The wear of dimestore labels

[FredSugarHall_fan]

Something on my mind lately is the fact that dimestore record labels (Jewel, Banner, Regal, Oriole, Madison, Perfect, etc.) tend to have a well-deserved reputation for poor quality surfaces (excluding Harmony, Diva, and Velvet Tone because they are Columbia derivatives). I have a good few dimestore labels records of my own and most of them are quite gray in the grooves and have high surface noise.

Though the surface noise doesn't bother me, I would like to hear from fellow collectors who have much more experience than I do on this topic: which dimestore labels tend to have the best surfaces? Or rather, which ones wear the least with play?

[gramophone-georg]

High surface noise can happen on these pressings even when the record looks pristine. It seems they used a lower quality highly abrasive shellac. They are quite rough on needles, too, I've noticed. A few favorites of mine on dime store labels are Tommy Gott's "Glad Rag Doll" (as Rose Room Orch), Dubin's Dandies "Every Highway, Every Byway Points My Way Home", and Kentucky Grasshoppers or Dixie Jazz Band (great Teagarden!) "Makin' Friends". All copies of them have equal surface noise whether they look pristine or wiped out, it seems.

[CharliePhono]

Yes, Grey Gull, Van Dyke, Radiex, Madison, etc., all had surfaces seemingly of rough cement! Unfortunately, one of my most sought-after records, "The Terror," by Cliff Jackson and His Krazy Kats, was pressed on the Grey Gull and Van Dyke labels, and possibly other dime store labels. Even if a copy turns up, it is usually beat to death!

[FredSugarHall_fan]

Thank you both, Charlie and George, for your responses and recommendations!

[CarlosV]

My experience is similar concerning these labels. The surfaces are mostly noisy, but also they frequently have dimples and other quite visible imperfections that create pops and clicks even when the record is not worn. Something that I found as well is that some of them, like the Grey Gulls, are not compatible with bamboo and thorn needles, and wear away after a single play.

[Inigo]

I've also noticed the pimples, dimples, bubbles, fibres and hairs on these surfaces even unworn... manufacturing imperfections or the passing of 100 years?

[edisonplayer]

The people who bought these just bought them to get the latest pop song, never mind who sang or played them edisonplayer.

[JerryVan]

In addition to the comments pertaining to the quality of the record composition, add in that those who purchased dime store records were most likely less inclined to change needles regularly, and less inclined to have good record storage options.

[CharliePhono]

Here is an interesting site with information regarding some of these labels. They also have a searchable database for labels not listed: https://78rpm.club/chain-stores-mail-or ... rd-labels/

[Guyotsmith1]

Alas, the number one item on my very old, worn-out want list is on the Grey Gull-related labels, and desirable records on Grey Gull so seldom turn up at record shows or on auction lists. Perhaps because these records retailed for such a low price, particularly at the end of Grey Gull's existence, the original purchasers did not care to preserve them. The best sound I have ever heard from Grey Gull masters is found on British or Australian flexible discs which issued some of them. Again, they are extremely elusive.

On a related subject, I wonder whether anyone has ever attempted to assemble a Sunrise numerical. It appears that Sunrise was a last-minute attempt by Grey Gull to introduce a 35-cent record in the spring of 1930. The only advertisements I have seen for Sunrise are from that specific period, in newspapers from the midwestern USA and Canada. At the time, Grey Gull and Radiex were retailing for 25-cents and below, but Sunrise was apparently marketed very briefly as a "premium" line. I presume that most of the 1930 Grey Gulls were issued on Sunrise, possibly in small quantities. I have seen very few Sunrise discs over the years.

Grey Gull seems not only to have been sold in five-and-ten-cent stores, but also in racks at some newsstands, pharmacies, grocery markets and other non-traditional sites. Near the end of Grey Gull's existence, dealers could purchase quantities of product for low prices - and the "old standard" records (with public domain material) sold for less than recent hit songs, protected by copyright. Perhaps for this reason, the most commonly encountered Grey Gull records nowadays are those which feature old PD material.

After years of searching, I would guess that I'll never find the Grey Gull records on my want-list. There's not even a publication existing today in which to place a want ad. My want-list is as worn and weary as the surfaces of many of the labels we are discussing. Best wishes to everyone.