My biggest regret, when I reconnected with vinyl records about 6 or 7 years ago, was to buy albums massively. Looking back, there's a bunch of records I wouldn't buy now. And that's a big amount of money that won't come back 😥
Sometimes I wish I'd kept the original record sleeves when I started to buy better ones. Tossing those originals meant, in some cases, lyric sheets, artwork etc. For example, I would have put the LP into the MoFi sleeve and kept the original sleeve (if it had any info), sliding it into the jacket. I do that now.
Nice one Kenny,you learn from your mistakes and move on. With used records I only buy VG+ at a minimum where I can help it.I can stand a click or pop here and there but can't bear surface noise that sounds like a bowl of cereal Great video as always
I not only find your videos usefual and educational - but I admire the infectious passion you bring to the subject - keeps me buying/digging - great video!
I totally get you on the condition aspect - I went through my collection and got rid of everything with ringwear. I just didn’t have room for that. That’s so interesting about a separate mono cartridge. Very infirmative video. Thank you.
My biggest mistake when I was young was to replace fine sounding (re)pressings with original pressingd that turned out to sounding inferior to the ones I already had. Because they were quite used and had lots of tics and pops and "fire in the wood". In other words spending the little earnings I had on "old" music in stead of exploring new music/ artists. Good video Kenny. Like your channel😊
Mono cartridge is essential if you have a large number of mono presses from the 1950s and 1960s! The Audio Technica AT33Mono is a great cart for not a lot of money ($300). I have one and a higher end Miyajima mono cart. Great video Kenny...~Jason
Good points Kenny. Like you say, condition is key. As well as collecting, I also sell lps on a small scale. Sometimes you come across a collection that makes you drool, only under further investigation to discover that it looks like the cat might have played on the records.
One of the reasons I love my brick and mortet record store is that if anything looks strange, they will play it before I decide to purchase. When at thrift stores, I gentle run my finger over anything that looks like a scratch. If you can't feel it, it's probably inaudible. Ultrasonic cleaners are a game changer as well.
Hey there, Kenny 👋 I did very similar if not exactly the same things as you did. Some mono records sound excellent and sometimes “better” than its stereo counterpart. I’ve amassed approximately 30 carts all mounted to the same company’s headshells (a bit OCD)…. I keep meaning to pick up a decent mono cart. Most “mono” carts aren’t “true or real”, and the R+ and L+ are connected internally. The AT33 mono is a true mono cart though. I took a small amount of very thin copper wire and connected the two sides, so it’s just externally connected instead of internally. A “fake” mono cart does a pretty good job. I’ll eventually pick up a true / real one. I’ve been on Discogs since 2012, and besides buying and selling there, it really is an amazing database of pretty much any pressing. Not sure of the validity, but I’ve heard that if something ever happened to your collection, insurance will apparently accept the median value as a claim. Got about 1,000 records from my collection entered in so far, but those matrix numbers can make you go blind…lol. I wish I’d figured out and gotten into high sensitivity speakers earlier, which can be run with pretty much any kind of amp, low or high WPC. They seem to sound more effortless and dynamic, IMHO. Another thing is the realization that a nice sounding tube phono pre and tube line stage can sound fantastic driving a SS power amp. Thanks, Kenny! Apologies for the long comment, btw….
I enjoyed reading your comment, thank you very much for taking the time to post them. That Audio-Technica AT33MONO cartridge sounds great for the price for sure but I'm looking forward to upgrading it in a year or so.
You will laugh. Fifty percent of my collection is second hand. Most discarded by CD buying folks who got rid of their albums in the eighties and early nineties. Amazing what people threw away. Right now i probably have 500+ albums both on CD and vinyl. For some reason I have a lot of Japanese pressed vinyl because we were told the quality was better. Now most are on lossless as well. Somehow they sound sterile but it is alright for the car.
