It certainly does not help my cause any when I visit an area for work and use the Discogs vinylhub function which shows me all the local shops. Last night I found a fantastic store called Joseys Records in the North Dallas area. Huge, friendly and MASSIVE record and cd selection. Absolutely the largest rock selection I have seen. So yes my wallet was a little poorer after this visit...lol.
Now all I have to do is summon the will power to not revisit this week.....
I updated my discontinued database recently to a new program and
have already fallen behind due to receiving some records from my mother
and I was surprised at how good some of her old vinyl stands up some of
which I listened to years ago. It is nothing collectable, just what was
probably mainstream classical and jazz for the average buyer in the
'60s.
But even estimating that addition,
I'm still safely under 500. However, in 2006 I only had 140 so there is
that. I did abandon vinyl for the cd as a teenager and stupidly left
100 childhood rock records once when I moved to cull the cheesy stuff.
Wish I had kept those!
I'm sure I've said this on other forums here but I have thousands...even after more than a few wholesale blood-lettings. I've got the Monaural and early Stereo records my dad bought in the forties, fifties and sixties. I started collecting for myself when the Beatles hit. For a while, I worked at Tower Classical Records in Hollywood alongside my then future wife. Employee discounts. Record Label Promotional Copies (which were always the first copies pressed).
Mine are mostly in alphabetic order unless I get lazy with new arrivals and they just all end up in one big pile... lol. Now my tapes, well they are another story, I suppose I should put them in order but I find it is similar to your statement, when I pull open a drawer to look for something I find other items to pleasantly distract me. Sometimes means I never get to play what I first started to look for though!
Around 1200 the last time I checked years ago. Still not alphabetized, so when I look for a certain lp I come across many others I forgot about that will get played. It's my way of checking them all out instead of just going to a certain section where they should be.
Your last statement does worry myself as well unless my daughter deals with it. Left to my wife she would likely just put them all out on the curb! But as to the valued ones yes indeed. Part Two of reasoning of catalog all on Discogs so value ( or at least an idea based on past sales) is easily known to all.
About 2500, it quite suprises me that this seems a typical collection size. Not sure what I thought a typical size would be. It's too much, though there is nothing I wouldn't play. The largest slab is probably opera, well someone has to like it.
I read somewhere, can't remember that someone in China had bought a collection of over 220,000 LPs, why? The same article calculated it would take 22 years to listen to them all.
It does worry me a little, that my poor kids are going to have to get rid of them, when I finally fall of my perch. A depressing subject, but has anyone else given as thought to the subject? My idea, if I get any warning, is to select out the premium stuff that may have some value, to try and sell themselves and the rest, I don't know. Most LPs are worth very little.
I got rid of 2500 LPs a few years ago. Just too much to lug around. Shed a few tears. Still had around 1200 CDs, 75% classical. And I forget how many opera DVDs/BRDs. But no vinyl. Sold the turntable.
Then I got married. My husband, Opera Beau, has approximately 4,000 LPs, 99.9% classical. That tally used to be over 15,000 after he inherited his best friend’s extensive vinyl collection - Herbie was a choral singer and opera fanatic who worked at Rose Records in downtown Chicago. Opera Beau winnowed that down after a few years, and then still further after our most recent move to a condo.
We are still enjoying many of the LPs, especially the rare and vintage ones. There is much pleasure to be had from using our TT, reading album liner notes, looking at the photos, reading the large type librettos. Sometimes we open an album and find a wonderful surprise, like an autographed recital program by the artist on the recording (thank you, Herbie). But we are working on reducing still more - we will never listen to them all. Opera Beau’s adult sons have no interest in classical music. (However, the youngest grandson, nine year old offspring of a rock guitarist dad, has a turntable and plays records on it every day - Beatles, ELO, Talking Heads...and Beethoven and Vivaldi.)
We downsized a lot of household items when we moved last winter. There are days I think I ought to go streaming for my digital media, get rid of a bunch of CDs. But I'm down to 800 of those, we have a library that presently holds all books, DVDs and music media very comfortably. So who am I kidding?
Well, I have made many moves in my life and right now have about 600 LP’s. If I had all the ones I had to leave about 7,000 . 95% Classical . And, as has be said, there is NO sub for LP’s !
That said, one can stream with a laptop in the nursing home .
Yes there is something great about the hunt and the pleasure of spinning that new to me vinyl even when the constant additions might mean some older stuff never sees the TT again.
