Sellers Who Accurately Play Grade Records

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by FanOfTunes, Mar 16, 2023.

  1. FanOfTunes

    FanOfTunes Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Indianapolis
    Many sellers do not play grade records on Ebay and Discogs. However, I have had good luck returning noisy records for a full refund.

    I recently had 2 great success stories with sellers that play graded, and hope to find more sellers like them.

    Steely Dan Aja AB-1006 - was listed as a "Mint" play grade. No spindle marks on labels, and dead quiet from start to finish. Sounds like the old MFSL Japanese vinyl.

    Beatles Revolver UK Stereo first press - This was listed as "Mint". I asked about play grade. It was priced at a premium, and the seller agreed to play grade it on headphones. He said it had 2 light ticks over the length of the record. Received it, and it was dead quiet and did not have a single spindle mark on the labels. Superb.

    Anyway, I exclusively seek quiet vinyl and am happy to pay a premium. Any names of sellers that play grade vinyl are welcome.

    I have purchased, and returned for refund, 3 separate John Lennon Plastic Ono Band UK originals. All graded near mint, all scuffed and ticky/crackly with heavily spindle marked labels. Oh, to find a seller that has a truly minty one!!
     
    Classic Car Guy likes this.
  2. Ken Dryden

    Ken Dryden Forum Resident

    I don't think it is worth my time to list LPs that I can't grade NM. I always will play an LP on both sides for 30 seconds or so to confirm that it isn't noisy. Most of the LPs I have listed are either brand new (sealed) or things I bought new and took care of over the decades.
    I just sold two vintage Tony Rice LPs ($40 and $57 were the prices) and both buyers were very pleased and left feedback for me.
     
    Dave and FanOfTunes like this.
  3. astro70

    astro70 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Illinois
    The more I buy records online, the less I trust a play grade. And it goes both ways. What any person selling an LP hears play grading it can vary wildly from what the buyer hears when they listen after buying. My setup is very revealing and will expose any groove wear or scratches that aren’t as noticeable on a less detailed system. As a matter fact, when I got my first real pair of speakers, I had to go buy a bunch of my albums again because what I thought were all VG+ nice clean copies turned out to be groove worn G+ junk.
     
    ArpMoog likes this.
  4. FanOfTunes

    FanOfTunes Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Indianapolis
    Your point is exactly why this thread was started. The goal is to identify sellers who accurately play grade records. Too many sellers either don't play grade, or as you point out, inaccurately play grade.

    The seller lpheaven on eBay sold me the minty Aja AB-1006.

    The seller ronmellot sold me the minty early UK stereo Revolver.

    I would buy from either of them again and hope to find more sellers like them.
     
  5. Classic Car Guy

    Classic Car Guy - Touch the Face of God -

    Location:
    Northwest, USA
    I'm not really a religious used vinyl player. I buy them just to record. It can get personal if the one you bought was promised very good and turned out there is no inner sleeve, filled with foreign materials and scratches and jump skip especially with a high grade cartridge. I don't know anything about vinyl selling but they should have a process how to test it or just say No I didn't test it. Atleast I know which one to buy.
     
  6. Ken Dryden

    Ken Dryden Forum Resident

    There are some things you have to know as a collector. If you find a seller who offers a first pressing of a 1973 LP, be aware that this is when many labels started using recycled vinyl for LPs, due to soaring petroleum prices caused by the Arab oil embargo. When I bought ELP’s Brain Salad Surgery upon its release, it sounded like Rice Krispies popping in the softer passages upon the first playing. I forget which other LPs the change effected, but that was the worst of them.
     
    Joe Satriani and lazydawg58 like this.
  7. Raunchnroll

    Raunchnroll Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    It is indeed an ideal situation if a seller has the time and gumption to do that with every record, but most sellers don't. When buying by mail, where you can't inspect the thing yourself before purchase, there is always a degree of uncertainty. I've had very spot on sellers miss things now or then.....and thats to be expected. As a seller I've had people return stuff saying its noisy but when I play it back - it isn't. Peoples systems vary in that regard. One of my old favorite UK sellers used to advertise everything as having wear & tear, spindle marks, scuffs and scratches. Most of what I got was superlative.
     
    G L Tirebiter and lazydawg58 like this.
  8. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    I would suggest that before first play of a used (or new) LP you clean the record using a surfactant, vacuum and rinse with distilled water. The rinse step is extremely important, when in doubt rinse it again. It can make a great deal of difference. And just because someone says they've cleaned the record before shipping, ultrasonic, RCM, by hand, whatever don't let it go and not clean. If they used to strong a surfactant mixture, failed to properly rinse, didn't vacuum or any combination of these they may have done more harm than good.
     

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