How to source turntables and LP records

[reubensm]

This is a bit of a stale topic but thought I'll revisit it as I've been intrigued by how some always seem to be lucky and consistantly source master pieces (turntables) while others are left by the wayside to envy them. I have also wondered how some are able to collect record after record while others are faced with a Rs.200 to Rs.500 tag, each time they want to purchase an old record. Are there some secrets out there, yet to be revealed? Is there a modus-operandi out there which is kept under wraps like a trade secret or iis t just "luck"? How does the old Parsi lady always seem to turn up with a Garrard 301 or how does the sweet Malayali widow or son always seem to turn up with a mint condition Technics direct drive or other Japanese turntables? I think its time for some revelations. Any comments?

 

[Record Player]

Imm glad you brought this up Reuben. Only I thought was the unlucky one :sad:.

The way I source records for only my personal collection is through friends and family. Being an audiophile enthusiast is one thing but paying crazy amounts for Records and TTs in my opinion is absurd. I know a few people who acquire LPs and TTs from their friends and family but after that they take the commercial root by selling them at crazy amounts. Good money indeed!!

I am sure there are trade secrets in this. Hoping for some revelations...

Ive met some true collectors here in Bangalore and they reckon an old Vinly is not worth more that 50-100 bucks based on its condition and thats it.

P.S: I am going to start vising church more often and at the end of it, spread the word to all that I am looking for LPs and TTs hope this works.

I hope this surge or demand of Vinyls and TTs go down. Look at UK for an example. People sell 100-200 LPs at about 30-40 quid even now!! Maybe if the buying at these high prices stop, then the prices will go down.

Looking forward to views from our fellow FMs.

Cheers and take it easy....

 

[reubensm]

Waited for a couple of days, no response. However I'll share some of my interesting experiences and trade secrets for the benefit of all.

Experience-1

Some time back I had advertised the B&W DM3000 speakers on HFV. A gentleman came to meet me at work (saw my designation and work location on my HFV profile and traced me down) and insisted that he visit me to audition the speakers, just for the sake of listening to them. He said he had come all the way from Madurai (Tamil Nadu) and hance I felt obliged to take him home and let him have a listen. We listened till about 9:30PM after which he made a spot offer of Rs.30,000. I saw shocked because my list price on HFV was Rs.25,400/-. He was bold enough to tell me that the speakers were a very rare piece and in decent shape for their age and that he could have the body work re-done and sell these in Srilanka for around $650 to $700 easily. I then realized I'd been talking to a professional broker. He also tried to buy my TT for 5k, and my NAD equipment for 15k. I did not oblige but the learning experience was interesting.

 

[mksharan]

This is a bit of a stale topic but thought I'll revisit it as I've been intrigued by how some always seem to be lucky and consistantly source master pieces (turntables) while others are left by the wayside to envy them. I have also wondered how some are able to collect record after record while others are faced with a Rs.200 to Rs.500 tag, each time they want to purchase an old record. Are there some secrets out there, yet to be revealed? Is there a modus-operandi out there which is kept under wraps like a trade secret or iis t just "luck"? How does the old Parsi lady always seem to turn up with a Garrard 301 or how does the sweet Malayali widow or son always seem to turn up with a mint condition Technics direct drive or other Japanese turntables? I think its time for some revelations. Any comments?

I also used to have the same feeling. But sometime back Mr. Jacob (kuruvilajacob on this forum) came to Kolkata, and the passion with which he visited the various places and bought a turntable and many LP's, was an eye-opener to me. Yes, I had the good fortune of following his advise and bought an old sonodyne speaker and it is one of the best purchases I have made.

So this I what I have learnt - spread the word around amongst friends and relatives, whichever city u go- visit the flea market - and slowly it has started paying rich dividends.

