Vinyl Thread • Page 300

Yeah the spending portion is mind blowing to me as well. The storage space can be a problem too but I usually see someone variant collect on one or two artists as kind of hallmark of their collection. It’s not practical to do it for every artist obviously. I already feel myself having some element of the urge variant collectors have since I do have variant preference and will pay a little more for a variant I like. I won’t go crazy but $5-$10 I might spend if I really love a certain variant.

 

This is always interesting to me but what’s the most you’ve spent on a record and what’s the most you would spend on a record you’ve been questing for?

I don’t think I quite know the answer to this question yet in my collecting cause I’ve never purchased any of my white whales.

 

Yeah, I know for certain that’s something I’ll never do, purchasing different variants. Once I buy a record once, I’m done. When I first started collecting vinyl, I already felt foolish that I was buying records that I had already bought on CD or digitally when I was younger.

My real problem is I also rarely ever listen to my vinyl. I have nearly 150 records and have only listened to a handful of them more than once and probably 20-30 I still haven’t opened...yet I keep buying them.

I’ve made it a point to listen to my vinyl more recently and even then I’m at like, one record a week.

 

I listen to my records a fair amount. Usually 2-5 records per day, depending on the day.

 

I had the same foolish feeling with re-purchases of records I bought digitally but I think about it as my record collection is more curated than my digital collection.

I don't listen as much as I'd like to - maybe a record or two a week depending on the week. I feel like that will increase once my kids are a bit older and out of the house while I work from home certain days. Plus I like the idea of both of them having exposure to my taste in music by looking through my record collection down the line as opposed to scrolling through a digital library or looking at Spotify.

 

about 1/4 of what i once had but not too shabby. probably play one or two a day after work

 

oh absolutely. i have a non U-turn table currently with automatic features. I just think the overall look/design is unparalleled, so if they offered up a model with automatic features it'd be such an easy purchase.

I did try out a u-turn when i was trying to update my set up, but just couldn't let go of the automatic features. I kept leaving records on the plate after the side had finished out of habit and HATED all of the steps required to change playback speeds.

 

I variant collect for 3 bands - Grayscale, Bearings and Currents. All three are in my top favorites and a) they’re all smaller so I would love to support as much as I can b) it’s a collector satisfaction thing to piece together something that I’m working toward and then seeing it together c) I just store them alphabetically just like the rest of my records.

The most I’ve ever spent on one single record was $200. It was a Grayscale test press, which was definitely a collector item vs practical purchase, as I’m the only one outside of the band/label to have this one.

 

The most recent Bearing's variants have been pretty nice looking. Those three are somewhat newer bands right so I imagine you got in at the ground level?

I'd imagine the test press will retain value or increase so it sounds like an investment too, to some degree.

Some of my white whale records are in the $200 range - but I don't think I could pull the trigger unless I sold some records and put that money into one of those records.

 

I didn’t buy the first press of The Place I Feel Safest because I wasn’t really a fan yet when it was available. I regret it so much. The colorway matches the album so well and the album is too good. I do own an orange copy of I Let The Devil In, but I need to jump on more of their stuff for sure.

 

I feel you on that last part. I wasn’t going to pull the trigger on the Grayscale test press when the label offered it to me but my partner told me go for it haha. Definitely not something I could do often. But yeah for most of the bands I variant collect for, I didn’t have to spend much above retail for anything.

It’s a beautiful pressing but they did just do a repress of that album, so the value of that one may go down.

 

i once overheard my local shop owner talk to a person who wanted to get a turntable that had automatic features. Basically said that the automatic abilities are really only found on cheaper setups and once you’re getting into the $300+ range it’s all manual at that point.

 

my copies of Bartees and Stay Inside showed up today

 

Yes it gets out of hand fairly quickly. I have every variant of every blink 12” album including test presses from SRC and MTS from back in the day. It’s all easily 125+ records of my 250+ collection haha.

 

My Wildflowers LP was stuck on the dreadful 'Label Created' for three days but finally shipped. Supposed to get it Saturday.

 

This is mostly why I can't listen ever. My kids do like looking at my records, but they are so young (6 and 3) that they always pick out records that look cool, rather than what they sound like. So I'll put one on and immediately, they'll pick out another one to put on so it just gets annoying, haha. So now I always wait until they're in bed. Plus, years ago when I finished my basement, I put my record player/collection in the basement and I'm not down there as much. When I had it upstairs, I would listen to albums after work or while making dinner, but that's no longer really an option.

 

My kids will listen to pretty much whatever I put on since they are so young (2 and 5 months) but I do look forward to a point at which there can be some mutual enjoyment. Looks like I have a ways to go though. Usually I'll put something on at dinner since the record player is in the living room/kitchen/dining area so that works but I'm limited to what I can put on which also kind of influences my vinyl purchases at this point unless it's a record I just NEED for my collection.

 

Finally found one of theChon Grow RSD released at the store today and hot damn is it pretty

 

You will not be disappointed. My friend has an original pressing and we played them back to back last night and this sounds better than the original press.

 

I will say that when starting out collecting vinyl, separating “Needs” from “Wants” truly helped my budgeting.

Needs - special/limited releases by bands I love, rare record that pop up on discogs as a grail, new releases from favorite bands

Wants - albums that I want but are probably heavily available with numerous variants and not needing a particular press, discography albums of bands that I can wait to fill

Those wantlist items usually get picked up around Black Friday when all those web stores do huge percentage sales.

 

I’ll probably work on NFG’s discography after I finish Jimmy Eat World. I already own Makes Me Sick and Not Without A Fight. Picked up Self-titled yesterday from Mondo.

 

The Decemberists are repressing Castaways & Cutouts and Her Majesty. They are also releasing a live recording from 09 on vinyl.

colored variants have sold out everywhere, however black copies are still up on their bandcamp:

The Decemberists

and Live From Home Library:

Live Home Library Series | Shop the The Decemberists Official Store

EDIT: web store editions back in stock:

Music | Shop the The Decemberists Official Store

 

I went through figuring this out recently myself. I revamped my Wantlist on Discogs and only threw on rare and more expensive records. I’ve held off somewhat on easier to find records and I’ve also focused on new releases especially when they are a smaller pressing quantity.

 

Finally started a collection on discogs. This is gonna take me forever haha