About Me
I have been collecting records for many years now.
I collect all kinds of classical, jazz, blues, and some R&B records. Over
time I have ended up with many albums in other genres which I don't really want to keep. I am selling these records in order to refine my
collection and clear out some space. Regarding my Ebay sales: I list the
records at a low starting bid with no reserve. I am a picky buyer of records and I think
this will make me a better seller.
Each record I am selling has been carefully evaluated for condition and market value. I
try to provide as much information about the particular pressing as I can find. NB:
every record I sell is cleaned and placed in a new polyethelene innersleeve; this
protects the record from any damage and once you get it home, it is ready to play!
For some of the lps listed, I am providing audio
samples. I welcome any feedback on the grades I have given these lps.
A note about my audio system and how the MP3 audio files are produced:
I have not doctored the files in any way. I record the LP with an Alesis Masterlink CD-harddisk recorder; burn a disk; rip it with EAC; produce MP3 files using Lame external compression within EAC.
My turntable is an AR-ES-1 with an Ultracraft AC-300 arm--a unipivot damped arm. The cartridge is a Benz Micro Glider High Output (series 1); the phono stage is a McCormack Micro Phono Drive and the interconnects are FMS ESP RCA's. I run the signal through the tape loop on an Anthem Integrated 2.
I have not modified the sound of these files in any way. Any sort of digital signal processing would defeat the purpose of providing samples. I choose passages representative of the whole lp's condition.I can produce a larger file which can be emailed as an attachment upon request. I can sample the lps during a variety of passages loud and soft from the outer to the inner bands on both sides. On average these files are about 3-5 minutes long. This means that each file is 3-5 megabites in size.
The following is adapted from the Record Collector's Guild Website:
- Near Mint (NM) nearly perfect -- record should show no obvious signs of wear. An LP cover should have no creases, folds, seam splits or other noticeable similar defects. No cut-out holes, either. And of course, the same should be true of any other inserts, such as posters, lyric sleeves and the like. Basically, an LP in near mint condition looks as if you just got it home from a new record store and removed the shrink wrap.
- Very Good Plus Plus (VG++) Approaching near mint, plays like new but may have a few --a maximum of 6 very minor and small scuffs or hair line scratches
- Very Good Plus (VG+) A Very Good Plus record will show some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it.
Record surfaces may show some signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don't affect one's listening experiences. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are "OK".
The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The center hole will not have been misshapen by repeated play.
Picture sleeves and LP inner sleeves will have some slight wear, lightly turned up corners, or a slight seam split. An LP cover may have slight signs of wear also and may be marred by a cut-out hole, indentation or corner indicating it was taken out of print and sold at a discount.
In general, if not for a couple things wrong with it, this would be Near Mint. All but the most mint-crazy collectors will find a Very Good Plus record highly acceptable.
- Very Good (VG) Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in a VG disc. Surface noise will be evident upon playing, especially in soft passages and during a song's intro and fade, but will not overpower the music otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as with light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound.
Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same will be true of picture sleeves or LP covers. However, it will not have all of these problems at the same time, only two or three of them.
- Good (G), Good Plus (G+) Good does not mean Bad! A record in Good or Good Plus condition can be put onto a turntable and will play through without skipping. But it will have significant surface noise and scratches and visible groove wear (on a styrene record, the groove will be starting to turn white).
A cover or sleeve will have seam splits, especially at the bottom or on the spine. Tape, writing, ring wear or other defects will start to overwhelm the object.