Amoeba Records

Not really. I mean it's right next to, I don't know, a cheaper hotel and pizza place, but you're right smack dab in the Union Square shopping district where everyone shops this time of year, and almost everyday all year for that matter, including the tourists. So, it's in a nice area. A good record store always should look a little shabby and dumpy inside, and the people who work there should have colored hair, Doc Martens, tattoos and wear black or whatever. It's like part of the ambiance.

I don't miss the mall-ish and sanitized Border's CD section or that of the Virgin Megastores, but RIP to those anyway.

Anyway, I only shop for CDs and have found tons of rare/neat/good bargain stuff at the downtown store. I can't speak to the vinyl selection.

 

San Francisco also has Griove Merchant Records on Haight. Small shop but quality stuff. It is all vinyl.

I enjoyed my time at Amoeba in SF 6 years ago but it was more CD oriented, at least then.

 

I only know the L.A. Store and think you'll enjoy it. A few blocks away on Selma Avenue is a fairly new shop called The Record Parlour that is all used vinyl and just a 15 minute drive away in Sherman Oaks is my great local shop Freakbeat Records on Ventura Blvd., and over in Burbank on MagnoliaBlvd is Atomic Records. I can safely say that even if Amoeba fails to satisfy you will find lots of affordable used vinyl at the smaller shops and have a grand time!

 

If you're only going to one store, Amoeba LA can't be beat.
If you've got some time to shop around, SF/Bay area is the winner.

 

Personally, I found a bunch of great Rare stuff at the LA store for a low price (Original Moody Blues Vinyl for $7) , plus stay at the Hotel Roosevelt a block or two away.

 

I agree with this whole heartedly. Unless you pick up the records I want.

 

If you're going to come to Los Angeles soley to shop at Amoeba, you may as well stop by the other local shops too and make a day or two of it. As previously mentioned, Freakbeat Records, Atomic, and Rockaway are all staples and should guarantee a satisfying stack by the time you leave for home.

 

It's decent.
The singles, Jazz, and 78 collections are great.
The rock vinyl is decent to good, the soul/r&b vinyl is way too trashed.
Plus the good stuff is not on the floor, but is done through auction.

 

Thanks guys for all the suggestions- booked my flight to LA!
ATB,
Mark

 

Sorry, that should read Groove Merchant Records.

 

I am here to tell you the truth. the LA store sucks. I live here and have never walked out with a single good record. Just never happens. if you are a newbie who wants to buy a bunch of crap records, then it might be ok........but if you have all the Doobie Brothers and Joe Jackson Lp's you are ever gonna need, dont even bother. I cannot IMAGINE why any collector woudl EVER tell you to go there.

i will also give you some inside info. I am very good friends with a legend of Los Angeles vinyl.....he owns a store here now and has for a LOOOOOONG time and he knows everything about vinyl. more than we all do. he as there in the thick of it since very late 60's.....anyways, he knows everyone here too..he says there are several pros who pick their new arrivals bins 3 times a day, every day. that means several people are coming in several times a day each to cherry pick everything you ever wanted to resell at shows or in other stores.......my reality bears this out. I have never, not once in dozens of trips, found s single solitary record for myself or to resell here.

I dont know what kind of collector you are but if you are anything like me, save your flight money adn buy good Lp's from a trusted online seller or an ebayer you trust.

dont waste the money. the experience of walking into a big music store? big deal....a bunch of cds and dvds. yeah, they have a deep catalog.....but who cares when their vinyl is junk.

i dont know if i will EVER go back., why would I? soul crushing experience in every way. its lame.

thats the truth no one wants to tell you but you should know.

however I will say LA in general is great for used vinyl but there is one trick I use to get the good stuff I dont wanna share.

edit: I see your flight is booked. good luck

 

OK, since you've locked in LA, I assume you're gonna head straight to Amoeba.
Since the store is so huge, you should be warned to bring your want list, carefully watch how much time you spend in the bins/rows, and pace yourself. Grab one of the store maps so you can zoom in on the sections that you want to browse.
Whenever I step foot in there, time speeds up and an hour rapidly ticks away in only 30 minutes...it's a proven scientific fact!
If you're only looking for vinyl, then you may not have to worry about the clock as much.
(BTW, If you really want to maximize your time in LA, you should consider renting a car.)

Keep in mind, one major factor of used record buying (whether record stores big or small, swap meets, garage sales, online, etc is TIMING... Hopefully you'll be in the store when some good stuff is put in the bins...)
Even the pros can't stay in the store all day long to suck up all the good stuff.

Good luck!

 

Get to know Jerry and he'll take care of you!

 

I find good stuff/records at Amoeba Hollywood frequently, but not always. Takes time and luck, and you have to go in there regularly. The New Arrivals bins, as shinedaddy says, always ALWAYS seem to be picked over. Don't find much there these days but I always check the pricier stuff up on the walls. Found some GREAT stuff up there, but you do have to pay collectors prices. Still, in my experience, they are usually priced lower than what sellers on ebay or discogs will charge, no shipping to pay, you can thoroughly check the condition, they will take the record back if it's too noisy and give you credit, AND the best part is you walk outta there with the record ready to be spun on your TT when you get home!

