Definitive Audiophile pressings

Turbo said:
Been doing mostly Ella for a while. I keep checking RC, but I've not been finding EX/EX of what I'm looking for. I think you have to be very diligent with checking RC if you want something somewhat popular. I've lost a few things I had in my cart because I was hoping to eventually bundle a few extra things.
Click to expand...
same thing happens to me with Ella. I wanna buy 3-4 albums and have trouble finding stuff i REALLY want lately all at once. one or two things disappear and then I can't justify the cost with shipping for only one or two albums. Should have gotten more last year when prices were better and things were easier to find...
 
I keep looking at JP Sabbath albums but they're so crazy expensive I can't do it.

Did just order a 1980 UK Bilbo pressing of Hunky Dory as well as the EMI 100 of Aladdin Sane and also the OG UK numbered copy of Elastica ST with the flexi disc and OMG what have I done. Somehow NOT drinking has made it worse.
 
Mather said:
I keep looking at JP Sabbath albums but they're so crazy expensive I can't do it.

Did just order a 1980 UK Bilbo pressing of Hunky Dory as well as the EMI 100 of Aladdin Sane and also the OG UK numbered copy of Elastica ST with the flexi disc and OMG what have I done. Somehow NOT drinking has made it worse.
Click to expand...

Vol. 4 is not very audiophile in anyway, but I found a mint Canadian first pressing and it's really great. I also heard a late 70's Canadian pressing during my quest, and it was good too (but too poppy for my tastes during the quieter tracks, so I'm selling it). US and UK copies seemed really expensive while I was looking - those are supposedly the go-to pressings - but they were too expensive for the risk of getting mis-graded copies. So I stuck with Canadian. The Canadian pressings may not be as well regarded, but what I heard is good. Apparently Aussie copies are good too. Anyway, some avenues...
 
MikeH said:
same thing happens to me with Ella. I wanna buy 3-4 albums and have trouble finding stuff i REALLY want lately all at once. one or two things disappear and then I can't justify the cost with shipping for only one or two albums. Should have gotten more last year when prices were better and things were easier to find...
Click to expand...
I have the same issue w Ella and other JP sellers on Discogs. Collectively, they all seem to have whatever group of stuff I’m looking at, but none has all of them or enough of them to justify shipping. I did several purchases from HMV and Universounds in late September/early October last year — not quite the exchange rate trough, but close enough for me. Ella prices in USD so it’s unclear whether there’s really a benefit when the exchange rate is more favorable on the US side.
 
Portland Sheriff said:
I have the same issue w Ella and other JP sellers on Discogs. Collectively, they all seem to have whatever group of stuff I’m looking at, but none has all of them or enough of them to justify shipping. I did several purchases from HMV and Universounds in late September/early October last year — not quite the exchange rate trough, but close enough for me. Ella prices in USD so it’s unclear whether there’s really a benefit when the exchange rate is more favorable on the US side.
Click to expand...
See. The reason us Canadians don't have a problem with their shipping costs is that it's roughly the same cost to ship from Japan as if we were going to send a record to the other side of the same town we currently live in. So $30 doesn't really seem like a big deal. Unlike you yanks who somehow still have media mail which is quite frankly insane considering it was created in NINETEEN THIRTY EIGHT to allow people to ship books inexpensively and is somehow still a thing that exists.
 
Mather said:
See. The reason us Canadians don't have a problem with their shipping costs is that it's roughly the same cost to ship from Japan as if we were going to send a record to the other side of the same town we currently live in. So $30 doesn't really seem like a big deal. Unlike you yanks who somehow still have media mail which is quite frankly insane considering it was created in NINETEEN THIRTY EIGHT to allow people to ship books inexpensively and is somehow still a thing that exists.
Click to expand...
Damn yanks and their socialized mail service
 
MikeH said:
not sure if it's crazier that some of these sold for $3,000 or that it only took 16 bids to get there....I haven't seen the actual listings but wouldn't be shocked if these were in crazy good condition. I just could NOT imagine dropping $3,000 on quiet kenny when the mono reissue and the AP both sound amazing.

