Comments on: A Boxed Set, An Autographed LP, a Mega-Rarity

By: A New Year’s Adventure in Jazz Collecting | jazzcollector.com

A New Year’s Adventure in Jazz Collecting | jazzcollector.com — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 14:35:14 +0000

[…] after hundreds of prior hearings. It’s interesting because almost to the day exactly a year ago a wrote a post expressing my desire to get a black label Giant Steps for my birthday. I even dropped a couple of hints to The Lovely Mrs. JC. And here we are a year later – Happy […]

By: don-lucky

don-lucky — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 02:43:45 +0000

(Thanks Jeff ! …It was a slow day at the office today 🙂 Congrats on the Stan Getz score Phil, definitely one of the great live concert recordings from that era.

By: Phil

Phil — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 17:56:28 +0000

I am the big winner on the Stan Getz box. It is truly beautiful – and this particular seller has been selling some immaculate condition records. He ships them in…A PIZZA BOX. Everything came through unscathed as far as I can see, and playback of side A of the first LP was perfect, just some dust (I find that Norgrans can often be very worn out but I don’t think these were ever played!). Perhaps this set will appear on my blog, which has been dormant.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 17:34:51 +0000

don-lucky … game and match

Such an elegant summation … the closing sentences especially. This is why I love this site. It offers quiet moments of reflection on the pursuit I cherish.

By: don-lucky

don-lucky — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 15:45:26 +0000

It’s funny how our own personal motifs for collecting tend to waver as the years pass. I recall initially just buying reissues of my favorite vinyl covers to put on display in my office when companies like Restoration Hardware started offering record album cover frames for sale… Gradually, those were replaced with the original first pressings, but just the rare ones, and then autographed original first pressings displayed behind UV rated glass. As time passed, I began collecting all my favorite early original first pressings in varied condition, and eventually I upgraded my turntable to something more respectable. With better equipment, comes better sound… Now I tend to be more concerned about the condition of the first pressings I purchase. it’s all about quality and not quantity. That being said, ideally I will always opt for a first pressing, versus a pristine later pressing myself. There’s just something about that connection with such an ephemeral moment in time you get when picking up the original, be it first pressing or first edition, and despite any flaws… It was there even if we were not.

By: Shaft

Shaft — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 08:54:40 +0000

Earl +1

But I also have my share of first pressing – but I admit to myself that it is generally not sound quality that urges me to pay more for a first pressing.

By: Earl

Earl — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 02:09:45 +0000

In terms of sound, I was only speaking theoretically – it is likely that a mint bulls-eye Steps would sound just as good as a Black Label mint

I do have a problem with the pressing-minutiae nay-sayers – it is really no different, IMO, from collectors of First Edition Books – most of these latter have defects in printing, typo errors, etc, which are corrected in later editions/printings; yet the Firsts are still the ones that command the big bucks; and it is these very defects that are used to identify them.

If all you want is a good read, it’s a gross waste of money to buy a First Edition; if you only want great jazz, for God’s sake,don’t pay for a First Pressing. But please don’t disparage the collector of these firsts; they/we are seeking something other than, or rather in addition to, sound.

By: don-lucky

don-lucky — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 20:18:31 +0000

Ceedee – Here is ‘Exhibit B’ for your file: Fred Cohn’s infamous book on Blue Note Records – A Guide for Identifying Original Pressings ! (That pretty much sums us all up doesn’t it ?)

By: don-lucky

don-lucky — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 17:41:21 +0000

Thanks Jeff ! …Now if only I could get my hands on a DG black label copy to compare sound quality. (Sounds like I may be competing against Al on this for my birthday LP as well) As mentioned, my black-label copy is not DG, and sounds a bit light when compared with the DG Bulls-Eye. Then again, it probably wasn’t a fair comparision to begin with, as I was well into the scotch by the time the second copy hit the platter ! 🙂

By: Earl

Earl — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 18:05:07 +0000

don-lucky:

I assume you are referring to Aaron’s comments, since I don’t see any by an Adam – what he is saying is that the same pressers were used for the bulls-eye releases as for the earlier black labels – what this means to me is that the stampers were still around in 1960 when the bulls-eye label had come into use – the only possible result of that as far as I can see is that the stampers, now used for some time, made these bulls-eye releases, and might in fact be inferior sonically because of the age of the stampers