Also kinda funny how many people here are bringing up the bathroom issue. Yes, it blows, but the best kept secret is the bathroom over at the Walgreens on the corner of Sunset and Vine. No need to screw around and ask the clerks to get "buzzed" in to the Jack-In-The-Box restroom. Just walk a few extra hundred feet over to the Walgreens and pee in peace.

 

The Jack in the Box had an exterior facelift last year; looks very nice now. Unfortunately on the inside it's still a Jack in the Box on Hollywood Boulevard, with all that implies

 

Yeah, but the downtown San Francisco Rasputin's has crappy stock.

 

I think the CD selection is good there. The Haight street store has much less of a selection.

 

Fresno's Rasputin's is better than the two combined as regards stock.

 

went to AMOEBA today.just got back.i little disappointed in used vinyl selection great for new vinyl.
did make 3 decent finds.UK TRAFFIC pink label.
UK SPOOKY TOOTH pink label
UK QUICKSILVER HAPPY TRAILS EMI

 

Just got back from Amoeba from my first shopping trip there in several years. I wasn't looking for anything remotely rare or hard to find....but score score score! My focus is cd's and I could not carry my loot without a basket. I will be back. And back. And back.

 

Great timing. I am going to Pittsburgh tomorrow and am so glad I read you post. Thanks.

 

I know that you will enjoy "Jerry's Records", have fun!!!

FYI, I just looked at "Jerry's" website and they claim to NOT be open on Monday's, which is news to me, as they used to be open every day of the week. You may want to call them, before you make the drive over to Squirrel Hill, so you're not disappointed! (412) 421-4533
The only issue that I ever found with going to "Jerry's" on a Monday, was that the kind (and super quiet) guy (his name is Chris), was always off on Mondays. If you are like me and enjoy looking through (mostly) alphabetized 45's, you may find it hard getting to the boxes that are stored nearly as high as the ceiling, especially if you have a fear of heights! Chris, when he is there, has no problem going up on the ladder and pulling any boxes down, that are out of reach.

 

Agreed, Like Jerry's the best , he is a great guy and since I have family in PA.. i go there about once every year.... Great prices on collectable stuff... the prices are very fair for all of their LP's!! You really can't go wrong and the selection is massive.. Ameoba is not bad.. but if you are looking for old vinyl at reasonable prices, go to Jerry's!!

 

I recently made a cross-country trip to the Bay Area and was fortunate enough to visit both Amoeba branches in that region -- in Berkeley on Telegraph Avenue and in San Francisco on Haight Street.

About 10 years ago, I went to the Berkeley branch a couple of times, but both visits were brief as I was just passing through town. On my recent trip, however, I was able to get longer looks at the Amoeba stores. I came away really impressed.

I collect CDs and vinyl records but more so CDs. If there's a store with a better CD selection in the United States (or the world?) than these Amoebas, I'd like to see it. And I've been to several other U.S. record stores that have great reputations -- places like Waterloo in Austin, Texas; Twist & Shout in Denver; the Electric Fetus in Minneapolis.

A lot of the good stuff that I saw and bought at the Amoebas was of the out-of-print variety. I keep a lengthy CD wants list that has many out-of-print items on it, and the Amoebas just had so many of them available that I was practically overwhelmed. I'm talking out-of-print box sets on artists like the Beach Boys, the Jefferson Airplane, Elvis Presley, Oasis and the Zombies; great Rhino and Time-Life various-artists collections in pop/rock, the blues, country, R&B and several other genres; definitive greatest-hits packages of artists ranging from LaVern Baker to XTC. These were all used CDs but in excellent condition. The prices weren't exactly cheap but were fair, I thought.

I ended up with a basket full of stuff at each store and had to put some items back so I didn't break my bank account. I'd have to give a slight edge to the San Francisco store over the Berkeley location just because it's a little larger (and also has a better music book selection), but both were jaw-droppingly great and complement each other well. I was so busy perusing the CD sections in the Amoebas that I didn't have time to look very closely at the vinyl offerings, though they seemed pretty extensive as well.

I'd love to visit the Amoeba in Hollywood sometime as I've heard that it's the largest of the three locations. If you enjoying collecting/buying music, especially on CD, I heartily recommend that you visit any of these Amoebas. There's nothing else comparable to them as far as I'm aware.

As far as vinyl, I have been to Jerry's in Pittsburgh, but it was a disappointingly short visit. I could see that the store was really large, though, and that it was stuffed with vinyl of all descriptions. I've been to the Bananas Music warehouse in St. Petersburg, Fla., a few times, and that is quite an experience. The selection there is huge, and I found a lot of LPs that I have never seen elsewhere in a brick-and-mortar store. Rock and Roll Heaven in Orlando also had a pretty nice selection of oldies on vinyl the couple of times I stopped in, though the prices were a little high.

 

SF is only foggy and cold in June-August.....