There definitely is a difference in stampers, but you can't necessarily make any generalities about what is best, e.g., earlier stampers are better or pressings from a particular plant or country are better. There are "trends" for sure, but alas, no sure fire methods. I think the timing of this thread is interesting, just this morning I saw an e-mail from "that" dealer and he has a "White Hot Stamper" of Neil Young's After the Gold Rush for $599.99!!!!!!!!! Somebody probably bought this record for $5.99 years ago and now look how much it is worth! This is crazy, but if someone buys it who am I to question it? I just know I won't be the one buying it.
"magic" stampers?
to sum up: i have two NM copies of the stones "let it bleed" on the blue london label. i had the itch to listen this morning so i put it on the table. to be honest, nothing to get excited about. seems like it sounded better than that, so i found the other copy. WOW! it was like night and day. the second copy was much more dynamic, detailed, energetic--i was literally glued to the seat slack-jawed. checked the dead wax, and there were some differences in the inscriptions. both copies otherwise appear the same, same amount of wear, no groove damage.
a record dealer i no longer buy from used to tout what he called "magic stampers," which i always dismissed because he asked exorbitant prices for them, plus i was somewhat dubious of the claim.
to think through this as i type, i suppose the first inference would be that earlier pressings are more likely to have these characteristics, but i suppose you never know. just another fun aspect of being a vinyl geek.
any comments or similar experiences are welcome.
happy christmas, hanukkah, kwanzaa, festivus, etc.!
a record dealer i no longer buy from used to tout what he called "magic stampers," which i always dismissed because he asked exorbitant prices for them, plus i was somewhat dubious of the claim.
to think through this as i type, i suppose the first inference would be that earlier pressings are more likely to have these characteristics, but i suppose you never know. just another fun aspect of being a vinyl geek.
any comments or similar experiences are welcome.
happy christmas, hanukkah, kwanzaa, festivus, etc.!