Got my hands on a 1979 vinyl reissue of Are You Experienced sealed in mint condition

That would be from the era Capitol pressed records for Warners (which started around 1977). My copy of Electric Ladyland has similar "WW" markings and the Winchester "wineglass" on all four sides.

 

OP, how does it sound?

I've run into some 70s Hendrix pressings in the used bins but they are always trashed.

 

Yeah my dead-wax reads:
Side 1: "RS -1-6261-ww4. #4"
Side 2: "RS-2-6261-ww2. #2"

And the 1979 US reissue, according to Discogs (http://www.discogs.com/Jimi-Hendrix-Experience-Are-You-Experienced/release/2121128):
Matrix / Runout (side 1): RS-1-6261-JW2
Matrix / Runout (side 2): RS-1-6261-JW4

It doesn't match exactly but is definitely similar. I know it's not the 1986 reissue because that one has a barcode and mine does not. So it can't be 1986 or later. And it can't be before 1979 because the inner sleeve says 1979 on it, so that wouldn't make any sense. So it's definitely between 1979-1986.

My vote is still for 1979

 

It sounds great. No loud pops. Very light crackle.

 

Totally depends. I certainly wouldn't pay so much for a run of the mill reissue. But since it is a classic you can sell it for that.

Especially since more and more people are looking to pre-digital reissues as cheap(er) alternative to often unafordable originals. What tends to be forgotten is that "all analogue" isn't a guarantee for great sound. If this was the case then all pre-digital vinyl would sound great. Which of course it doesn't.

 

Any pics? That will help some of us narrow it down even more.

 

The tri-color Reprise pressings are the way to go on U.S. pressings of this title, in my experience. Of course, that's easier said than done, and I have a Capitol/Winchester Electric Ladyland that's not bad at all.

 

I am a Hendrix collector. Last year I sold my entire LP collection. I had several near mint pressings of Are You Experienced, from memory they sold for about $30-40 each and they were early 1970s pressings. Both Polydor & Reprise

 

Indeed. Not to brag, but I have an orig. CDN. tri colour (CDN. record = the CDN. spelling) Reprise which is also excellent.

 

30681 RS6261A-1L

30682 RS6261B-1AC

Anyone know what pressing this is?

 

I remember this, and it is pretty accurate.
I also remember reading accounts of how the labels would send out huge amounts of Christmas music to department stores and accept it back when it didn't sell, then put the returned vinyl in 55 gallon drums until they ground them up, labels and all, and reused them.

 

I have what I believe is a 1979 reissue of Axis. It is one of the best sounding albums in my collection. I have a couple of Neil Young reissues from around this time as well. Ditto on the fantastic sound, and clean quiet vinyl. Peter is right about Reprise upping their game in the late 70s. These reissues are obviously easier to find in minty, relatively affordable condition than originals.

 

I have two pics on the first post. Did you completely miss it? lol

Here's some more:

 

I guess I did miss it, ha. That's a nice pressing.

 

Nice score on a great album!

 

Nice pics & congrats. Wish I could find an "old" sealed Jimi Lp like yours.

 

Yeah they're hard to find and expensive sometimes. There's an original 1967 sealed stereo on eBay for $1,000
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jimi-Hendri...6560036?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item540edc2024

And an original 1967 three-tone stereo Axis: Bold as Love
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jimi-Hendri...5558688?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item4d281e56a0

 

Tri-color stereo pressings of the first two albums get harder to find every year, but there are still a few out there in the wild. Tri-color monos? I've seen one, trashed beyond salvation, in all my years of flipping through the used bins and flea markets.

 

Oh god what I would do for tri-color mono of Are You Experienced in minty condition. They're so hard to find in minty condition. And the 2011 Sony/Legacy AAA reissue sounds like crap from what I've read.

 

I actually like the recent mono reissue. I obviously don't have an original to compare it to, but, based on other 60s mono records I have, it is what it is, and rocks pretty hard.

 

The mono Sony reissue is made from the US mono tape, and it's pretty bad. There is a download "out there" transferred from the mono French Barclay LP which sounds much better than the reissue or the US/UK originals.

 

I have the old French Barclay box with the mono AYE as well as Axis and Ladyland. I don't recall it being crazy expensive or rare. On the subject of regrinds and re-cycling, I've been doing a little reading on the subject recently, and according to some of the papers published in the 70's, the practice had actually been going on for decades, really since the advent of the vinyl LP. I gather one of the problems was that if they were grinding up returns, defective pressings, etc. they were doing so with records potentially made of different vinyl formulations, which all had different characteristics regarding temp, flow, etc. Thus, a blob of that stuff used to make a new record could heat up unevenly, flow unevenly, and I guess, release unevenly from a press, making for a lot of potential noise issues and defects (and presumably, if returned, back into the grinder for yet another new record!) I think there was an old thread here, on the Hoffman forum, talking about the Pellotron, or some similarly named device, that ensured that the 're-grind' was consistent. Not sure how that would have any effect on different formulations going back into the hopper. But, with all that said, I have some fabulous sounding records from the 70's.

 

I have original tri- color Reprise - excellent condition.
Early 70's Reprise custom paper inner-sleeve - mint -
The third one I have is the one you have but mine has a plastic sleeve inside...mint condition.

 

Hmmm...Almost everything I heard has been bad regarding the 2011 mono reissue. A lot of people saying it sounds like mud. Including Laservampire mentioning they used the bad US mono tapes

Let me ask you something. Do you have the proper equipment to do a good needle drop?

 

Yes, I thought I was clear that your release is not a 1986 pressing. Anyway, enjoy your album!