8000+ lps 2000+ cds, will never get to relisten to them all but keep buying, there is still a thrill to holding that new baby in your hands sitting down relaxing and enjoying some new sounds.
It would be one very boring desert island adventure with just 5 albums, let me off after 12 hours tops!
My regime is fairly simple, does not matter how long since I played it if i like the album and the sq is good then its a keeper. If I do not get around to playing it again my daughter might...... I admit to getting rid of some I sort of liked but were either poor shape or poor sq or both!
19 feet of 12" vinyl. about 1,300. 10 feet of CDs. (300?) a few more in the car only 2 feet of 45s and 78s cassettes? mixtapes? reel to reel? a few boxes
I have started culling them, but it's hard. I gave some to my niece and sold a few, but at this rate it's going to take forever.
What are you rules for culling records? If I haven't played it for 10 years, it should probably go. If it doesn't light a spark in my brain, it should probably go. But it's painful.
Some of them I know I'll keep until I'm dead. Mingus, Ellington, Zappa, Gerald Wilson, Oliver Nelson, Prokofiev, Blues.
Others I'm sort of blah about. The ones I already gave away are Ronstadt, Jethro Tull (except the first one), Elton John. I like some of it, but I've got much better.
How do people go to desert islands with only five?
Wow, I thought I had an issue with vinyl but I feel happy to read that I am not alone! I am merely under 800 records, plus about the same amount in CDs although the CDs I mainly play from an Aurender server, not directly.
I know it is not a contest but now I feel challenged to keep up with you guys! Cheers!
I'm just now adding vinyl to my rig and I will be following @polkalover's formula. If I truly love it on ripped CD, then I will consider buying it on vinyl. I own about 1,000 CDs; I don't love most of them. I will continue to buy CDs however. I think they are currently good value. I rip them and then store them. What LPs have I bought so far? Steely Dan's "Aja", "Gaucho", "Pretzel Logic", Fagen's "Nightfly", Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms" (AP) Holly Cole's "Temptation" (AP) , Brubeck's "Time Out" (AP), Cannonball Adderley's "Somethin' Else" (AP), Paolo Fresu's "Mare Nostrum II", and Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden's "Last Dance" I plan on adding LPs monthly based on a preset budget.
Oh dear, just found this thread. I guess I am a collector, though I only keep records I think I would want to hear again someday. Last time I counted I was around 14,000 pieces of vinyl and 9000 CDs.I try not to keep duplicates though it is difficult. About the only thing in which I am not interested is easy-listening though I might have a couple of borderline items. The biggest chunk of what I have is rock'n'roll but I like blues, jazz, folk, classical, and a pretty wide variety of musics from other cultures. The bulk of what I have is on the third floor of the house that used to be the hang out of my teenaged children back when they still lived at home and were teenagers. For music originating from around 800-1100 A.D. on to about 1960 it is filed by historical date of origin (not necessarily by release date or recording date. After 1960 it is more or less alphabetical until 1991 when it changes to age again. Oh dear can we say crazy! My wife says that my records are one of only 2 reasons we still live in this big of a house (when we moved to Portland from Los Angeles more than 25 years ago we either had to pay capital gains taxes or but a big house). My daughter still plays vinyl but my son only streams or downloads music. Still he also wants to be able to through my recordings when I am gone. While it would be nice to have the whole collection preserved, I doubt I will care.
Good question. I’m not sure I have a good answer. One reason is that the majority are in a hard to get at location. Another reason is I’m listening to a lot more CDs these days. Not enough time to do it all.
Good question. I’m not sure I have a good answer. One reason is that the majority are in a hard to get at location. Another reason is I’m listening to a lot more CDs these days. Not enough time to do it all.
We should start a thread about how we keep the LPs. I have them on the 2nd floor but right above a load bearing wall! Anybody remember Per Madden Design?
Really, you going to make me count? Just purchased a new MT5 yesterday. If anyone want to unload their blues collection - I’m game, Particularity old Folksways recordings. One of these days I will get everything logged into Discogs. Seems like the way to go.
Not a lot considering I've been collecting since hearing "Sunshine of Your Love" when in the 7th grade. Had a decade of not purchasing in the 80's due to raising a family and work priority. I'm sitting at +/- 6K LPs and 2K CDs. Though I hope to live another 40 years, the media and equipment are distributed in my will. Keep spinning and streaming folks.
Well, I now own 20 more records than I did this morning! Stopped in one of my LRS's and they had the dollar bin on sale - 10 for $1. Spent $2 and walked out with 20 LPs. Now comes the hard part. Cleaning, listening, culling.
