Gillianoutstanding blog! digital may have given the music industry a shot-in-the-arm but now it's time to detox and rejuvenate...
let the ears lead!
peace, love and all that she it...
Posted July 7 at 1:50 pm by buddy payneoutstanding blog! digital may have given the music industry a shot-in-the-arm but now it's time to detox and rejuvenate...
let the ears lead.
peace, love and all that she it..
Posted July 7 at 1:53 pm by buddy payneHey man,
Posted Aug. 10 at 12:53 pm by Andy MaherThanks for the info on used vinyl.
I believe, though, that the reason CD waveforms look flat compared with the peaks and valleys on vinyl isn't the format, it's just that modern mastering involves overuse of compressors and limiters that crush the dynamic range. This is pretty much solely for the benefit of record companies that want their records to sound 'louder' than anyone else's (never mind that it stymies the artist's vision, and it is fatiguing to the ears!)
vinyl records are fabulous even used vinyl records can be your milking cow if you miraculously bought a rare vinyl. Imagine, these vinyl discs are under estimated by a lot of people but audiophiles who collect them from years will benefit the most. I have rare vinyl records in my vault and I sell them at reasonable prices.
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Posted Sep. 17 at 2:29 am by Paul