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Welcome Licorice Pizza (LP) lovers! Setup guides and Vinyl FAQ.

wow - the question to life the universe and everything!! .....

I've lived with 78s for all of my 51 years and as I see it there isn't a single definitive source of information or opinion so you have to sort through it all and come to your own conclusions - sorry. 78s cover 60+ years of emerging and changing technology. Many record companies had their own views on speed, EQ, and groove size - there were no common, national or international standards until the mid 1950s.

Where to go with your quest depends on the size and content of your 78 collection and how you want to grow it.

There are on-line sources like CHARM, the Vintage Jazz Magazine site, the on-line discographical project and others. In the UK there's International Record Collector magazine. Literally - type 78rpm into google, ignore ebay and start looking. Brian Rust's books are also incredibly good places to start, The American Jazz Record Label Book is one of the best.

Desirable pressings - Many 78s only had one or two pressing runs and then they were gone. Artists like Caruso, Glenn Miller and Bing Crosby sold millions, and when the masters and stampers wore out they took a fresh pressing, put it on a turntable and played it into a cutting lathe to make a new master - and carried on pressing. So sometimes you may have an option. Historic Masters in the UK are re-pressing rare vocal 78s on vinyl from the original stampers such is the demand. Their technical articles by Roger Beardsley are worth looking at.

Purchasing wisely - other 78 collectors here may disagree but what makes a 78 rare or good is really in the eyes of the seller and buyer. I listen to all types of music and drama, much of it discovered by accident, buying stacks of records in junk shops.

Finally - remember also that 78s made before the late 40s are direct cut so that there are no master tapes to fall back on. Most masters left the planet years ago. If you have rare 78s then morally there's a duty of care to ensure these historical artifacts survive for future generations as 78s, not as digital copies.

I hope this helps some.

Good luck and welcome to the 78 club.



It's great when it goes around to make a sound.


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Follow Ups
  • wow - the question to life the universe and everything!! ..... - richardz 10/5/0909:23:37 10/5/09 (3)
    • 42! - JimK 10:50:45 10/5/09 (2)
      • Wonderful! - VynylTap 05:10:28 10/6/09 (1)
        • LOL! - JimK 05:29:03 10/6/09 (0)

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