Can't hate on JRC. I love that place and last time I went I picked up a ton of heat for really fair prices. And glad they are making some bank on these if it helps them stay open. Their shop is crazy. Under all the bins there are tons of records that haven't been priced and even just really clean empty sleeves. I imagine they take a lot of time to match clean sleeves with clean vinyl on some of these.
Click to expand...
The one thing I’d say about JRC is that a disproportionate amount of their eBay listings claim a record was played “maybe 1 or 2 times” or something like that. I just don’t see how that’s possible with quantity of 60 yr old records they sell on ebay. I was there in October and didn’t have time to dig around under the main shelves.

As for those prices and number of bidders, I don’t understand how anyone is willing to spend that kind of money on a record, but I also haven’t sold a company, cashed in on crypto when it was red hot, inherited $, etc., so I don’t know what’s it’s like to be able not to care about dropping $3k on a record. On the other hand, I’m sure at least 99% of the world would say the same thing about how much I do spend on records, so I don’t judge.
 
Portland Sheriff said:
The one thing I’d say about JRC is that a disproportionate amount of their eBay listings claim a record was played “maybe 1 or 2 times” or something like that. I just don’t see how that’s possible with quantity of 60 yr old records they sell on ebay. I was there in October and didn’t have time to dig around under the main shelves.

As for those prices and number of bidders, I don’t understand how anyone is willing to spend that kind of money on a record, but I also haven’t sold a company, cashed in on crypto when it was red hot, inherited $, etc., so I don’t know what’s it’s like to be able not to care about dropping $3k on a record. On the other hand, I’m sure at least 99% of the world would say the same thing about how much I do spend on records, so I don’t judge.
Click to expand...
They are probably THE pre-eminent jazz record shop in NYC and get access to all sorts of crazy jazz collections. Considering they have a 100% feedback rating on ebay, I'd guess that they are not lying about the quality, as crazy as it seems. Most feedback says "item as described". And like I said, they seem to save up mint jackets that had really beat up records inside to pair with clean vinyl.

They don't like for you to look under the bins, but I always try to just for the hell of it to see what they have. Seen some crazy stuff. I had been there a lot in the past when I lived in NYC and it had always seemed a bit overpriced, but sometimes I'm okay buying something for a little more in person than online since I can see the grading myself. Last time I went, I looked through literally every single used record in the main bins and pulled so much great stuff for under $20. Almost seemed like those records hadn't been priced in years but I was honestly surprised at the selection they had. Checked a ton of stuff off my wantlist. I got a sealed 1972 mono Jutta Hipp - Live At The Hickory House Blue Note for $20 amongst other awesome stuff.

If I had 3k to drop on a OG blue note, I'd feel pretty comfortable with them as the seller.
 
Portland Sheriff said:
A sampling of results from Jazz Record Center’s eBay auctions today. And some in the jazz vinyl community wonder why there’s so much demand for high-priced audiophile reissues when — supposedly — a little old-fashioned hard work and crate digging will yield as-good or better results . . . . The Dorham Cafe Bohemia and Dolphy Outward Bound destroyed the highest sales on Discogs.
View attachment 163628
Click to expand...
I think we are going to start seeing these kinds of prices more often to be honest.

The OG jazz market has been getting bigger in the past few years with tons of Instagram accounts, Facebook pages, and Youtube channels popping up all the time. The hits these things are getting seem to be increasing significantly as well. I set up an Instagram account to share my collection almost 4 years ago now and there are so many more dedicated pages now.

We're talking about OG records that are only going to dwindle in numbers and become more and more scarce, with people coming into the hobby that has significant money to burn. The 45RPM guy is a key example, in the space of a couple of years (?) his collection has built into something that people with decades in the hobby could only dream of.