That's a great way to purchase records 👌...the majority of my collection is from thrift stores and swap meets, mostly thrif stores 😀. Thanks for sharing 👍 😊
One benefit I miss from “back in the day” is/was my practice of recording a copy or preferred cuts from an album on my cassette (or if you had the hardware) a reel to reel and playing off that including listing the counter position so as to get back to any single selection to create a compilation for parties or themes. I even went further by digitizing selected singles for the same purpose. Some of my sixties and seventies albums are in almost new condition. Anyone going down that path needs a good recorder and good high quality tapes and high resolution digital files or you are gonna regret it. Rock on brother…
Hey Kenny 🙌 How's it going I know a lot of people that regret giving away their vinyl records collection to buy the cds when they first came around. They're still trying to get all the records back 😄 Peace 🙏God bless and have a nice week! ✌
That's a great point. I did not do that but I am sure that there are a lot of people who probably have that regret. I hope that you are doing well and I hope that you have a great week 😊 ✌️
Hi Kenny, I get what you say, I used to think in terms of regret myself about all sorts of things in life. But I think you will find peace through acceptance on these past actions in the lesson that it simply was the way you handled and thought that way in those days. I think regret only is valid when you were aware of let's say, the importance of the condition of records but neglected it anyway. Little off-topic, but as an example, I have some tattoos which I think different of now than back when I got them. And I did think it over back then (30+ years back) but realizing it simply was the difference in the way I saw things back then compared to now makes the regret or negative aspect of that futile. It leaves you with peace and a path of evolving, experiencing and learning. Regret also taught me that it states were not fully at peace at where we are right now and it should have been different. But at that point when will it ever be. You know, I even got to a point that my collection of things even started to give me the opposite of what it was intended to give me which off course should be things like pleasure, contentment, joy etc. But realizing at some point a few years back that I had so much that I could not even make the time to enjoy it all, it started to have a choking effect on me. Now that is the opposite of what your endeavors in collecting and listening should be providing. That's where balance is lost. If you notice you always on the hunt for something else, something new, better, you're not satisfied with what you've got. I'm still now and then fluctuating between such states but I gives me joy being able to find peace at where I'm at and what I've got. Seeing these situations as learning points. One still active is buying at thrift stores on the go without having the time (closing time) to check on the condition, if the right records are in there, if it is complete (double albums) etc. Putting them back or accepting that there could be misfits among them should be the right lesson. Thanks for putting your thoughts out and sharing Enjoy
Some great insight, and a few of them are mine, too. Many thanks! Abt. 5 years ago I discovered the treasures of the mono world (of reissues). Bought myself a Miyajima Mono cartridge, mounted a 2nd tonearm on my tt and explored the Classic Records‘ Jazz Mono series, mostly Blue Note 1500s which were mostly in their original true mono recordings by RVG and then true mono cuts by BG. Man, some of these sound so killer that I gave my respective MMJ‘s stereo 45 versions away. Blakey‘s Moanin‘ got my jaws dropping when comparing to various stereo versions.
Great video I’d say I wish I had a better turntable and cartridge I remember having aplastic 2 speaker portable stereo and lugging it and my albums to camp! Also a mono portable Bell and Howell cassette player in the 60’s wish I had collected more jazz records and bought in other cities like San Francisco and Chicago Seattle
For me it was buying quantity over quality. For some reason I thought I needed everything I could get my hands on. Now I'm slowly getting rid of a all the junk
great v id K Man. i have two old mono turntables, 1 in my music study/entertainment side and in my home recording studio. my stereo in my study,is surround sound,all analouge, except for wifi/blutooth tv cd player and dig music. in my recording studio, besides different moniter speak's, i hav a pa with JBL voice of the theatre pa speak's for band rehearsal. i have tons of lp's that are mono, in all different genres, idioms and styles. PS, my dad used to play and compose with Ahmad , Charles Boles, and Dr Yusef Lateef. Have all their respective mono lp's, which all kill. also, early r n b, rockabilly, blues soul and even stones/beatles mono discs. which still kill. your right about the "Rice Crispy's" snap crackle n pop. Cheers
My biggest regret, when I reconnected with vinyl records about 6 or 7 years ago, was to buy albums massively. Looking back, there's a bunch of records I wouldn't buy now. And that's a big amount of money that won't come back 😥
Sometimes I wish I'd kept the original record sleeves when I started to buy better ones. Tossing those originals meant, in some cases, lyric sheets, artwork etc. For example, I would have put the LP into the MoFi sleeve and kept the original sleeve (if it had any info), sliding it into the jacket. I do that now.
Nice one Kenny,you learn from your mistakes and move on.
