"For us music fans, it comes as no surprise that vinyl is back. Media outlets are writing articles left and right about the vinyl comeback, and have been for the past couple of years now. When Urban Outfitters started carrying vinyl, we all knew what it meant. And that was years ago. What’s your best […]"
VINYL CRATE DIGGING TIPS?
For us music fans, it comes as no surprise that vinyl is back. Media outlets are writing articles left and right about the vinyl comeback, and have been for the past couple of years now. When Urban Outfitters started carrying vinyl, we all knew what it meant. And that was years ago.
What’s your best crate digging advice?
And sure, if you want the statistics – fewer than 500,000 units were sold in 1993, and its up at 10 million sales as of now. Some say it’s a hipster thing and due to the Record Store Day introduction, but let’s skip that for now and concentrate on the one thing vinyl has in common right now – It’s still an alternative form to collect your music. Sure, it’s up by a few percent but let’s face it, streaming services are dominating the market. But sure enough, it has resurrected and kept a few shops in the major cities alive. That is still fucking awesome in my opinion, as I love physical media. But some of those record store owners are scary, collector nerds who would ban you from the store if you dared to ask for the latest Lana Del Rey vinyl.
What do you look for?
But now that is “back” – How do you go through the stacks of old vinyl to find the hidden gems? If we skip the re-issues, Jack White’s incredible vinyl sales records and concentrate what the record stores include – A huge section of old dusty vinyl.
So when faced with these huge racks of vinyl, what do you go on? What do you dig for? Which record sleeves draws your attention? Any labels you look for? I want to know, and I know there’s a lot of people who wants your help – Because the new and re-issue section is still only a small segment of the shops.
For me, I go for certain record labels – But I do love sleeves – If the record cover showcase something I’m drawn to, I go for it.
What sleeves are worth your attention?
Sure, an old copy of a Guns n’ Roses record in a 99 cent bin is cool, or 36 Chambers by the Wu-Tang for the same price. But what I’m asking for is – How do you dig for records? What are your tips? Let’s educate the masses!
If you don’t have any suggestions, don’t worry – We’ll compile a tips list and help you out, but for now – I’m roping in the help of you who do dig through the crates. Note that we plan on doing a special on this, for newbies and cool people alike, in an upcoming podcast episode as well, so hope you don’t mind us quoting you, if you comment. And don’t forget, six years ago this guy’s collection was worth nothing. Thank god for physical media.
First things first: you have to know what your white whales are. These are the vinyls you HAVE to have. Of course, you’ll spend forever accumulating these, but it makes going to the record store better in hopes to find them. For me, I have been trying to get a first press of Deja Entendu by Brand New for about 6 years. So compile a list of all time records you want.
Next: decide if you are interested in collecting pressings and color variants, or simply just collecting albums and eps you enjoy. for me, and my wallet, I decided to forgo collecting every single pressing and variant of an album. If I see a cool one, I’ll snag it, but for the most part, I collect one copy of each album. Choosing how you want to collect will help you decide what to look for and how you go about searching.
The fun part: find a local record store or stores, and carve out about an hour for each shop every week or so. Most shops buy vinyl from people as well so they usually have a recently added section that can contain some really great shit if you’re patient enough to dig.
My method is to simply pour through the individual sections one by one. I enjoy a lot of different music and have my collection categorized by moods, so I’m always looking for new stuff to play.
Just set a budget, be patient, take your time and you can find some really great stuff.
the biggest tool you have to your advantage is Discogs.com. You can see every pressing and variant, how many were in a pressing run of the album, and importantly, how much they are selling for so you aren’t getting ripped off by your shop.
other online resources are Facebook vinyl groups, though some people can be shady, there are plenty of awesome records to be had on there. same with eBay. Just be careful with who you buy from.