The Blue Notes, Impulses, Riversides, etc are always going to be big ticket albums but now the lesser known/niche labels are soaring in price too as they become more popular. I have been heavy into British jazz for the past few years now and records that were £30-£40 back then are selling for hundreds (no exaggeration at all) on Instagram and eBay.

There's got to be a ceiling it's going to hit, right......
 
Mather said:
See. The reason us Canadians don't have a problem with their shipping costs is that it's roughly the same cost to ship from Japan as if we were going to send a record to the other side of the same town we currently live in. So $30 doesn't really seem like a big deal. Unlike you yanks who somehow still have media mail which is quite frankly insane considering it was created in NINETEEN THIRTY EIGHT to allow people to ship books inexpensively and is somehow still a thing that exists.
Click to expand...
I had to ship a pretty big box of Christmas gifts to my in-laws several states away. I told USPS it was media mail (“old video tapes”) and dropped shipping from $30 to $14.

It IS pretty crazy for sure.

🤫
 
Selaws said:
I think we are going to start seeing these kinds of prices more often to be honest.

The OG jazz market has been getting bigger in the past few years with tons of Instagram accounts, Facebook pages, and Youtube channels popping up all the time. The hits these things are getting seem to be increasing significantly as well. I set up an Instagram account to share my collection almost 4 years ago now and there are so many more dedicated pages now.

We're talking about OG records that are only going to dwindle in numbers and become more and more scarce, with people coming into the hobby that has significant money to burn. The 45RPM guy is a key example, in the space of a couple of years (?) his collection has built into something that people with decades in the hobby could only dream of.

The Blue Notes, Impulses, Riversides, etc are always going to be big ticket albums but now the lesser known/niche labels are soaring in price too as they become more popular. I have been heavy into British jazz for the past few years now and records that were £30-£40 back then are selling for hundreds (no exaggeration at all) on Instagram and eBay.

There's got to be a ceiling it's going to hit, right......
Click to expand...
ebay prices maybe 10 years ago were insanely cheap. i was buying OG NM Impulse albums for under $10 SHIPPED. Now I see beat up G+ copies of stuff sell for $50+. I think the fetish will get worse for OGs especially as tapes are no longer used for reissues and jazz gets even more popular. Maybe it's just based on the people I follow, but jazz vinyl and social media have become really popular and I do think that has driven up the price of jazz records. I've been going after lesser known labels like Steeplechase but even Muse Records and some others are getting out of reach financially. I love seeing people recommend "cheap heat" but even those records are then selling out pretty instantly and becoming pricey. That combined with really poor grading on discogs and ebay has made finding records harder online. It trickles to shops too since quite a few price based on current discogs listings instead of previously sold prices.
 
MikeH said:
ebay prices maybe 10 years ago were insanely cheap. i was buying OG NM Impulse albums for under $10 SHIPPED. Now I see beat up G+ copies of stuff sell for $50+. I think the fetish will get worse for OGs especially as tapes are no longer used for reissues and jazz gets even more popular. Maybe it's just based on the people I follow, but jazz vinyl and social media have become really popular and I do think that has driven up the price of jazz records. I've been going after lesser known labels like Steeplechase but even Muse Records and some others are getting out of reach financially. I love seeing people recommend "cheap heat" but even those records are then selling out pretty instantly and becoming pricey. That combined with really poor grading on discogs and ebay has made finding records harder online. It trickles to shops too since quite a few price based on current discogs listings instead of previously sold prices.
Click to expand...
The bulk of my OG collection came from Ebay well over 10 years ago. If you knew the sellers, and the ones to avoid, you could build a very good collection reasonably.

But that was before Discogs. Ebay is now a cesspool for vinyl, excepting a few Japanese sellers. Discogs is what drove prices up, and continues to pour fuel on the fire.
 
Last edited:
RHANDMJ said:
The bulk of my OG collection came from Ebay well over 10 years ago. If you knew the sellers, and the ones to avoid, ypou could build a very good collection reasonably.

