What to look for when buying record?

[audiophile102]

White paper label Edison diamond disks sound much better than the pressed black label records. The electrically recorded ones are the most desirable. The jazz records in the 5200 series are quite expensive, but if you like 1920's jazz like I do you will want those records.

[52089]

White paper label Edison diamond disks sound much better than the pressed black label records. The electrically recorded ones are the most desirable. The jazz records in the 5200 series are quite expensive, but if you like 1920's jazz like I do you will want those records.

Well, I would probably soften that a bit. There are some pretty remarkable recordings on engraved label Diamond Discs, especially the earliest, pre-WWI records. IMHO, the earlier records suffer not so much from bad sound as they do from the limited taste of TAE himself. Once he gave up day-to-day control over material selection, the variety of music available, especially the styles of popular music, increased significantly.

You'll also probably find that the overall recording quality of the late acoustic discs (say, 51500-52000+) is better than that of the early electrically recorded discs (52089-52200 or so).

[dzavracky]

This is great guys. Thank you

[AmberolaAndy]

When going through binders of records be ready to prepare for disappointment when the record you wanted the most has a half moon piece broken off. Then going on eBay and paying 10x as much for a non broken copy. Been there done that.

Or if a DD has “Granny” “Heaven” or “Mother” in the title and says something like “Baritone” or “Soprano with orchestra” and has a black label, 9 times out of 10 it’s something you would hear once and never again...

[AmberolaAndy]

Just have fun. Collectors are their own breed. I was kind of turned off from serious collectors by the greasy-neckbeard-Robert Crumb types. But it's perfectly fine to buy valuable records, just not to enjoy them for their price over their musical quality; that's kind of dismissive of the artists & engineers that brought us the record in the first place.

It seems to some folks the rarer the record the better the content on it must be? I’m kinda jealous of guys who grew up in the 1950s like R.Crumb and Joe Buzzard. They grew up during a time when this type of music didn’t cost hundreds of dollars for a copy. It’s hard being a millennial collector with not a lot of money. The silent generation had it good when they were young and could get this stuff for peanuts when nobody cared about it.

[VanEpsFan1914]

^^ Depends on your style of collecting.

I am in it to experience what 20th-c. living would have been like esp. from about 1905 to 1940. So I listen to a lot of the music that everyone would have had, don't have a huge collection (Six phonos & over 1000 records is pretty big, but not huge) and I tend to enjoy Alan Turner solos as much as I enjoy old Delta blues records & hillbilly stuff. Some of my favorite records to collect are batwing Victors: excellent sound quality and a surface that wears like iron.

Ever since I traded with Gramophone-George for a new portable phonograph (not really new, but doesn't have a horn on top) I've been getting a real kick out of classical boxed sets. Now they have a really nice sound to them. I'm starting to experiment with good electrical 78s as well...armed with fiber needles the Columbia proved itself quite gentle on even 1940s discs.

Collecting like this is fun. I picked up a bucket-list item at a thrift shop the other day: the Victor Smart Set album of Glenn Miller hits!

[Nat]

"I want records in my collection that I want to listen to"

BINGO! I learned that one the hard way; now I have tons of records I never listen to.

[phonosandradios]

If you don't have a phonograph with you, look up the song on YouTube on your phone - almost always someone has a video of the title you are looking at, then listen to it and decide.

This is very good advice and a method I have used for years. I have found this particularly useful where I know the title of a song and want to hear different bands interpretations of the same song. Some bands versions I really like and others I don't - that way I can find out beforehand without buying the disk first.


I also use you tube to find " new" songs to hunt out as disks. As far as I am concerned you tube is an invaluable resource.

[Wolfe]

If you don't have a phonograph with you, look up the song on YouTube on your phone - almost always someone has a video of the title you are looking at, then listen to it and decide.

This is very good advice and a method I have used for years. I have found this particularly useful where I know the title of a song and want to hear different bands interpretations of the same song. Some bands versions I really like and others I don't - that way I can find out beforehand without buying the disk first.

If I'm in some dump flicking through 78's that are 50 cents or a buck or two, I still like the air of mystery of not knowing what it sounds like before I buy it. I know enough to know what I'm likely to like and the build up / anticipation is part of the fun.

[edisonplayer]

Just have fun. Collectors are their own breed. I was kind of turned off from serious collectors by the greasy-neckbeard-Robert Crumb types. But it's perfectly fine to buy valuable records, just not to enjoy them for their price over their musical quality; that's kind of dismissive of the artists & engineers that brought us the record in the first place.

It seems to some folks the rarer the record the better the content on it must be? I’m kinda jealous of guys who grew up in the 1950s like R.Crumb and Joe Buzzard. They grew up during a time when this type of music didn’t cost hundreds of dollars for a copy. It’s hard being a millennial collector with not a lot of money. The silent generation had it good when they were young and could get this stuff for peanuts when nobody cared about it.

Yeah,back in the day it WAS possible to go into the Salvation Army,junk shops and such and find rarities.edisonplayerPS;It also seems that the more interesting the recorded content is the rougher the condition!