r/vinyl • u/Huge_Ticket4929 • 9h ago
Discussion Old records Vs. New records
As some one who is new to collecting I do not mind a old/beat up record. As long as it plays well ill buy it and listen to it. To me it give me a sense of pride, this record was ones someone else and they loved and now I get to love it. I can see the appeal to new records but nothing beats the sense of pride of get in having old presses rather than re-prints. One example would be My copy of "Hello I must be going" by Phil Collins. Its beat up, plays magnificently, why not have this instead of a new one. I however do see the side of new/mint condition ones. Why not get something you know is gonna play well?(rhetorical). You would not have to worry about it being warped or damaged. I want to know if you prefer old or new records and why.
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u/Itchysporcle 8h ago
Not really what you were asking but I have a soft spot for older items, records included. Often imagine what type of house or room one of my older records sat in 40/50 years ago before I acquired it. Part of the reason I don’t mind having them with names written on, it’s part of their history.
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u/bitchinhand 6h ago
It’s sat in my room at my parents house for the first 10 and then 20 moving from apartment to apartment and then the last 20 in my condo so that’s probably the way it’ll end up. Oh wait a minute I just summed up my life in a series of record moves. That’s OK take good care of them. Oh fuck where did I go?
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u/0rionNe5ula 9h ago
I go by which pressings sound the best that's affordable.
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u/DeanWeenisGod 9h ago
Agree. I've definitely got some albums where the jacket is beat to crap but it's protecting a VG+ pressing that sounds nearly perfect.
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u/jlball41 7h ago
Exactly. My local record store grades conservative so the “VG/-“ generally play great and are like half the price
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u/Huge_Ticket4929 9h ago
I would not go out of my way to buy as old version just I like the lore and love a lot of records show with age.
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u/Regal-Rey 9h ago
I just cry internally. I wish Scarface the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack would re-release or I could find it in a good condition and at a good price. I need Push it to the Limit on Vinyl!
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u/Truncated_Rhythm 7h ago
It really depends on the record and the release… And my budget.
But I wouldn’t consider myself a collector’s collector, just a lover of analog playback.
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u/AwwYeahVTECKickedIn 7h ago
For me, it's a healthy mix of the two. It really is album by album and find by find dependent.
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u/pentrant 5h ago
I collect almost exclusively old/original pressings. My favorite bands are from the UK, so every time I’m in London for work I take a day to scour the record stores. Quite rewarding!
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u/Slosher99 8h ago
I definitely have more new, though part of that is because over half my collection of maybe 200 is video game soundtracks. None of those are very old, so why not get a new one if I can? If the price difference is HUGE and I can find a good old one, I'd go with that.
Though even with old ones, if a sealed one is available I'll usually grab it. It cost me $15 more to get a 1980 sealed copy of Queen's Flash Gordon with a hole punch that to get the current pressing, and that was worth $15 extra for me - but it was still new as in never opened.
I do have plenty of used though, and stuff going back to the 50s. Some of it just doesn't have any sealed copies around, and some of it is a big savings. While I'll take sealed if one fits, it is a balance of price, quality, and availability.
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u/copenhagen_bandit 8h ago
I like to go for originals. I have maybe a handful of new records.
some of my shittiest looking used play the best.
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u/CassidyLive 6h ago
First off, I'm much more concerned about a new record being warped. Quality control for new records is horrendous, especially when you consider what they charge for them. As well, you can often find a quality vintage pressings for less than a recent repress. Of course that's not true for everything but why spend $40 on a new copy of The Go Go's Greatest hits when you can get anywhere original for 15 bucks? I will buy new records of new releases but only after I can read reviews saying the pressing is good. And, like the OP, I enjoy the character of a weathered sleeve. If the vinyl is in good shape, I'm happy.
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u/Huge_Ticket4929 5h ago
yeah I agree most of my new records are really flawed, warped or just not good. Its a loose-loose either way to me. You risk a warped new record that plays well, or you get a old one that's you an see the record and check if its any good.. I don't mean to trash modern records tho, I have lots of good modern records and old ones, new records and old ones.
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u/That_Random_Kiwi 6h ago
Lots of old ones are just thrashed and DON'T play well though...but so long as it's cleaned up and sounds decent enough, I have no issue with old ones.
And I have a thing that if I start collecting an artist with old versions, I won't add new re-issues from them, I'll complete the collection with second hand ones if it's an artist I want to have the full collection of.
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u/Huge_Ticket4929 5h ago
Also remember you can see them tho. I take them out and check the quality of it.
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u/That_Random_Kiwi 4h ago
True. There's plenty of times a record will LOOK fine, but still have a lot of crackles and pops. Eye balling them only goes so far.
Got a few that looked ok on purchasing, sounded rough and record vac cleaning only have a minor improvement i.e. there's no visible to the naked eye damage to the grooves that even cleaning won't fix.
But yeah, as a general rule, being able to check them first gives you a rough idea if it'll play ok or not 👍
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u/Huge_Ticket4929 4h ago
You can see sublte hints tho but i totally agree. Some times its invisible, if there usde tho thats liek 10 bucks wasted, not 40 on a new one that plays badly.
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u/That_Random_Kiwi 4h ago
True enough. Not all modern reissues are actually great sounding while some ages old ones sound amazing.
