[the ikara cult]

As the experienced pickers of wax that many of you are, what do you think i should invest in to play on my new piece? Now that its Vynil, i am taking into account the physical prescence of the medium as well as the music.
So basically whats got something to it on Vynil that it doesnt have on CD.
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[Rob Instigator]

first of all this is great news, and hell yeah man, that is a great xmas gift.

If I were you what I woudl first do is to go out and find a 180 gram re-issue of one or two of your all time favorite albums. If you love Jimi or the Velvets or whatever, go out and find a good vinyl copy and fucking LOVE IT man.

I can tell you that there is a distinct difference between My Bloody Valentine LOVELESS on vinyl and on CD. Of course I am a vinyl nut so I would say such things, but ask around. the analog sound will fill your ears with warmth and delight.

Any Albini album (big black, rapeman, shellac) will sound fucking glorious. at action park especially.

[scott v]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

first of all this is great news, and hell yeah man, that is a great xmas gift.

If I were you what I woudl first do is to go out and find a 180 gram re-issue of one or two of your all time favorite albums. If you love Jimi or the Velvets or whatever, go out and find a good vinyl copy and fucking LOVE IT man.

I can tell you that there is a distinct difference between My Bloody Valentine LOVELESS on vinyl and on CD. Of course I am a vinyl nut so I would say such things, but ask around. the analog sound will fill your ears with warmth and delight.

Any Albini album (big black, rapeman, shellac) will sound fucking glorious. at action park especially.

good recommendations, i suggest scoping out for local used records stores in your area to find some of your favorite music to have on vinyl this also includes flea markets! i have found alot of great stuff via flea markets. and during the right times of the year, check out garage sales.

[gmku]

First of all, is it a turntable or a record player?

Secondly, especially if it's a turntable and not a record player (which would eat up your vinyl with its heavy stylus), I would second RI's recs. Anything 180 gram is definitely worth adding to your collection. Look for reissues of your favorites--as Rob says, there IS a difference.

Other than that, be careful what you buy used. I cannot endorse the recommendation to check out flea markets or antique shops. They are not run by people who know records. Those places are some of the worst for overpricing records that are so trashed they shouldn't be for sale in the first place.

Make sure you only buy from reputable stores that clean their used LPs before putting them out for sale, and that only sell VG-plus or better condition.

Thanks for joining us in the good fight, man!

[Cantankerous]

something on 180gm...they play nicer cause they're made of PVC that has not been recycled. all the records made in like the 70s and 80s are on basically scrap vinyl which is why a lot of them don't age well and sound like shit.

[scott v]

Originally Posted by gmku

First of all, is it a turntable or a record player?

Secondly, especially if it's a turntable and not a record player (which would eat up your vinyl with its heavy stylus), I would second RI's recs. Anything 180 gram is definitely worth adding to your collection. Look for reissues of your favorites--as Rob says, there IS a difference.

Other than that, be careful what you buy used. I cannot endorse the recommendation to check out flea markets or antique shops. They are not run by people who know records. Those places are some of the worst for overpricing records that are so trashed they shouldn't be for sale in the first place.

Make sure you only buy from reputable stores that clean their used LPs before putting them out for sale, and that only sell VG-plus or better condition.

Thanks for joining us in the good fight, man!

uh well, i think its not too obvious that before you buy a used record you pull out the vinyl from the sleeve and check the condition of the vinyl for obvious scratches and ask questions of the seller about how they obtained the records and waht they do to clean them etc etc... in some cases i've found that used record sellers (those who specialize in this market) have turntables so you can hear what you'll buy. its usually alot more inexpensive than say buying 180 grm vinyl thats reissued at a price that is almost twice of a cd. given you should do some homework and research when it comes to buying used records because alot of sellers try to sell them for book value or higher when they are not mint.

i kinda think its ridiculus to only buy from reputable stores that clean the LPs, that would make eBay a nonsource (which is probably not a bad thing) makes it really difficult to buy records at least my area if you want original copies and not the 180 grm reissues that are out now and really limits your efforts in finding albums. i'm not a huge fan of these overpriced reissues as they aren't as sought after by collectors as compared to originals or even 2nd pressings...

in my experience i've have been lucky with obtaining used records, mostly in trying to obtain a friendly repoire with dealers and the such.

