Adventures in Jazz Collecting: 78s
I asked the question the other day: Does anyone out there collect 78s? No one replied, so I figured I would get the ball rolling.
The answer to the question, for me, is that I don’t collect 78s. I do, however, have more than 1,000 78s. The reason I say I don’t collect 78s is because if I did collect them, I’d be obsessed about them and worried about filling in my collection and getting all the Blue Notes and searching for 78s and hunting them down on eBay. That is what I do with my LP collection. I have never done that with 78s. Yet, through the years I have accumulated them.
It started back in the 1980s. There was an ad in the classified section of the local newspaper. A guy had a collection of jazz 78s and wanted to get rid of them. Normally I wouldn’t have cared, but I was curious: What if there were some original Bird 78s on Dial? So I called him and, indeed, there were some original Bird 78s on Dial: Yardbird Suite, Moose The Mooche, A Night in Tunisia. Holding these in my hand, it really felt like I was holding a piece of jazz history. The guy had about 1,000 78s and wanted $100 for them. That night I walked into the house and began unloading crates of 78s. Mrs. JC just looked at me and sighed.
Then, of course, I had to get a 78 player. I still have the first one I ever purchased: A crank-handle
RCA. It sounds great. I eventually purchased a used Thorens turntable and hooked that up to my regular stereo system, but that didn’t sound good at all. Through the years, I’ve discovered that the best players for 78s are the ones that were designed to play 78s in the first place, with the heavy tone arms and 78 needles. Right now I use an old Califone record player that they used to use in public schools (perhaps they still do) and I find that it is terrific. They are readily available on eBay, usually for $50 or so.
Anyway, I had these 1,000 78s back in the 1980s and I figured that was it for me. I had a few Birds, and Coleman Hawkins’ Body and Soul, and some Billie Holiday and Ella and Louis Jordan and, really, what more could I want? Then, in the early 1990s I went to Chicago for business and, a few blocks from my hotel, there was the Jazz Record Mart on Grand Street. I went there and the prices for the LPs were a bit too high for my tastes, so I kind of browsed and saw this huge section of 78s, rows and rows and rows. And, on the bottom row, near the floor, I pulled out a mint copy of Twisted by Wardell Gray on Prestige. It was priced at $1. Cool. So I looked some more and, literally, there were hundreds of Prestige 78s all in mint, unplayed condition, all priced at $1 each. I called my friend Dan Axelrod and told him what I’d found. “Bring them home,” he said, “And bring some for me.”
So I went out and bought a rolling carry-on suitcase and went back to the Jazz Record Mart on Grand Street and bought a couple of hundred mint Prestige 78s and I loaded them into the suitcase and rolled them back down Grand Street to the Hilton Hotel. The toughest part was lifting them on the plane and putting them in the overhead rack. A couple of hundred 78s is quite a load.
Now, I really thought I was done with 78s. Why would I ever need more? I had Bird and Hawk and Billie and now Prestiges with Miles and Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt and Ammons and Wardell Gray. But it’s never enough, is it, with us collectors? Whatever we have, it’s never enough.
So, through the years, I’ve accumulated more and more 78s. A few Blue Notes here and there. A few more Billie Holidays, and Louis Jordans. An Ike Quebec boxed set on Blue Note (see the picture with this post). There was a guy who had a store – really more like a museum – in the Empire State Building. His name was Morty Savada. It was said he had something like a million 78s. I went there one day. Just to look. Of course I came home with a pile of records.
Wouldn’t you?
I had a similar experience but at the opposite side of the scale.(78 vs 16 rpm). I bought the six 16 rpm Prestige albums in mint condition, but could not play them. After many years I found a Lenco turntable with the 16 rpm feature, in Lausanne for 50 odd francs. The sound of 16 rpms is not as good as 33 rpm. But it is fun to have them. Beautiful cover designs and 16-5 (Geo. Wallington Phil Woods Donald Byrd Red Garland) and 16-6 (Pepper Adams Cecil Payne Julius Watkins Dave Amram) are first issues of sessions which were later re-issued on 33 rpm.