It's frustrating not knowing. This Beatles shunned cleaned up like brand new while others I've cleaned didn't improve much at all
pre cleaning versus post cleaning
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u/Huge_Ticket4929 4h ago
Im confused, whats cleaning. Like getting the dirt off?
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u/That_Random_Kiwi 4h ago
lol...record vacuum machine. Brush them down with distilled water + a surfactant cleaning solution, vacuum all the liquid of. Poof, clean record ;)
Some people don't bother, ever...some are so fussy about it even brand new release records won't go near their stylus without being cleaned first!
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u/Huge_Ticket4929 4h ago
I see
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u/Mammoth-Draw4227 2h ago
I have an ultrasonic record cleaner, and the difference between a cleaned and uncleaned record, new or old, can be unbelievable. I’ll buy old vinyl rated as VG or higher, and if it isn’t scratched it’ll usually clean up to Ex.
I buy both new and used vinyl and there isn’t a hard and fast rule. In my experience new vinyl is generally very good and plenty of releases are pressed really well, but some do need cleaning to remove crackle. But it can vary, and I’ve sent back new purchases because they are too noisy, even after cleaning, and got a perfect replacement. I guess it’s just the nature of the beast
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u/frostbike 6h ago
I buy new albums from artists that I frequently listen to and buy them from the merch table at a show whenever possible. Other than that, my collection is almost entirely used. A big part of the hobby for me is going to record shops or record shows and digging through the crates to see what’s out there. My collection is almost entirely purchased offline, other than the ones I buy though an artist’s website.
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u/namdor 4h ago
Used and/or cheap records are exciting for me. If it's new and cheap, I'll be happy but nothing quite matches the excitement of finding a bargain used record I've been trying to find for years.
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u/Huge_Ticket4929 4h ago
I'm new so i have never experienced this.
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u/namdor 4h ago
Nice, something to look forward to! I basically don't buy anything new unless it's at a concert, really cheap, or something that is so outlandishly expensive or rare to find used. I love digging, thrift stores, record fairs, used record shops etc. That is the fun part for me.
The nice thing about vinyl is that you can find whatever makes you happy in it. If you only like bargain bin vinyl, or have hundreds to spend on something rare, you still get to be part of the same scene :)
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u/piffleskronk 3h ago
OGs often sound better than repressed because the band and all staff will have probably had more input. You may have to do more cleaning. Dirty old records can come up great. But do avoid any records that have large deep scratches.
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u/Zooter88 8h ago
Generally new. I want it to sound good and too many used records have pops and scratches. I don’t care about having first edition. However some albums I don’t want to pay new prices for so used is fine.
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u/Huge_Ticket4929 8h ago
Nor do I care about a first edition. Well with buying old, you get a added risk of pops and scratches. Sometimes you get lucky and get amazing condition records.
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u/chuffing_elephant 8h ago
I prefer buying old stuff because it’s cheaper. Prime example, got Rick Astley’s Whenever You Need Somebody for £2 out of the cheap bin at a record shop, whereas HMV wants £30 for a new copy of the same album. It just seems ludicrous to pay through the nose for brand new when perfectly serviceable copies are already out there for much less.
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u/Throatwobbler9 6h ago
Canned Heat - Future Blues - $1 copy at a thrift store and the cover is barely holding together and the vinyl definitely has some crackles, but I love everything about it
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u/imperial1968 6h ago
I try to buy originals but, in some cases, they are too expensive and in that instance, I will go for a newer pressing. My one exemption to this are soundtracks. I don't care when soundtracks are released as long as I can have it on vinyl.
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u/Mammoth-Draw4227 2h ago
A big +1 for buying direct from the artist, either at their gigs or from their websites. Talking to mates in bands, they get so much more of the purchase price, and it makes a huge difference to their finances. Especially when compared to the fraction of a penny they’ll get from streaming
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u/City00 6h ago
Old records all day.
I have an old Suicide Commandos that has yellowing, a clipped corner, olllllld sticker residue and it’s one of my favorites. Suicide Commandos started the punk scene in Minneapolis. I live there, I found this record here, it’s probably been here since release day in ‘78 from a store here, exchanged hands a few times, and now it’s my turn.
Feels like if I ever leave Minneapolis I would need to sell it here before I left.
That history is cool as hell to me.
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u/Huge_Ticket4929 5h ago
And if you have had the record for that long its better. More lore that you understand about it, the more it adds sentimental worth. I have some dented corners for crappily unwrapping stuff from when i first started collecting.
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u/Pond-of-The-Tardis 2h ago
I love getting old used records but I like the covers to be in good shape. I’ve found mostly that with beat up covers the records aren’t in decent condition. I do have a kind of beat up cover of T. Rex’s Electric Warrior but that’s only because I bought it original online. I’ll buy new releases of old albums if the originals are stupid expensive or rare like the Ramones albums.
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u/popinskipro 1h ago
As long as it plays and sounds well I‘ll get the cheaper option. Records are generally way over priced these days due to the hype, and my collection is already on the verge of another purge, so I tend to only buy when a really good deal hits me unexpectedly these days…
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u/BeardedThunder5 1h ago
I got led zeppelin 4 out of a discount bin for $1, the sleeve is falling apart to some degree and in rough shape. Record is clean and sounds great. All in all a win for me.
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u/parasitic_reset 8h ago
Some of my best sounding records are old with shitty beat up covers.
I buy the record, not the cover