So I’ve dug out some of my old records and have been enjoying really listening to music. Took a little while to get the set up correct on the new to me turntable.
Pretty happy with the sound … but terribly embarrassed at the state of my vinyl. Dirty, dusty and generally poorly treated. I’m gonna have to go through and clean them all - wash all the records, clean all the dust jackets (that are full of dust btw). Also made the mistake of leaving John Lennon’s Imagine album on the turntable overnight and the morning sun baked it under the plastic turntable cover. A little sad as I liked that album a lot (won’t make that mistake again).
Anyway, any tips on the best way to clean records? Record cleaner? I’ve got an anti-static cloth and also dust swipe. My turntable needle is very sensitive to dust particles so I’d like to keep everything pretty clean and remain on top of it so I can play tunes without interruption.
I’m still happy with plugging in via computer or ipod + radio, but there’s times when it really nice to hear vinyl. Showing my age but I don’t mind admitting I like the way records sound + I still get a kick out hearing noise come from grooves (miracle??) and watching the records spin (no, I’m not stoned). Just feels good man … listening to the whole of one side, turning it over for side B, taking it all in and hearing sweet music.
We got our technics table from my father-in-law who bought it when he went to 'nam during the war. It has wooden speakers and old Springsteen sounds so good through it. You get a sense when listening to vinyl that it’s what the musician had in mind when they were making it. Part of the fun is going to a garage sale and spending $10 on a pile and not looking until you get home, and in amongst the Streisand and Yentil you find something like this
that completely changes you for a couple of months.
I have a pretty decent collection of records that I never get to listen to, because my wife insists on having the TV on every waking moment of the day. My most prized would have to be Eric B and Rakim’s Paid In Full.
If your into rare vinyl (or anything out of print) Discogs is fucking great. Its like ebay for records, without the auction. There is great stuff on there, lots of Japanese imports (For those into that), Live Bootlegs and out of print stuff. Really good prices too.
Highly recommend. I could easily spend all of my money on some of the insanely rare stuff they have on there.
I gotz a boner listening to Joy Division/New Order right now. Even though it’s what I grew up with I haven’t really heard the songs properly for so long. Goosebumps … I can almost feel the sound.
Holy shit man Rodriguez is too damn good. My old man gave me some of his albums when I was a teenager. But he also gave me Jimmy Buffet so you win one, you lose one.
Also, it’s not just the old that sounds awesome on vinyl. The Black Keys (their album Thickfreakness) and Nine Inch Nails, there is too much going on to hear it all.
No. They are horrible. Crap like their proprietry cartridge* on turntables is ridiculous.
*they stopped making stylus for them years ago. Need a new one? It’ll cost $200-300 and likely involve sending your old one to Switzerland to be retipped. Maybe you can just change the cartridge? No, proprietry arm. Can’t change the arm easily either. B&O is annoying as hell. Yep, I’m mad.
Best way to clean records. Get a VPI Record Cleaner. If you don’t want to spend the money, a mixture of isopropyl alcohol (1 part), distilled water (9 parts) and a thinning agent (just a dash). For thinning agents, I like Mirasol 2000, which is a film developing thing. Use that, in a spray bottle, with a carbon brush and wipe clean/let evaporate.
Stylus cleaners are a good idea, too. I like the Zerodust Onzow, which is a sticky blob that you place the stuls on and lift it up leaving the dust on the blob.
and spirito, if you wanna flatten that record back out put it between two sheets of glass and put it in a warm ~50-70 degree oven (but keep an eye on it) or in the sun, it won’t be good as new, but def. listenable.
Trying to choose my favourite Neil Young album is like asking boobs/ass/face/legs. Depends on my mood at the time.
Neil’s getting old. I’ll be upset when he passes away.
