ive bought a record player today
i just bought a simple player because i want to start to collect some vinyl. i just love the big album covers and the big records and the crispy sound when the needle hits the record.
do you have tips for record hunting/ maintenance ?

What did u get? Technics 1200?

motownlover said:

1. Lets see what u got! Details!

Aint nothing like it!!!

I would definitly buy a nice slip cover if it doesnt already have one to make sure it takes the dust off. Dont touch the needle too much like my Ion Double Deck Kit, it can fall right off being brushed too hard.

Used weka sto's are the best in vinyl. Depending on your location you should ask where are the best to buy vinyl.

its a sony ps-lx250h

and it has a slip cover
and i know a shop or 2 in town that sells vinyl records new and used. and i could always go to the 'utrecht platen beurs" to expand my collection.
the man next door has like 100s or 1000s of records so , ill visit him soon

Congrats..your officially in the REAL music world.

As for record maintenace, I never washed or cleaned my records. I tried cleaning a record once. Back in those days, there were cleaning liquids out there and I tried it but didn't see much difference in it. I think companies were just trying to make money.

The best advice I can give is to keep all the inside album sleeves. Back in the day, a lot of people used to take out the inside sleeves and hang them on their wall as posters. Those sleeves actually do protect and preserve the record. I kept all my inside sleeves and, years later, I've bought a few used records that didn't have the inside sleeve. Those records don't sound near as good as the ones I bought back in the day in which I kept the sleeves.

Also, pay attention when you hear a record skip. The record could actually be scratched, however, if you notice that more and more of your records are starting to skip (that never skipped before), it is time for a new needle. When you get a new needle, the skipping will stop (if the record isn't scratched). Do not continue playing your records with a worn out needle though. If you do, you will eventually end up scratching your records.

vainandy said:

thanx , i was curious about that too, ive been told that when you buy new records fresh from the factory you need to clean them due to factory oil or something in that extend. and ive seen expensive machines and i thought nah im not going to pay that much money.
[Edited 3/4/08 10:00am]

People love to invent things just to make money. We didn't have any record cleaning machines back in the day and our records are still going on strong today.

vainandy said:

You are so right. Most times, it's nothing but alcohol that they use for a cleaning solution.

vainandy said:

In the early 1980s, I remember buying a high priced bottle of Memorex brand liquid cleaner and it had a felt brush. All it did was make my record look blurry rather than shiny. Also, the sound on that particular record I cleaned was never as crisp again either.

While we are on the subject of record players, this is how I evolved over the years.....

My first record player was one of these but it was a Snoopy brand:



My very first stereo looked something like this. Like the picture, mine also was a grand prix brand:



My mother had a console stereo similar to this:



Presently, I have two of these:

vainandy said:

uuuugggghhh..i remember every black family house had one of them...uuugghhh

aint it the truth !!!!!

paisleypark4 said:

prettymansson said:

yes..it be filled with tapes on top and all types of papers

A friend of my mother's had a bad ass console stereo in 1979 and 1980 which I would have loved to have. It was about four or five feet tall and had a radio, turntable, and 8 track player in the middle. Underneath the control buttons were speakers which were disco lights that flashed to the beat of the music. Behind the control buttons was a mirror which extended upwards. On top of that, were three miniature disco balls that spun with small lights shining on them which put rotating circles on all over the room. That damn thing was bad!

vainandy said:

vainandy said:

Do you all remember the ones with the television in the middle. I know a family that had one of those. I thought it was the best thing ever.

how can i tell if a record is in a good condition> where do i look for >?
and i can be wrong but i have the impression that certain classics are still in print is that true? such as off the wall . or songs in the key of life

motownlover said:

At used record stores u can usually open it up and look and see if it has many scratches or warped disc from the sun or heat. (WATCH OUT 4 THAT, My New Edition Candy Girl just aint right no mo ).

She gives me a bang...

paisleypark4 said:

prettymansson said:

Girl I need u!
Gotta have u!!



was that a video??

vainandy said:

You can actually wash records, as in wash like you'd wash dishes
I've never tried it but one of my local record dealers (an old cat, who's been into vinyl for a loooong time) does it on regular basis.

I should probably give it a go sometime

motownlover said:

Look at the record's surface. If it's scratched it might be skip. Sometimes the scratches are so light that they won't cause your record to skip.

And yes, there are lots of reissues of classic albums and original prints of some albums, like Off The Wall are very easy to come by.

FuNkeNsteiN said:

I hate when they have those fake color copy slips on the front... uugh..like the re-issues of the singles

FuNkeNsteiN said:

I would suggest that you never use any detergents on vinyl records. It will leave a film on the vinyl and only make the cleaning harder, because now you have to remove the detergent film.. when you were only trying to remove dust. I've had records in storage for years and only had one major problem with mildew, because the storage bin I rented had a leaking roof. The album paper sleeves were stuck to the vinyl and I used a simple solution of distilled water and alcohol.

I use lent free cloths and record brush and a solution of distilled water and 20% alcohol mixture. I think using plain Isopropyl alcohol is not a good idea either. I would use something like The Disc Doctor or other type record cleaner than use any kind of dishwashing detergents. Clean your slip mats with a vaccum... never wash them.

O' and someone told me about a denatured alcohol and water solution, but I have never tried it....and probably will not try it.

Detergents and straight alcohol will dry out vinyl quickly and leave the crackle and pop sound.

StarMon said:

Yea, I don't think he uses detergents, but anyways
I'm not exactly sure how he does it, I gotta ask him some day for details

FuNkeNsteiN said:

One trick I learned from this cat is, that if there are like old price tags that are 'stuck' on the cover, you can iron the cover to get the price tag off
You can also use a blow dryer.

FuNkeNsteiN said:

..... ...from the Save The Vinyl Coalition.