Well, after being away for some years, I thought I'd sign up again. The last years I've been collecting pre-war 78 rpm blues vinyl on labels like Okeh, Vocalion, Victor,
Paramount, Oriole, ect. Bought a Charley Patton record in - E - condition last week and can't wait to spin it on my vintage player. Any other 78 rpm collectors on IORR?





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-10-17 23:53 by Vocalion.

Yeah, I got tonnes of them. There's plenty of obscure, strange, crazy music that's been lost on 78's. Play them on a HMV Gramophone or a Mono Radiogram and they sound great.

Pride of my collection? An unplayed Heartbreak Hotel or Mystery Train on Sun label....

I just today read that Elvis Costello's forthcoming record NATIONAL RANSOM will be available in 78 format!

They aren't vinyl, they're shellac. My Dad has hundreds, mostly post war. A lot of big band stuff that's worth nothing because they are so common even for 78's. He did have some Elmore James, Muddy Waters, and other pre-rock n' roll R&B. We started selling them on eBay in 2008 right before the economy crashed. One time I put like 22 records up at once and made around $1700.00, before fees. We sold most of the valuable ones, then the economy tanked, and I went from averaging 50 bucks a record to everything selling for a dollar, if it even sold, so I stopped. I finally hooked up with a guy in England whose a 78 R&B DJ, and he was buying packs of 10 records for 100 bucks from me about every two weeks. I did that for the rest of 2008, until most everything of value was gone.

I did put aside one box for myself of stuff I like, mostly early rock n' roll like Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, I think I have a couple Little Richards. They're great records, but they sound like crap. My father bought most of them used back in the 50's, from jukebox vendors. They'd sell the records that had fallen off the charts/out of popularity for a nickel, maybe a dime, each, but they were already in kind of rough shape from being in jukeboxes. The needles back then literally looked like small finishing nails, they just ate the records up.

In excellent condition though, which is hard to find, they can sound really good. But even the ones I have are listenable, and the pops and cracks kind of add to their character.

Not a collector, but do have some '78 speed records.

My aunt and uncle who where teens in the 50ties collected a lot 78 records who where shared between my brothers and sisters ...and there where a lot of R&R.

I will check them out and scan some of them soon................

__________________________

I have some old 78 but not a collector.

Great stuff. I used to love buying these on ebay but then I had a spate where they always turned up smashed.

What do you guys play them on?

They aren't vinyl, they're shellac

Sure they are, I made a typo.

Bustedtrousers,10 records for 100 dollars, what was the quality of those records?!

Yeah Vocalion...... Ya got any Black Patti 78's ?...

Joe Bussard's Desperate Man Blues is a cool DVD ... Even the
bonus stuff is hilarious....like watchin' him scrub them 78's with a horse brush is way-out wild



ROCKMAN

Quote
ablett
Great stuff. I used to love buying these on ebay but then I had a spate where they always turned up smashed.

What do you guys play them on?

I play them with:

Cartridge

The Stanton 500. High quality, ruggedly constructed and well suited for the playback of vintage records and it will not send you to the poor farm. Frequency response is not an issue, since the fidelity of vintage 78's is pretty poor compared to that of later microgroove vinyl records. In that respect even the least expensive cartridge would suffice. More important than frequency response by far, is the ruggedness of the cartridge and what styli are available for it. That pretty much narrows it down to the Stanton 500. owing exclusively to the wide availability of styli available for this cartridge. Few other cartridges have such a wide variety of styli made especially for the restoration of vintage 78's. As an added bonus, it's even quite inexpensive ! (around $40 or so). Of equal importance, the Stanton 500 is ruggedly constructed (vintage 78's dish out a torturous beating to the cartridge) and will tolerate high tracking forces required of vintage 78's (typically 3.5 to 5 grams). It's one of the best bargains in the vintage 78 world. It's extremely rugged and designed to track at up to 5 grams. More delicate cartridges that have a max 3 gram limitation (made for the newer micro groove records) usually (read: always) have difficulty tracking vintage discs - especially those that are warped, off center, or exhibit groove damage..... as many are.

Stanton 500 AL

Frequency Response 20 to 17 kHz
Output @ 1kHz: 4.6mV
Channel Separation @ 1 kHz: 28dB
Channel Balance @ 1 kHz: within 2 dB
Tracking Force: 2 to 5 grams
DC Resistance: 535 ohms
Inductance: 400 mH
Cartridge Weight: 5.5 grams
Tracking Ability: 80µ @ 3 grams
Recommended Load: 47k ohms and 275 pF
Replacement Stylus: Numerous custom ground styli available

Stylus

Truncated Elliptical Diamond, 3.2 mil TE

Quote
Rockman
Yeah Vocalion...... Ya got any Black Patti 78's ?...

Joe Bussard's Desperate Man Blues is a cool DVD ... Even the
bonus stuff is hilarious....like watchin' him scrub them 78's with a horse brush is way-out wild

Yep, I've got one, VERY rare, as all the records from that short lived label are!
The one in my collection is from Frankie Half Pint Jaxon (Willie the Weeper)



Joe Bussard....great collector!

Good one ... Yep there ain't many Black Patti's out there ....


John Tefteller.......



ROCKMAN

John Tefteller

I would like to have one minute of free 'shopping' in his collection!

Yeah, but I haven't found any with Stones...