Manoj

 

[prem]

Hi Reubensm

Prices for near mint Bollywood vinyls in Mumbai ranges from Rs 600 to Rs 1500. About 2 years back you could get them at Rs 200-Rs 300. Today for Rs 200-300 you only get average quality vinyls in Mumbai. I do not know about Calcutta but Delhi prices are pretty much the same as Mumbai since i order from Delhi also. All my English vinyls, i source them abroad. I have never bought any in India.

 

[apk]

- visit the flea market -

Agree with you here. Even in a city that is not known for it's audiophiles (Ahmedabad), I have been able to pick up around 30 odd LPs from the weekly sunday flea market over 3-4 different trips. Decent quality LPs for very decent prices (way less than the Rs 200-300 that we usually see on the for sale section)

I once missed out on a great opportunity a couple of years ago to pick up some LPs for free. They were lying in the Garbage bin outside my Gurgaon apartment.....too dirty (and smelly, if I may add) to pick up and use. If only I had been more social with my neighbour(s)!

Best,
APK.

 

[reubensm]

Yes, being very social about our vinyl hobby does help. I've got a good number of records for free through this method, both in India and abroad. Luckily, in India, the bollywood record is usually perceived to be more expensive in the used market. Buying LPs in the US is more economically viable than in India and the choice of titles is huge. Over and above this, the pressings are better too.

 

[reubensm]

Turntable: When I was on the look out for a Technics direct drive TT, I was approached by a broker from a flea market in Trivandrum (called Beemapally). He had a long conversation with me trying to convince me that he was sourcing his TTs directly from Kerala households and selling them at a profit of Rs.500 for non-refurbished TTs and Rs.1000 for refurbished TTs. He told me that his modus operandi was to buy all the local editions of newspapers and monitor the obituary page. His representatives would visit these house holds across the state and look to purchase audio equipment, vintage radios, vintage furniture, LP records, reel-2-reel tape recorders and transistor radios. These would then be resold. The TT brands which he had in his catalogue were Sony, Akai, Technics and some combo record players by Sanyo and National Panasonic. He also had a huge collection of Japanese amplifiers and speakers. Back in 2005, he was selling LPs at Rs.150 per piece. Have lost contact with him since then.

 

[Simon Wires]

Turntable: . He told me that his modus operandi was to buy all the local editions of newspapers and monitor the obituary page.

Have lost contact with him since then.

Must have been a a smart guy better than an undertaker, playing fiddle when Rome was burning.

NO wonder he lost in touch..

 

[Saket]

Some time back I had advertised the B&W DM3000 speakers on HFV. A gentleman came to meet me at work (saw my designation and work location on my HFV profile and traced me down) and insisted that he visit me to audition the speakers, just for the sake of listening to them. He said he had come all the way from Madurai (Tamil Nadu) and hance I felt obliged to take him home and let him have a listen. We listened till about 9:30PM after which he made a spot offer of Rs.30,000. I saw shocked because my list price on HFV was Rs.25,400/-. He was bold enough to tell me that the speakers were a very rare piece and in decent shape for their age and that he could have the body work re-done and sell these in Srilanka for around $650 to $700 easily. I then realized I'd been talking to a professional broker. He also tried to buy my TT for 5k, and my NAD equipment for 15k. I did not oblige but the learning experience was interesting.

I am glad that we have people like you around! One of the strongest pillars of HFV!

Regards,
Saket

 

[kuruvilajacob]

Yes, some are lucky and some are not. Those who seek will find, those who ask will get leads and those who knock, doors will be opened. Very simple!

 

[Record Player]

Yes, some are lucky and some are not. Those who seek will find, those who ask will get leads and those who knock, doors will be opened. Very simple!

+1 with Mr.Jacob.

Gentlemen - I've just spent 8hrs in the last two days with Mr. Kuruvila Jacob at his lovely Vinyl Bunglow. This is just a teaser. One imm back in Bangalore I will post my entire travelogue/experience with some detailed photos from this visit. A fantastic gentleman and my friend from here.