As always, you can hit me up if you need any more tips on Twitter. @drunkduck14
Love this idea but I’m sad to say i used to work for a local record store where I’m at that has lots of locations around and whenever vinyl was traded in employees took that stuff before anyone even saw it. You mentioned Deja Entendu I have actually seen that one come through a couple times and each time an employee promptly bought it at discount (if you worked trade you decided these prices for the most part based off of Discogs) or stuck it in a pile with 9-10 other rare or desireable vinyl in the back under their name. It was disgusting but awesome when you’re a part of it so really my advice would be for anyone hoping to find variants/ first pressings etc I would bite the bullet of online shopping and price hikes cause it was rare i ever got my hands on anything like that even after it went through everyone else let alone some vinyl digging customer hoping to find a gem because all they ever got were leftovers.
Also if you value your records at all, NEVER EVER PLAY THEM ON A CROSLEY PLAYER. they may look cool and hip, but the tone arm is too heavy and they destroy your records insanely fast.
One other thing that you may find fun to do is surf the budget bins and resale stores for oddities. You would be surprised how many great records get written off as easy listening trash, and how much of that material has been re-contextualized by well-known artists throughout the years. Just to give a shout to DJ Shadow, he’s such a collector of private pressings, ala records that were created in very small numbers, usually for a specific individual’s use, that he used chunks of his collection as the basis for his album, The Private Press.
If you’re ever in Pittsburgh, visit Jerry’s Records. It’s an amazing mess of records and an easy place to drop $50 and walk out with stacks of things you never imagined existed, some of which you may wish didn’t exist! But that’s the charm of a place like that and the hunt in digging in the crates.
Other than that, find your local vinyl shops and hit them up. You’ll figure out which ones are good and which ones think Urban Outfitters are revolutionaries. In NE Ohio, where I live, I hit up the fantastic Square Records in Akron and Music Saves in Cleveland. Both have good selections of new and used vinyl and at good prices. They also get obscurities you may never see again, making it an essential reason to visit often.
Great call on the budget bins. Found some amazing ones myself at thrift stores.
Personally, I tend to flip through every single bin, every section, every price range, even if I usually walk into a record shop with a precise budget, my rule is: the more records you can get with that money the better it is. If you are patient enough, that shiny, overpriced, hip wax piece will cross your path again, half that price, sooner than you think.
I tend to buy electronic music and through the years I noticed that the best record shops (at least in my humble opinion) for this genre are those who don’t let you flip through the bins by yourself. Asking the staff for the records you want to listen is a great way to discover more and more music. Whether your a veteran dj or just a passionate listener, let the wise guys advise you. Talk to them, make them questions, let them guide you, take all the time you need. You won’t regret. My favorite spots are Ultrasuoni Records in Rome, Radiation Records in Rome (if you’re into DIY punk), Eastern Block in Manchester (top notch stuff there), and (needless to say) Honest Jons in London. I used to be a great fan of the Black Market in London too, but i read it’s going to close down. Massive lost.
I have a list of records that I’m looking for, including rare ones, and their approximate price (or what I’m willing to pay). I tend to go blank when I’m in a record store and forget half of what I want, so that comes in handy. Thankfully my wanted list is quite small now. I go through every bin, every record, because you never know, and if you want something enough you should be willing to put the time into it. You won’t find it if you don’t look.
I have also purchased a few hard to find records off Discogs, which is a great site if you keep an eye on it and wait for the right price to come along. It’s too bad some of the harder to find ones are priced so absurdly, but what really gets me is the RSD releases that are on ebay within minutes of RSD starting for outrageous prices. For me, every other day can be RSD, as I want to support local as much as possible. But I tend to avoid the actual RSD at all costs.
Like the Alice in Wonderland Un-birthday. I get the date and it’s nice it’s become a “new” old thing but EVERY DAY should be RSD.
I mostly just search through everything and anything. Looking for the albums that I want to have but also the ones that can surprise me. I then look and see what is over priced and the median of prices for the ones I am interested in so when I go into a store, I know what is worth the money. Have a cut off limit of what you want to spend on certain albums or just your total. Also I look and find vinyls that are in VG+ for both the record and the sleeves.