I have been told that early Stones on 78 were produced in India but I Am still looking. Some presses were sold to India when microgroove took over in Western countries. Have not been able to contact anyone there. Would love to get some or even just one. What a bonus.

Quote
whiskey
I have been told that early Stones on 78 were produced in India but I Am still looking. Some presses were sold to India when microgroove took over in Western countries. Have not been able to contact anyone there. Would love to get some or even just one. What a bonus.

Never new that! Some Beatles 78 rpm from India:



Perhaps not a lot of you know that the Beatles issued 78 rpm records, although not in Britain or America. The Beatles appeared on the scene only after record companies stopped releasing singles in both 45 and 78 rpm formats. EMI Records continued to issue Beatles 78’s in India until at least 1968, due mainly to the large number of wind-up gramophones in the country. Any of the nearly two-dozen Indian 78’s is worth £250 or more. There are Argentine and Columbian 78s as well as quite a number from the Philippines. There was also a kind of Beatles 78 in Britain. In 1958 The Beatles, or The Quarry Men as they were then calling themselves, recorded Buddy Holly’s That’ll Be The Day backed by a George Harrison/Paul McCartney composition, In Spite Of All The Danger in Liverpool. The only copy known to exist is owned by Sir Paul McCartney.

Well, since Beach Boys Good Vibrations was released as 78 rpm in India you would think Satisfaction should as well.

Thanks fellers, You have given me a lead, I will now pursue this with a vengeance. Will keep you posted.

Does this count?




"As we say in England, it can get a bit trainspottery"

Quote
Deltics
Does this count?

The Rolling Stones first recorded when? It was on 15 September 1930 in Hollywood, California, as a guitar, harmonica, and yodelling duet, performing 'Down by the Old Rio Grande' and 'Mountain Angel'.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-10-19 16:18 by Vocalion.

Not pre- war but also a very nice one!

Quote
ablett
Yeah, I got tonnes of them. There's plenty of obscure, strange, crazy music that's been lost on 78's. Play them on a HMV Gramophone or a Mono Radiogram and they sound great.

Pride of my collection? An unplayed Heartbreak Hotel or Mystery Train on Sun label....

?

'Heartbreak Hotel' was Elvis' first release (of new material) on RCA, mate. Wasn't on Sun, surely.

There were five Sun singles :

Thats All Right/Blue Moon of Kentucky
Good Rockin' Tonight/I Don't Care If The Sun don't Shine
Milkcow Blues Boogie/You're a Heartbreaker
Baby Lets Play House/I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone
I Forgot To Remmeber To Forget/Mystery Train


How on earth did you get them? Auction or e-bay? By 'unplayed', I presume you mean its unplayed since YOU bought it?

I'm jealous!

I have a couple of Elvis 78's that my mum bought in 1957 (One of 'em is 'Jailhouse Rock') which, when I left home to get married in '87, I insisted she bequeath to me as a parting gesture due to their historical and cultural significance.

That must be something back then "Electrically Recorded"

__________________________




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-12-30 04:20 by NICOS.

Quote
Glam Descendant
I just today read that Elvis Costello's forthcoming record NATIONAL RANSOM will be available in 78 format!

Really? Very cool. Though I wonder how many people will be able to play it?

Quote
NICOS
That must be something back then "Electrically Recorded"

Yes, before those days, half the instruments on a session just didn't get 'picked up' on the recording! Most valued shellacs are before the electrically recorded area tho.

Hey Hey Hey..look at my latest music-equipment...



2 1 2 0

Nothin wrong with the horsebrush Rock', but the only thing Ive found to shift dried vomit is Grandma's steel wool. I used to use the steam cleaner but it played havoc with the labels. Hope this info helps.Tooroo Mate.

Quote
Vocalion
They aren't vinyl, they're shellac

Sure they are, I made a typo.

Bustedtrousers,10 records for 100 dollars, what was the quality of those records?!

Hey Vocalion, I'm sorry I never answered you before. I finally saw this now that this thread has been brought back.

They were what the Goldmine catalog describes as "good" condition. If your familiar with that, you'll know it's like the lowest level that's still worth bothering with. The labels were all in really good shape, except my Dad sometimes stamped or wrote his name on them. The records themselves were physically nice, no cracks or chips, and the playing condition was good, played all the way through without skipping. The sound quality was another story. A LOT of pops, cracks, and hiss, and some had turned from black to a lighter black. Which I was told means they have been played a lot, and are starting to get pretty worn out. My understanding is they will get almost white, or very gray, as the wear progresses.

Some sounded better then others, but they were all still listenable. As you know, they ain't gonna sound like a modern record to begin with, and if they have any wear at all, your going to have some surface noise.

So they weren't mint by any means, and to the right person, I'm sure they'd be worth more than ten bucks each. But finding that right person isn't always so easy. I wasn't finding him on eBay, so I took what I could get. I was just looking to make what I could off them at the time. I wasn't trying to be the next Teftteller or anything.

I based the prices on the Goldmine book, and I know those are broad guestimates, but they really weren't worth a whole lot. Even though they were 78's, most weren't even that rare. I felt I did ok on them.

I hadn't sold any since late 2008. But a week or so ago, I put a couple of Little Walter 78's on Checker records on eBay, and they only went for like 5 bucks a piece. UGH! It breaks my heart when they sell for so little.