My best advice for new vinyl collectors. Don't go OCD on any artist, buy one copy of their basic LPs and go see them live. The bigger a band becomes, the more they'll rip their fans off. If you must buy vinyl and want to keep it in pristine condition, record it onto cassettes or CD-Rs. Also, buy antistatic inner sleeves. I've been buying all(?) of Iron Maiden's UK vinyl variants on release days since '83. Before the internet we had no idea how many variants there were, unless a friend had an alternative version. Even Record Collector mag was very basic back then. I used to think my IM-UK collection was 98% complete. Started to look at Discogs 3 yrs ago and I'm missing quite a few lol.

All of this is so true. I started collecting pre internet and CDs. And yeah, I blitzed on a fairly cheap stereo. But many survived as I really did care how I played them. Didn’t clean them but gave a little brush down.

Very good tips…. Got back into Vinyl after a 35 year break. Lol. Mostly rebuilding my previous collection I had given away. Ouch. Still learning, but one thing I realized was how poorly I took care of my records the first time around. Wish I had these tips back then!

Good tips. I have been collecting for 57 years (my first purchase in 1966 was the Monkees self titled album - which I've lost somewhere in the last 57 years). I'm amazed at the good condition most of my albums are in considering many of them survived parties in my high school and college days and post graduation; I do wish I could say all of them survived but, hey, I owned them to listen to and I had fun. I wish there had been a way to catalog because I've spent hours doing just that with my 600+ collection of vinyl and 300+ CDs (during the time I foolishly stopped buying vinyl) but I add my new purchases as I go now. I enjoy your videos so I've been catching up (as evidenced by the delay between you posting them and my comments).

Walked out of Dave's Music Mine in 1996 with a scratched and stained version Pink Floyd's Meddle for $4. I bought a new version a few years back and I just can't take it out of the plastic. I have too many great memories with the old one. My wishlist: JMC Munki reissue Expanded edition of AIC Dirt Radiohead the Bends box set with My Iron Lung singles. NMH In the Aeroplane Over the Sea box set I know that some of these don't exist.

Stop worrying about what press is what! Buy the music and enjoy it. Later on if you have a completist gene you can learn about the different presses!

I‘m glad I started with brand new records from my local record store and my father’s record player. I only have bought 1 really cheap, used and beat up record to this date… all other are either brand new or in mint condition on discords. But yes, I‘m glad I did it that way. Btw.: collecting records to listen to those records and love the music should be reason number one to start collecting records!🤘

Great video and all good tips... Theres many of us ( me included ) that play records on Twitch... What a great way to find new bands... Usually people will have a link to their discogs and you can request a song... Some awesome vinyl communities on KZfaq & Twitch.

Looks can be deceiving, especially with records. So another good tip, the most important I agree, is to learn how to care for records that includes cleaning them properly (what to use, what not to use) and storing them, etc. Doing that takes one miles down the road on collecting records as your skills and knowledge in this regard increase. This goes for new records as well. (I was so mad at my parents for not taking care of the first pressings of the first two Mamas and Papas LPs we got mysteriously in the mail as did my aunt and uncle and grandparents, both whom also did not take care of their pressings either. By the time I was ready to have them, they were all but destroyed. We got those pressings because somebody in the family knew Mama Cass as in DNA. I met Mama Cass when I was around 2 or 3 years old at a family function). I have always been into the deep cuts of artists more than the well known hits. That is the fun part. That is why I also go for the strange compilations and such. Sometimes one gets a completely different version of a song they know by the same artist, etc. For example, maybe a demo version or early version of a song that later would be on an LP in an entirely different version. Yes, these days streaming makes research easy! I don't like using streaming for listening though. Cataloging is something I got into late, but it is very valuable for preventing buying duplicates! It is also a good education tool as it makes you learn more about the records. I go deep into cataloging using an insane stand alone custom database. Of course, that is a personal choice. Any cataloging will do. I just like going deep. Tip #6: Do NOT buy based on monetary "value". Records are one of the worst investment vehicles for this. You buy a $50 record and turn around and go to sell it whenever, you will be lucky to get over $5 for it. Records are like cars and audio gear, the minute you buy it, it loses 90% of it's monetary value. Personally I collect records for the music, to listen to them and for their historical value. To me records have almost no monetary value. I could have records going for $200 and I would not know it because I never look at that as I have no interest in it. I was forced to look at a little of it for my insurance, but there is nothing there I feel worth having appraised. I could be wrong, but I don't care.