First things first: you have to know what your white whales are. These are the vinyls you HAVE to have. Of course, you’ll spend forever accumulating these, but it makes going to the record store better in hopes to find them. For me, I have been trying to get a first press of Deja Entendu by Brand New for about 6 years. So compile a list of all time records you want.
Next: decide if you are interested in collecting pressings and color variants, or simply just collecting albums and eps you enjoy. for me, and my wallet, I decided to forgo collecting every single pressing and variant of an album. If I see a cool one, I’ll snag it, but for the most part, I collect one copy of each album. Choosing how you want to collect will help you decide what to look for and how you go about searching.” PERFECT, Jordan has a great handle on searching and I’ve used those same tips myself.
Still adding to this myself (http://checkmyvinyl.com/Audiobinge) but it’s a great tool along with other sides to keep track of what you have. Always turns out to be a lot more than you think. https://deadformat.net is also a good choice for recording EVERY medium you collect. Get a search going on discogs and see what records are costing in a ballpark sense. These you are searching for slowly but when you find it it’s the best day ever. If you see something unique or fun snag it, especially if it’s a nice tour only, limited color, etc. I like to own something special and limited but I also want to own a record I love. Get as “rare” as you can afford but don’t kill yourself or how priceless it is. I also like to keep in mind something that will “age” well if you will. Some records now are fun but they won’t be something to spin years from now. A lot of things are nice spur of the moment but you can download or stream that. My vinyl collection are my beloved albums, limited tour only things I can attach a memory too, and some of those early records I still love no matter what. Call them guilty pleasures or whatever you like. It’s an experience and a joy to collect and it should be treated as such. Thrift stores, estate sales, yard sales, are your friends!
I’ve found my most impressive gems in the bins at thrift stores. Make a couple trips a week and spend five minutes digging through their pile. One mans trash after all.
Don’t be afraid to try something unfamiliar. Don’t limit yourself by just looking through all the popular artists. Look through the bargain bins and take a chance on something that catches your eye. And most importantly, don’t lose control! If this hobby is not tamed properly you might find yourself struggling to find space for your own beloved ‘crates’.
Pick an album that you can listen to every single song on without getting bored. That’s really my only advice on records. The most important part is the player, if your player is good enough every album you have will sound spectacular. If you worry about resale value when you buy an album, you’re doing it wrong.
I have a massive spreadsheet in which I rank all the records I want, so whenever I’m in a record store on on discogs I always stick to the list (I have a hard copy in my wallet).
I live in Germany, so I have the great luck to be able to buy all the great classics in their European pressings. German, Dutch, French pressings and so on. These are much cheaper pressings than original UK or US releases. Seeing as I don’t care at all about the value of my discs, I’m really happy with this. I just want the records I love on vinyl. Not because I think it sounds better than CDs, I can’t claim to be an audiophile anyway and my equipment’s pretty subpar, except for my record player itself. Vinyl is just the format I choose to use for analog music listening as it has much more emotional value to me to have my favorite records as actual, big, haptic records and not some cheap little CD in a jewel case that is bound become scratched and broken anyway.
As for crate digging, I find it helps to know good record stores from ‘bad’ (or simply mediocre) ones. I have my personal favorite store around the corner and I’m familiar with the owner and his taste. So I know roughly what kind of stuff will be in the crates, therefore it’s gonna be worth it to spend a few hours every now and then looking through all the discarded second hand discs that pile up in the back room. Digging through bargain bins and crates at flee markets and so on can be rewarding too, though. I found a beautiful copy of The Stooges’ Raw Power at a flee market ones. Paid 5 Euros and it still plays perfectly despite having played it to death on my old piece-of-shit record player I used to have. So really, crate digging is great if you’ve got patience and a little bit of luck.