But that was before Discogs. Ebay is now a cesspool for vinyl, excepting a few Japanese sellers. Discogs is what drove prices up, and continues to pour fuel on the fire.
Click to expand...
I don't think discogs is solely responsible for that. In fact, I would bet it has more to do with sales over all of vinyl, people getting in to the medium and then understanding the importance of a particular pressing. More people collecting means higher prices for more collectible items.

Ebay has been and always will be a crapshoot. On reasonable assuredness of grading and pricing. Sometimes it's spot on, sometimes it's not. Prices on Ebay can dwarf prices on cogs.

I'd say cogs as a reliable database and indicator of the market has had a greater effect on what local record stores ask for used/collectable vinyl.
 
Lee Newman said:
I don't think discogs is solely responsible for that. In fact, I would bet it has more to do with sales over all of vinyl, people getting in to the medium and then understanding the importance of a particular pressing. More people collecting means higher prices for more collectible items.

Ebay has been and always will be a crapshoot. On reasonable assuredness of grading and pricing. Sometimes it's spot on, sometimes it's not. Prices on Ebay can dwarf prices on cogs.

I'd say cogs as a reliable database and indicator of the market has had a greater effect on what local record stores ask for used/collectable vinyl.
Click to expand...
eBay seems to have “celebrity” sellers who sell records WAY above discogs prices. Places like carolinasoul have built up huge followings due to their constant listings of harder to find records. I used to buy from them and got fantastic deals. Now I hardly ever can afford any of their auctions, even for stuff that isn’t rare.

Out of curiosity I went on The In groove’s whatnot auction once. It was INSANE what people were bidding on albums. Maybe it’s getting caught up in the moment of an auction but there were albums that I could find under retail selling for 2-3x MSRP. There are a bunch of “audiophile” Facebook auctions where the same thing occurs. Not sure if it’s people who don’t know how to use the internet to find albums or what…Completely mind-boggling to me.

With discogs there are always the sellers who list records for crazy prices in case someone is silly enough to want to pay that price. I noticed that during the pandemic, on a lot of higher quality releases, all the affordable copies were snatched up quickly. that left only those crazy-priced copies. And so many new discogs users figured those prices were the norm and started buying those copies too.

Grading has become a total crapshoot on ebay and discogs. The “Nm except for…” phrase pops up a lot. And lots of new sellers sell the incorrect pressings since they don’t know how to read deadwax.
 
I've also noticed the 'celebrity' sellers gaining traction, CarolinaSoul and Vinyl House UK being key ones that seem to get a premium for their sales.

I also filled my shelves with ebay scores back in the day and had similar experiences to you guys. I wont mention how much I paid for my first pressings of Lee Morgan Vol 3 and Coltrane's Blue Train, but it was less than a later reissue goes for nowadays. Even CarolinaSoul was affordable and that's including international postage to the UK.

Funnily enough I have found that Instagram sales tend to be really common now as well. People setting up a time for a drop, then posting individual records with the price in the caption and the first one to comment gets it. Or posting a story flicking through a stack for sale. I have to admit that I have had people message to ask if I would be willing to sell records that I posted and they almost always offer a premium for them.
 
Selaws said:
I've also noticed the 'celebrity' sellers gaining traction, CarolinaSoul and Vinyl House UK being key ones that seem to get a premium for their sales.

I also filled my shelves with ebay scores back in the day and had similar experiences to you guys. I wont mention how much I paid for my first pressings of Lee Morgan Vol 3 and Coltrane's Blue Train, but it was less than a later reissue goes for nowadays. Even CarolinaSoul was affordable and that's including international postage to the UK.

Funnily enough I have found that Instagram sales tend to be really common now as well. People setting up a time for a drop, then posting individual records with the price in the caption and the first one to comment gets it. Or posting a story flicking through a stack for sale. I have to admit that I have had people message to ask if I would be willing to sell records that I posted and they almost always offer a premium for them.
Click to expand...
I have a “price paid” column in discogs and when I set that up, looking through my old eBay confirmation emails was super depressing 😓. Wish I had known then what I know now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top