 

[gopib]

Yes, some are lucky and some are not. Those who seek will find, those who ask will get leads and those who knock, doors will be opened. Very simple!

Well said....very true.....:clapping:

 

[reubensm]

Yes, some are lucky and some are not. Those who seek will find, those who ask will get leads and those who knock, doors will be opened. Very simple!

That's very true, even from ancient times. I have been successful at getting many LPs by this method. Passing the word amoung friends.

But on another note, as buyers, we must also understand how these transactions work just to ensure that we get good deals too.

 

[wlg]

About 10yrs ago I used to tranfer LP's on to cd's, most often people left their Lp's behind as they had no turntable to play them on, so my collection has increased. Most Christian & Parsis homes always had record players & Lp's.

 

[kuruvilajacob]

That's very true, even from ancient times. I have been successful at getting many LPs by this method. Passing the word amoung friends.

But on another note, as buyers, we must also understand how these transactions work just to ensure that we get good deals too.

If you know the market value for a product, you have the option to buy when you find one . You can always reject if you are not sure of the value. Of course, there is always an element of risk in buying especially from a flea market

 

[reubensm]

+1 to that, that is so true.

 

[greenhorn]

Just wanted to know what were the advantages of buying a used turntable over a brand new entry level one?
My reference being the brand new turntables you can get for less than 100$ if you have friends in the US, or around 8K if you are buying from india. But the used turntables advertised here seem to be at a similar or higher price point. I am not trying to point fingers, just trying to understand the reason for why they are priced this way.

Let me group the turntables I saw and the cons I felt - Please feel free to correct me.
Entry level belt drive turntables - These are similar to what is being offered in the market new, and with the possible exception that they have a metal platter, If you are looking at something from the 80's or later, you will have most of the disadvantages of the new TT's plus some new ones - flimsy plastic parts, flimsy build etc, Wear and tear, Cosmetic Damage.
Unless they were at least slightly cheaper and in good condition, I do not see why I should pay more or as much as compared to the newer entry level TT's

Entry level Direct Drive TT's - again, there were a host of enty level japanese DD turntables, Unless you are looking at the Technics Mk 1200 or similar, are the others really worth it? vibrations, and Problems with speed control in some of the older ones - again, would they be repairable? People read about the technics and think they're getting a slice of that. Again, even they seem to be rather high priced given the potential issues and their sound quality.

Record players which are not technically separate Hi Fi turntables. Ones with integrated amplifiers, or integrated preamps, with ceramic cartridges, weird form factors..

I saw some high priced Linear Tracking and Other high end turntables - while I may not want to buy them, I understand why others would want to, and their higher pricing seems to be justified.
But the first three categories don't seem to make any sense. Why would people pay new TT money to buy these beasts? Nostalgia? Because sellers try to negotiate prices? (I don't, but I figure others might) Ignorance? Or is there something else I'm missing?

 

[kuruvilajacob]

I have a brand new Rega RP 1 and when I firs played it, I was shocked! It does not come anywhere near some of the Japanese players of Sony ,Teac ,Pioneer or Technics. When I compared it with Project, I found the Project entry level player to be even worse than the Rega RP 1. But I must say that RP 3 is a really good player. The major difference I found is that these entry level players sound very thin whereas the heavier Japanese players definitely sound warmer. When CD came into the market, many people just dumped these old Jap players and there are not too many of them in good condition. I certainly will value many of them better than the new cheap plastic tables coming out, Please visit me if possible and I will play and compare the RP 1 against Technics and Sony in the same system and prove to you my point.

 

[sachu888]

+1 to Mr Kuruvila.New TTs are no match to vintage.One has to spend min 50k to beat good entry level vintage TTs like Technics SL-D2/D3/202/303 Sl-1300 atc.There were also few vintage TTs from Yamaha,Kenwood,JVC,Sansui etc.

Regards,
Sachin