Best Vinyl stores in L.A.

The Record Collector. i hate to say it because the owner is a scammer and will rip you off the second you turn your back and dont even think of getting a refund on a scratched lp. that said the guy has got just about any lp you want and usually decent prices. out of principle i dont shop there but it kills me. 7809 Melrose Ave at corner of Fairfax in hollywood. 323-467-2875

i should add that the record collector is only good for jazz and classical.

whatup dekay? aron's (one 'r') is terrible now for used lps. they do have a small selection of new jazz lps on 180 and it's worth calling because of that but not taking a special trip unless you also want cds. they have a better selection of trance/hip hop lps as well and a smattering of other stuff like shuggie otis. speaking of trance and hip hop and pop vinyl fetish on vermont in los feliz is pretty good.

dekay you're right it is very sad. i hate to say it but chains like the glendale WoW are simply the best places for jazz cds now. just their miles section is about 10 feet x 3 feet and they have all kinds of hard-to-find japanese coltrane pressings. i hate walking in but what's a flitchen to do? i think that's why i try to nurture my vinyl problem - so i can still troll around the mom and pop shops and wash my hands of the corporate stench and assuage some of my guilt. too harsh?

which 'out of the closet?' the one on santa monica blvd or the one on fairfax? is it worth a drive down there for lps?

hey tommy, did you have problems with the 'record collector' guy too? i think i hate that guy. but his store is great for jazz, what can i say. but i think i hate him. what's your story?

what's the address of the fairmont miramar? anywhere in santa monica leaves you w/in a half hour to the record collector and a bit closer to Rhino in westwood by UCLA. basically you just drive down wilshire and make a left (north) to get to either of those stores. i don't know where the record rover is.

tommy, you're so right about the cash register in his eyes. i went in and asked if he had the chet baker/russ freeman mosaic set. he said he did which impressed me because it's not easy to find. 'how much?' i asked. 'eighty dollars' he replied. 'REALLY! That's all! I'll take it!' i shouted. Right away and w/o missing a beat he said, 'Oh, the that the um I was this one was that the one I was thinking about the I this was that this one is one hundred dollars.' (I think that's verbatim). so he jacked the price up twenty bucks; not really a big deal but ya know...come on.

my relationship with that store went down hill from there. he always had what i wanted but w/o getting into it any more the guy is just unethical. if you know what you want you can beat him at his own game but it's too tiring.