https://soundcloud.com/89-1-wybf/loquitur-low-down-vinyls-are-making-a-comeback
I have been collecting vinyl since I was in third grade. One year, I asked for a record player or turn table for Christmas. On Christmas morning, I opened a big box and inside was a compact record player with a radio and CD player. In the beginning of my record collecting, I was getting a lot of records from my uncles, aunts and my parents. All of the records that I received were hand-me-downs, so most of them are beat up, warped and have some scratches.
Collecting vinyls is my hobby. I have over 500 records in my collection. I go to vinyl shops and thrift store to buy most of my records. When I’m collecting records, it is always an adventure. I try to stay away from new vinyl because I believe that most new vinyl are remastered and the older vinyl are the original recording of when the record or album first came out.
On the hunt for vinyl
You never know what you are going find. Sometimes records stores are so big that you can’t possibly get through the whole store, unless you spend the whole day there. I have picked up some techniques from watching YouTube or just from other people giving me advice that I talk to about records.
Taking care of your vinyl
A great technique that I often use is shining a light into the record grooves. I do this to see if there are any scratches, dirt or dust on the record which can come in handy if you buy used records. Be sure to clean the vinyl as well. A lot of different people have their own methods of cleaning vinyl. One method is washing vinyl with plain old soap and water. Some people use wood glue which gets into the record grooves and you can peel it off after it sits for 24 hours. As you are peeling off the wood glue, all of the dirt and dust come out of the grooves. A couple years ago, RCA came out with a record cleaning kit and this method of cleaning is safer than soap and water and wood glue.
Different types a vinyl
There are different types of records. In my collection I have 33, 45 and 78 rpm, revolutions per minute, records. 33 rpm records are normally album or LP’s which is another name for a record album. 45 rpm records are singles with one song on each side. 78 rpm records are like 45 records. On 78 records there is one song on each side but it is played at a faster speed. 78 records are hard to find nowadays because they are one of the first records that came out.
The value that vinyl can hold
Believe it or not, some vinyl can be worth a lot of money but other things come into play, like what condition the is vinyl in, is it the original label and if it’s in high demand. Most vinyl today are remaster and reproduce since vinyl are making a comeback. I try to stay away from remaster and reproduce vinyl because my intentions of collecting vinyl is to get the original record and to listen the original recordings of that album.
Where I’m at now
Two years ago I got two professional Stanton turntables with a Behringer fader a Gem Sound 10,000 watt amplifier and two Bose speakers. This is my setup that I use currently.
Collecting vinyl is a fun hobby if you are into listening to music on a different format than just using your phone. Especially if you’re into older music there are tons of old records still out there.
