Tips for buying used Vinyl needed

Spindle holes are meaningless if the TT it was played on are of the caliber of Audiofeil's. His is the level of less than 5% of the consumers that played those LPs, so it is a more safe than not assumption.

This thread should become a sticky - there are a lot of good tricks and tips that have been mentioned so far. My 2 cents worth is:

1- Universally, the worst LPs as a class are rock & roll; especially "classic rock". It's so bad that I won't even bother to inspect a used Beatles or Stones LP unless I know or trust the seller.

2- Conversely, the best class is almost always classical and opera. As someone mentioned, box sets are almost always a good bet. Pay attention to your label and who actually made the LPs, though.

3- I won't buy any LP that smells of mold or mildew. This tens to be a big prolem with garage sale LPs, in my experience. I know that I can clean them up, but I'm not going to take the time and I just do not want them in the house.

4- I won't buy scratched albums, period. It's just not worth it. Inspect all sides of all LPs in a multi-album or box set, but 99% of the time Side 1 is in the worst condition.

5- Learn to recognize the differences between scratches and scuffs on the LP surface that are not audible.

6- While I prefer pristine album covers (who doesn't?), most aren't. Some labels used poor construction and/or bad glue, especially some import labels. If the LP is in good shape it's still worth buying, assuming that it is not water damaged. See note 3.

7- I agree with everyone who has stated that vacuum cleaning is a must. I do not like the Spin Clean for deep cleaning, it just doesn't get the job done for me. But I do think that it's handy as a pre-cleaning device to get the surface dirt off of the LPs before I take them to the VPI cleaner.

The suggestions regarding record cleaning are all absolutely correct. I have a Loricraft PRC3 which I upgraded to after many years of a home made machine. At 1500 you might say it is not cheap, but I think you should think about spending as much on your record cleaning solution as every other piece of the analog chain - cartridge, TT, arm. phon-preamp. It is at least, if not more important than all of these. There is nothing you can do to improve a dirty record no matter what you spend on other components.

As far as used record advice. I have collected about 2000 early jazz used records over the past 10 years. Most of them early Blue Notes, Prestige, Atlantic etc. You won't even find these if you restrict yourself to a local market. You have got to go to Ebay or the larger record fairs/retailers. Most of these records don't come cheap.

I have always been amazed at the durability of vinyl. Moldy, dusty dirty records can be cleaned up to sound wonderful. Scratched and abused records cannot. You have to learn the sellers reputation. Ebay is alot better now than in the early days. Most sellers offer no questions asked 7 day money back guaranty and I probably return 10% of the records I buy as less than satisfactory and have never had an issue. Happy hunting.

Thus far, most people have only commented on the actual condition of the album. There are many other aspects to consider about the album itself, including the recording.

1) Beware of mono recordings. Some people do like mono recordings, but personally, I do not. Before stereo existed, albums never had "mono" or "stereo" printed on them, because all that existed was mono. Others may be able to comment on when stereo albums began to appear, but typically, albums released in the 60s and 70s will say "stereo" if they are stereo. Stereo was a big deal at that time since it was new, so it's likely to be printed somewhere on the album or album cover.

2) If you are shopping for classical albums, pay attention to the label/recording company. I am still learning which labels are the best, but ones that I always prefer are Deutsche Grammophon, RCA Red Seal, Angel, and others. Once you learn all the good labels, you can then proceed with caution when purchasing albums made by off brands.

3) Original pressings may often times sound better than the new "audiophile" pressings. You can always use google to look up an album's "code", which will then tell you when the pressing was from. I think the original pressings sound better many times because the master tape used to create the pressing was brand new. I jumped on the audiophile re-release bandwagon a short while back, but quickly realized they don't always sound great. Some of the newer pressings are even made from digital masters, which to me completely defeats the purpose.

Jwglista's advice is good but I have to disagree with the statement "Beware of mono recordings". I like; make that love mono recordings. Vintage 1954-1969 mono recordings are among the best sounding LPs I own. To repeat; certain labels are well known for better sonics.

Many mono LPs were played (and damaged) with older stereo cartridges and much of the noise will go away if you use a dedicated mono cartridge. If your not hunting for certain records, i.e. original mono Blue Notes, the mono pressings are often cheaper and sound better. In my experience, early stereo recordings are of variable quality. You limit yourself from enjoying a number of great performances, especially if you are a jazz or classical afficianado.

Good hunting!