With used records I only buy VG+ at a minimum where I can help it.I can stand a click or pop here and there but can't bear surface noise that sounds like a bowl of cereal
Great video as always
I appreciate your as always, thank you very much ✌️
I not only find your videos usefual and educational - but I admire the infectious passion you bring to the subject - keeps me buying/digging - great video!
I appreciate that very much, thank you 😊 ✌️
Keep the knowledge flowing Kenny, great stuff & many thanks!
That is kind of you to say that...much appreciated 😊
Fabulous to enjoy your company and wisdom. Very very interesting thank you.
I totally get you on the condition aspect - I went through my collection and got rid of everything with ringwear. I just didn’t have room for that. That’s so interesting about a separate mono cartridge. Very infirmative video. Thank you.
Thank you very much ✌️
My biggest mistake when I was young was to replace fine sounding (re)pressings with original pressingd that turned out to sounding inferior to the ones I already had. Because they were quite used and had lots of tics and pops and "fire in the wood".
In other words spending the little earnings I had on "old" music in stead of exploring new music/ artists.
Good video Kenny.
Like your channel😊
Thank you very much and thank you for posting your comments 😊
Mono cartridge is essential if you have a large number of mono presses from the 1950s and 1960s! The Audio Technica AT33Mono is a great cart for not a lot of money ($300). I have one and a higher end Miyajima mono cart. Great video Kenny...~Jason
“Keep the peace worldwide” thank you Kenny that’s a positive statement and much appreciated these days.
Thank you very much for saying that 😊✌️
Good points Kenny. Like you say, condition is key. As well as collecting, I also sell lps on a small scale. Sometimes you come across a collection that makes you drool, only under further investigation to discover that it looks like the cat might have played on the records.
One of the reasons I love my brick and mortet record store is that if anything looks strange, they will play it before I decide to purchase. When at thrift stores, I gentle run my finger over anything that looks like a scratch. If you can't feel it, it's probably inaudible. Ultrasonic cleaners are a game changer as well.
I do the same album scratch test at thrift stores as well...I wish that I did that test when I was a much younger collector.
Hey there, Kenny 👋 I did very similar if not exactly the same things as you did.
Some mono records sound excellent and sometimes “better” than its stereo counterpart. I’ve amassed approximately 30 carts all mounted to the same company’s headshells (a bit OCD)….
I keep meaning to pick up a decent mono cart. Most “mono” carts aren’t “true or real”, and the R+ and L+ are connected internally. The AT33 mono is a true mono cart though. I took a small amount of very thin copper wire and connected the two sides, so it’s just externally connected instead of internally. A “fake” mono cart does a pretty good job. I’ll eventually pick up a true / real one.
I’ve been on Discogs since 2012, and besides buying and selling there, it really is an amazing database of pretty much any pressing. Not sure of the validity, but I’ve heard that if something ever happened to your collection, insurance will apparently accept the median value as a claim. Got about 1,000 records from my collection entered in so far, but those matrix numbers can make you go blind…lol.
I wish I’d figured out and gotten into high sensitivity speakers earlier, which can be run with pretty much any kind of amp, low or high WPC. They seem to sound more effortless and dynamic, IMHO. Another thing is the realization that a nice sounding tube phono pre and tube line stage can sound fantastic driving a SS power amp.
Thanks, Kenny! Apologies for the long comment, btw….
I enjoyed reading your comment, thank you very much for taking the time to post them. That Audio-Technica AT33MONO cartridge sounds great for the price for sure but I'm looking forward to upgrading it in a year or so.
agree with point 1. nice channel man!!!
I appreciate that, thank you 😊
You will laugh. Fifty percent of my collection is second hand. Most discarded by CD buying folks who got rid of their albums in the eighties and early nineties. Amazing what people threw away. Right now i probably have 500+ albums both on CD and vinyl. For some reason I have a lot of Japanese pressed vinyl because we were told the quality was better. Now most are on lossless as well. Somehow they sound sterile but it is alright for the car.
