Lots of people want the old MFSL type sleeves for their LPs. Some people blame the record companies for cheap inner sleeves. I am not deffending RTI (I don't work for RTI), but this is what I knew or been told. If anyone knows anything new or different... please post. 1. RTI (not Classic or DCC) places the newly pressed LPs on sleeves. 2. The company in Japan that made these sleeves stoped making them about 4 years ago. 3. RTI used up their stock until they were all gone (about 3 years ago). They now use what they believe is the next best thing available. 4. Except for expensive old packs of 10 sleeves leftover after the demise of MFSL, I don't know of anyone selling these sleeves in quantity. 5. You can buy the ones made by DiscWasher from Acoustic Sounds (although IMHO not the same and not as good). Then....two weeks ago I got Otis Redding's latest reissue by 4 Men with Beards (pressed only a month or so ago) and lo and behold....MFSL type inner sleeves. Where did these come from? BC
4 Men with Beards is using rice paper? My Aretha Franklin LP had a paper sleeve. I can't answer your question about where they got the MFSL inner-sleeves but that's good news. How's the sound quality on the Otis album? About RTI, I've had mixed experiences with their QC (DCC, Classic, Mosaic, etc.). When the vinyl is free from defects then the music really shines (good pressings/many plays). When I get scuffed/scratched vinyl (not from inner-sleeve choice/looks like it happened from pressing process) then I'm not a happy camper (especially on OOP titles). The defective ones bother me because of the cost and the fact that I know the music is not shining as good as I know it can. It also bothers me because I can listen to a cheaper ($7.99) OJC with a quite background but usually not as good mastering but free from defects and then when I play a superbly mastered disc yet there's tons of crackles and pop ($25-30), it makes me wonder... Todd
Here's my input as I know it... 1. True, and RTI does sleeve their Lps now using plastic lined paper with a label window opening. Better than plain paper, but static-cling hell. 2. That can't be possible. Mad audiophiles are buying many of them from Sleeve-City in 100 packs. I do. They haven't been phased out at all. There are at least two major plants that do the rice paper sleeves and other Tivek sleeve production for comic books and general "retail bagging". these plants never stopped since the 80s. The ones Sleeve-City has is Discwasher branded. They haven't changed since they made them in the mid-80's with brown print. Not an iota. They've been a blue-printed branded sleeve since the 90's or so. 3. RTI will use anything the label they're waffling for tells them to use. Production cost have certain sleeves factored into the bottom line, but RTI will bag using paper if you want them too. Rice paper is a premium. They'll do rice paper if you ask them to. 4. The basic white-Tivek filled Discwasher rice paper sleeve (exactly like the MFSL OEM sleeve) is no better or worse than any other MFSL OEM sleeve. They're made by the same corp in Taiwan. If anything, RTI might have substituted the rice-paper for the normal paper/w/lined sleeves because they might have run out of something. But, if you ever want something done at RTI, you can request what you want to have the LP bagged with. With the Jimi MONO Axis, Printed paper sleeves had to be produced in mass quantities previous to bagging and production. I have a feeling Classic made mass quantities of AXIS to meet a profit margin against licensing agreement. Also, I may be wrong about this, but the Men With Beards Lps don't seem like RTI's. Someone else can chime in about that.
Todd, IMHO.... the Aretha LP is one excellent LP (yes, with plain paper sleeves). The new Otis is Mono and sounds equally excellent. About bad RTI pressings.... I don't blame RTI alone for bad LPs. Classic Records should listen to a few LPs before they send them to retailers. I know they (Classic) don't listen because one of their 45 RPMs had to be recalled last year well after it had been sent to retailers. One of the sides was totally unlistenable and should have been caught had they listen. Tom Port is right about returning bad product. On the other hand... we also want RTI, Classic and retailers to be around. My suggestion...return the real bad stuff (don't sell it at ebay for some poor sucker to buy it) and then write and /or e-mail RTI and Classics with the specific problem for stuff that annoys you but you can live with. Let RTI and Classic you are not going to take it anymore. BC
Yes, I should check out that Otis album. The Aretha sounds very nice, especially the back-up singers (ooooh). These "defect" problems I'm talking about are not in the mastering or cutting but the pressing. It's pretty easy to spot the offending vinyl and even easier to hear. I usually return the defects to the stores I buy from and get replacements. The OOP stuff is annoying because it's difficult to get a replacement and most of the time I just live with it. I would never sell an item on Ebay or to anyone without being honest about any defects. I've contacted Classic Records about these pressing problems and they (Troy) offered to replace an older album (which I brought "sealed" at a used record shop) but he didn't think their were any problems with RTI's QC. I'm not meaning to bad-mouth RTI (their trouble-free pressings are super wonderful), it's just I've received a lot of defects compared to clean ones (usually a 50-50 shot) which makes me think it's more than my bad luck. I understand these things happen but sometimes it's annoying. Yes, of course I want these companies to continue to be very, very successful! I want everyone who cares about what their doing (me included also) to reap the rewards for hard work but I just hate sometimes getting defective vinyl (my TT starts to drink and smoke and doesn't sing to me anymore)... Todd
You're right , CLASSIC should listen to a title and several copies, before they send them out! By the way, has anyone heard that MILES 10" Mono Blue Note yet? Just asking.
I ended up stopping my order after I started reading about the noise issues on the tape or/and pressings. I'll try out some later issues of these if they are cleaner releases. I was into getting but bailed out... Todd