I have been picking up some virtually mint jazz 78’s from a place called Down Home Records in El Cerrito, Ca. Really nice folks. The owner is reducing his duplicates in all categories, including jazz. He has them priced at 10 for $20. Excellent Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck and Count Basie. The paper sleves they came in are great to look at as well.
That’s great Erich. You are quite brave to share the information on the site, but somehow I don’t think it will create a swarm of customers beating down the doors at Down Home Records. — al
Wish I lived in the US. I started collecting Blue Note 78s soem 10 years ago and it’s sad to find out that almost my only source is eBay. Do you happen to know if there are (Blue Note) 78 collectors who exchange 78s?
By the way (now I’m addressing serious collectors): does anybodu know if Blue Note 564 and/or Blue Note 565 (both Sidney Bechet) exist?
I live in Buenos Aires, and last year I bought a collection of 700 jazz 78rpm records for 100 USD. Nice records, there are Charlie Parker/Miles Davis Savoys, Bessie Smith, Ellington, Armstrong, Basie and a lot of Hot Club de France records in this collection.
It is a very nice experience to play them, and the older jazz music, particularly Armstrong, sounds nice and authentic.
I use a Shure M44C on my Thorens and sounds very well.
The French and English pressings sound better than the US pressings.
Peter: I have a 78rpm Blue Note but it is 12 inch and not 10 inch. It is called “Port of Harlem Blues”, number 14-A. Do you know if this is a rarity?
Kind regards,
FLoris
Ms. Stehouwer, depending on the label and record condition, 1930s European 78 pressings tend to play better than comparable U.S. issues. Blue Note BN 14 is a rarity. Probably no more than several hundred were likely pressed. But is it valuable? Not particularly, and being a Blue Note does not enhance its value. Both sides are wonderful but these are neglected players. Caution collectors: Blue Note 78s do not have the same eclat among 78 collectors that Blue Note LPs have among vinyl collectors. I can’t imagine anyone going out of his/her way to avidly seek out Blue Note 78s. I bought my first jazz 78 in 1942. Frankie Newton on Bluebird.
I am a collector of vintage 78s,LPs,45s,reel to reel tapes,& cassettes: I own a Victrola acoustic gramophone,steel needles. also use a Lenco L-75 variable speed turntable with Shure N-44, N 70, N 75 plus Stanton 500+683 Styli+cartridges. I am an independent CD Reissue Producer & Proprietor of a small CD Reissue company in Toronto: Heritage Records. I love the sounds of old,antique 78s-have over 45,000 78s-Jazz,nostalgia,classical, vaudeville, etc.
I transfer,sell,market & distribute my own professionally made CD transfers from my own 78s. Price for each CD from my label,is $20.00 per each CD,in US dollars,but I am offering a discount for new customers : $15.00 per each CD.
Buy four CDs= shipping is free. I have received a free gift of 2,000 vintage Jazz / nostalgia 78s from libraries recently. email me for further info: mbernstein165old@yahoo.com Telephone-416-960-9595 or by cell phone-416-564-3322.
Website:
http://www.vintagesoundof78s.com
Payment is by paypal,or US money order. I love the sounds of vintage 78s,& I am recreating the 78 RPM sound on CDs,without the surface noise. I also do a custom to CD transfer service for collectors of vintage 78s in Toronto,/ Ontario or USA. Contact me for further info.
I just received a gift last night of 500 vintage Jazz 78s-all of them in near mint condition. Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman,
Bix Beiderbecke,Tommy &
Jimmy Dorsey,Glenn Miller,
Charlie Barnett,Louis Armstrong,
Duke Ellington,& many more.
If anyone is interested having custom-made CD transfers of these 78s, please send an email to:
mbernstein165old@yahoo.com
Price for each custom-made CD transfer is $20.00 US. I have many vintage & rare Jazz 78s in my collection now,too numerous to mention here.
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