[the ikara cult]

Originally Posted by gmku

First of all, is it a turntable or a record player?

Secondly, especially if it's a turntable and not a record player (which would eat up your vinyl with its heavy stylus), I would second RI's recs. Anything 180 gram is definitely worth adding to your collection. Look for reissues of your favorites--as Rob says, there IS a difference.

Other than that, be careful what you buy used. I cannot endorse the recommendation to check out flea markets or antique shops. They are not run by people who know records. Those places are some of the worst for overpricing records that are so trashed they shouldn't be for sale in the first place.

Make sure you only buy from reputable stores that clean their used LPs before putting them out for sale, and that only sell VG-plus or better condition.

Thanks for joining us in the good fight, man!

Its a player, ive already raided the charity shops and have picked up Hounds of love by Kate bush for £1 amongst others. Im heading home to Lahndan on Saturday so im gonna pay a visit to the reputable stockists i know of over the next couple of weeks to pick up some stuff. I have a freind who bought the 4xLP of Goo too so hopefully ill be able to give that a spin this Xmas.

[scott v]

some more arguments on the 180 grm vinyl versus std vinyl (120 grm) war!

This is from the moderator from the My Bloody Valentine board, about the differences in sound in Loveless; between the original vinyl, cd and the remastered 180 grm vinyl and i tend to agree with all of his points:

"The 180-gram, It's definitely more sturdy. I know engineers out there that would call 180-gram vinyl a gimmick, because far more important than weight is the quality of the cut lacquer, the quality of the actual vinyl material and the quality of the pressing process. Some say that the 180-gram does allow for a deeper grove, but that's crap. The 180-gram record's grooves have the same depth as a 120gram record plated from the same cut laquer. The reason why most 180-gram albums sound better is because of quality control ... and when you spend a lot of $$$ on a vinyl pressing, and you get 180-gram... usually you get an excellent product because you're spending a lot of cash. Now the 180-gram does allow for more flatness and stability, and it's more durable. So there's a bonus there, but it's not really that much of a bonus in audio quality."

so basically i'd also advise unless you have a pretty decent turntable and stereo system i wouldn't spend the effort in getting 180 grm vinyl reissues because of price, and you not only potentially ruin the vinyl it may not perceptively sound anybetter than std. vinyl on a crappy player.

[Norma J]

I love vinyl. I love holding the record in its entirety. Taking it out of its plastic and feeling it and the buzz, the buzz of playing it for the first time on your turntable.

BUT! I opt for Compact Disc mainly. Aside from most releases not making it to vinyl, the price of vinyl is alot more, and mainly the maintenance. CDs are fucking durable man. They can get scratched, but these days you can easily get the scratches removed. I hate worrying about vinyl.

Plus, doesn't vinyl need to be recorded in the intention for vinyl to get the full sonic impact? Not jsut recorded for CD and made into vinyl?

I do love my vinyl though. I just worry about it alot.

[Norma J]

I also like how certain labels these days are gtiving you the CD inside the vinyl anyway, or giving you a code to download the mp3s from the labels site. Allowing you to still put them on you Ipod, or whatever type of mp3 player you own or don't own.

[Cantankerous]

i don't even have a CD player. it's a disposable format, or as thurston would say "the 8 track of the yuppie generation." i have an 8 track, cassette, and a turntable. i want a reel to reel really bad.

[Norma J]

I have all three of them, and a newly acquired Ipod.

A reel to reel player would be cool for recording, but the reel cost is not nice. I did some reel splicing once, very fun, and I must mention I was fairly acurrate, if not spot on.

[Cantankerous]

reels are a little bit of a pain in the ass and they are expensive but if you're into staying up all night working on crazy projects and shit like i am it can be a blast.