Best Album Cover

I still have all my vinyl but haven't had a turntable hooked up in at least 20 years.

 

I could have written every word of that.

 

Come on, this has to be the winner.............

 

For my money, you can't beat the Reverend.

 

That is one of the greats.

 

The Johnny Jenkins version of 'Gilded Splinters' with Duane Allman is my favortite version, but always found the Dr. John album cover freaky cool:

 

I got a turntable for Christmas with a Beth Hart album. That brings my vinyl count to 1. Really looking forward to building up a new collection.

 

Wanna look inside my head and get a laugh? Read on and mock me.

Because most of the albums I buy are used I clean them before use. It makes a difference. Now if a record has been beat to hell it won't do anything with that, but I look at condition before I buy. A clean or decent copy it will help. Plus, I have some stylus / styli? that I use that are worth a fair amount so I also want to protect them from unnecessary wear. If I do buy new I clean those as well.

Which pressing an album is something to look at when buying used. Not all are the same. The quality of sound can vary. Look at how many versions there are of this album:

https://www.discogs.com/Steely-Dan-Aja/master/16921

The following links are just to show some of the products I use, and I am not the world expert on this subject. Just passing along food for thought. Ultrasonic cleaning is my next step. Prices on these products vary so compare before buying if you are so inclined.

This works great for me to clean the stylus:

STYLUS CLEANER ZERODUST-ONZOW JAPAN MOST NEW MODEL TYPE SEALED | eBay

The first thing I use to clean is this:

Spin-clean - Starter Kit Record Washer System MK2 | eBay

Then I use a wand attached to a wet / dry shop vac similar to this one. This isn't the one I use, mine is homemade, but this concept works very well. It's like having a record cleaning machine at a fraction of the cost. I have an old turntable I use when doing this method. I turn mine on, I don't spin by hand. Next I wipe the record with a micro fiber cloth. Then in the dishrack for an hour before putting in a protective sleeve.

Record Cleaner - Vinyl Vac - Vinyl Record Vacuum Wand - Vinyl Record Cleaner Vac | eBay

I use a carbon fiber brush before play. Lots of them out there:

Anti-Static Vinyl Record Cleaning Cleaner Audio Stylus Dust Remover Pad Brush US | eBay

I also listen to the radio, have Spotify, use my phone and iPod, have CDs, cassettes, 8 tracks and reel to reel tapes. I'm not a snob.

To get back on topic:

 

MH, other than our differences in the Floyd of Rosedale rivalry, we might be brothers!

Well, we both love vinyl, anyway.

My focus is more on the record player and keeping it working, although your LP-cleaning methods are duly noted. I will have to try them on some of my favorite records.

The key parts to keep your machine running properly are, obviously, a quality stylus — tougher to get as Radio Shacks go out of business. The other key is the belt drive. Over time, it can get stretched out, cracked, etc. and then the speed of the turntable isn't right.

I won't even start on good speakers ...

Yes, I'm an incurable luddite, but one of the things I like about older technology is you have a chance to fix it and/or understand how it works. Good luck trying to repair a CD player. Or the Internet, for that matter!

 

Has discogs.com replaced Goldmine magazine as the got-to spot for record junkies?