Sticking to plan, I need to remove at least as many records as I picked up. So, hopefully I'll keep a few and trade the rest for better records.
I estimate about 15,000. Includes many genres rock, jazz, blues, country, classical, folk, pop etc. I've been collecting for over 60 years. Most are in very good to near mint condition, as I used to record new records on my reel to reel or cassette tape recorders and then put the LP away. Now I am just playing the records whenever I want. I have two playback systems in my basement listening room and one system in my living room. I have restored several turntables that I rotate in the basement systems including Thorens TD124, Thorens TD124 II, Garrard 301 and 401, Linn sondek LP12 with all the upgrades. I use several tonearms and carts of various vintages. The same is true of my electronics and speakers. It all depends on what I'm listening to. I've modified my old JBL L100 speakers with three way monitor quality crossovers same for my JBL L7's they sound great for rock. My Tannoy Berkeley 15" HPD385A speakers sound great for jazz and classical. I use Revel Salons, ALTEC Lansing 604-8g 15" drivers and crossovers as well. They all sound great and Its all fun.
At one point, well over 1,000. My three sons, who are in their 30's are into vinyl big-time, so I have given most of the LPs to them. Have kept: Beatles re-mastered, McCartney Archive Collection, America, Beach Boys, Chicago, CSNY (collectively and individually), ELO, George Harrison, Billy Joel, Elton John, John Lennon, Tom Petty, Pilot, Todd Rundren, James Taylor, They Might Be Giants, Brian Wilson, and Frank Zappa. Literally, everything done by all of those artists.
polkalover Very true and wise words indeed! While I decided I had to have EVERY Rush, Styx and Uriah Heep album made I would have to agree I am not likely to play some of them very often!
I own a couple hundred records. I jumped back to vinyl after buying CD's for 40 yrs. What I've done is looked at my large CD collection and decided that on vinyl I would buy only the album's I truly loved. So for me it's all killer not filler in the vinyl collection. Let's face it even the greatest bands have put out some crappy records.
When contemplating the task of counting my vinyl recordings, I took the easy way out and counted how many records there were in one foot --- [75 average] --- measured my record shelves and did the math. Of course, boxed sets have as much "box" as "vinyl", but I came up with around 12,500 records. Then -- a good friend passed away and his widow asked me the favor of disposing of his record collection of 3500 or so. Over the years, several friends got rid of their collections and I was obliging enough to take them. One friend taught a Jazz class at a local university, so that was a treasure trove of golden discs ! I recently talked a friend into taking about 1500 LPs by first giving him a turntable ! He's coming back for more ! Then there was the booth at the antique mall where every LP was 25 cents ! Some of my best and favorite albums came from there and were in amazingly good condition after a good cleaning. Having a passion for anything is a good pastime. Think of how dull things would be without having a passion for something meaningful to yourself ! Don't despair ---- enjoy !!
RVpiano Just a quick question then if I may and not meant to be mean spirited at all.
Bearing in mind your statement why do you keep them all if not likely to play the vast majority? If I interpreted your post correctly? TBH I have sold quite a few that after a couple plays I decided I would never play again, myself I just could not see the point in keeping them.
I must have about 3000 records. Never got rid of any since the 1960’s. i have a couple of hundred that I go back to time and again. Haven’t listened to the rest in a long time.
This time a classic car museum that had antique mall attached to it with yep a stall selling vinyl......lol. And a superb collection for sale as well, mostly in excellent shape and fairly priced, $3 to $8, I had to exercise a lot of restraint to limit it to $90 worth, could have (and maybe should have!) spent a lot more.
I'm gifted vinyl all the time because people know I'm a collector and I take them and go through them. A friend of mine whose mother passed gave me two boxes from which I found original pressings in mint shape catalog of Peter,Paul and Mary Willie Nelson Johnny Cash Merle Haggard Frank Sinatra I'm thankful because it filled in holes in my collection in genres I lacked. I donate the the remainder to charities to sell.
One thing I do not have to worry about is my collection being a burden to anybody.
My daughter is also heavily into music, always has been, not much option being in same house as myself Tbh lol. She has her own little system and her own vinyl collection so I know where my vinyl would go!
In fact I regularly have to check that her collection has not grown while mine has shrank!
We downsized our house for a townhome several years back. With that came the necessary “thinning of the herd.” So, around 100-110 LP’s now. Thank heavens for Ebay & Discogs!
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