That's a great way to purchase records 👌...the majority of my collection is from thrift stores and swap meets, mostly thrif stores 😀. Thanks for sharing 👍 😊
One benefit I miss from “back in the day” is/was my practice of recording a copy or preferred cuts from an album on my cassette (or if you had the hardware) a reel to reel and playing off that including listing the counter position so as to get back to any single selection to create a compilation for parties or themes. I even went further by digitizing selected singles for the same purpose. Some of my sixties and seventies albums are in almost new condition. Anyone going down that path needs a good recorder and good high quality tapes and high resolution digital files or you are gonna regret it. Rock on brother…
Hey Kenny 🙌 How's it going
I know a lot of people that regret giving away their vinyl records collection to buy the cds when they first came around.
They're still trying to get all the records back 😄
Peace 🙏God bless and have a nice week! ✌
That's a great point. I did not do that but I am sure that there are a lot of people who probably have that regret.
I hope that you are doing well and I hope that you have a great week 😊 ✌️
Hi Kenny, I get what you say, I used to think in terms of regret myself about all sorts of things in life. But I think you will find peace through acceptance on these past actions in the lesson that it simply was the way you handled and thought that way in those days. I think regret only is valid when you were aware of let's say, the importance of the condition of records but neglected it anyway.
Little off-topic, but as an example, I have some tattoos which I think different of now than back when I got them. And I did think it over back then (30+ years back) but realizing it simply was the difference in the way I saw things back then compared to now makes the regret or negative aspect of that futile. It leaves you with peace and a path of evolving, experiencing and learning. Regret also taught me that it states were not fully at peace at where we are right now and it should have been different. But at that point when will it ever be.
You know, I even got to a point that my collection of things even started to give me the opposite of what it was intended to give me which off course should be things like pleasure, contentment, joy etc. But realizing at some point a few years back that I had so much that I could not even make the time to enjoy it all, it started to have a choking effect on me. Now that is the opposite of what your endeavors in collecting and listening should be providing. That's where balance is lost. If you notice you always on the hunt for something else, something new, better, you're not satisfied with what you've got.
I'm still now and then fluctuating between such states but I gives me joy being able to find peace at where I'm at and what I've got. Seeing these situations as learning points.
One still active is buying at thrift stores on the go without having the time (closing time) to check on the condition, if the right records are in there, if it is complete (double albums) etc.
Putting them back or accepting that there could be misfits among them should be the right lesson.
Thanks for putting your thoughts out and sharing
Enjoy
I appreciate your awsome and wise thoughts and opinions and thank you very much for taking the time to watch my video and post your comments 😊 ✌️
What a great video Kenny✌️ I'll tell you about some of my blunders sometime
😊😁..thank you ✌️
Some great insight, and a few of them are mine, too. Many thanks!
Abt. 5 years ago I discovered the treasures of the mono world (of reissues). Bought myself a Miyajima Mono cartridge, mounted a 2nd tonearm on my tt and explored the Classic Records‘ Jazz Mono series, mostly Blue Note 1500s which were mostly in their original true mono recordings by RVG and then true mono cuts by BG.
Man, some of these sound so killer that I gave my respective MMJ‘s stereo 45 versions away. Blakey‘s Moanin‘ got my jaws dropping when comparing to various stereo versions.
Great video I’d say I wish I had a better turntable and cartridge I remember having aplastic 2 speaker portable stereo and lugging it and my albums to camp! Also a mono portable Bell and Howell cassette player in the 60’s wish I had collected more jazz records and bought in other cities like San Francisco and Chicago Seattle
Thank you very much Dave for always watching my videos and taking the time to post comments ✌️
I am just discovering Funkadelic/Parliament (Bernie Worrell 😎) inflating my spaceship.
For me it was buying quantity over quality. For some reason I thought I needed everything I could get my hands on. Now I'm slowly getting rid of a all the junk
Taking better care of records
Only mofi or analogue production for me
great v id K Man. i have two old mono turntables, 1 in my music study/entertainment side and in my home recording studio. my stereo in my study,is surround sound,all analouge, except for wifi/blutooth tv cd player and dig music. in my recording studio, besides different moniter speak's, i hav a pa with JBL voice of the theatre pa speak's for band rehearsal. i have tons of lp's that are mono, in all different genres, idioms and styles. PS, my dad used to play and compose with Ahmad , Charles Boles, and Dr Yusef Lateef. Have all their respective mono lp's, which all kill. also, early r n b, rockabilly, blues soul and even stones/beatles mono discs. which still kill. your right about the "Rice Crispy's" snap crackle n pop. Cheers
The first regret is collecting records.