@4:06 -- Finding clean records. Dirty records or records with smudges (could be but) is probably not a problem, because you can clean them yourself. Scratched, however, is bad. Someone that mishandled their records, and got gunk on them, can (almost without exception) be cleaned off, and will restore the record to sounding as if it was never dirty. Sort of like a counter top. You get it dirty. You wipe it down. Vinyl is not as durable as a counter top. But vinyl will not disintegrate from fingerprints and grease. It can be wiped clean, especially if you have a good record cleaner. I do not believe that years of grime in the grooves will damage the grooves (perhaps a bit -- not sure). Once cleaned out, you should be good to go. Even scuffed up records will usually play with no issue; no additional noise caused by the scuffs. Scuffs tend to be at the top of the groove, whereas your stylus rubs below the level of the scuffs. Condition (lack of scuffs) is more important for re-sale. People want clean looking records. But there are oceans of clean looking records that sound lousy. Even new, sparkling clean records often sound dull, dead, lifeless, lacking energy. Other than clearly damaged / scratched up records, there is no way to know how good or bad any particular record will sound. The only way to find out is when the stylus meets the groove. So depending on your goal (visually pleasing, soncially pleasing, or both), there are different criteria for your buying decisions. Also note that no two records sound exactly the same. They can be very, very close. But they will never be 100% the same, sound quality wise. And how side 1 sounds offers zero indication on how side 2 will sound (and vice versa). For many titles, 100% of the pressings sound sub par. Sometimes the record companies (or perhaps the pressing plants) just do a lousy job on the entire run. That might be due to them using a copy of a copy of a copy of the master tape to press all of the records. Who knows? To obtain great sounding records, you need to do the following: -- Learn stamper codes. And the codes are different on each side of each pressing. This is a major pain, because every album title has unique stamper codes. In fact, a particular title might have several different stamper codes. I believe that Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" has 75 different stamper codes. With enough effort, you will learn which stamper codes to avoid (because they all sound bad), and which stamper codes to seek out (not a guarantee of great sound quality -- but a good (and only) shot at great sound quality). For example, The Beatles "Magical Mystery Tour" sounds best on the German pressing. Other pressings might sound decent. But no other pressings will stand a chance against a great sounding German pressing. How do you learn which stamper codes sound good or bad? Find reviewers whose ear you trust. How do you find those reviewers? It takes time, and risk. You make a couple of purchases based on their recommendations. If you end up with duds, then find a different reviewer. If you end up with sonic gems, then you can probably trust that reviewer. But for many albums (for example, some 12-inch versions of one-hit-wonders), you will probably not find any help as to which stamper codes to avoid or to seek out. You just have to cross your fingers and make a purchase. I have purchased the same pressing a dozen times, sometimes. And even then, I sometimes wind up with all duds. I love great sounding music. But my wallet can't afford a pile of duds. So this gets expensive, unless you are financially well off. -- Clean your records -- even brand new records. A new pressing will have microscopic debris in the grooves, left over from when it was pressed. You will not see it. But your stylus will. And clean your stylus. -- No matter how amazing a lucky purchase might be... if your turntable is not professionally dialed in, then none of your pressings will sound glorious. You might think that they sound really good, until you dial in every vector of the tone-arm / stylus. Then, your stereo will sound like it just tripled in price. All of the below must be accurately dialed in, to reap the rewards that are buried in your record's grooves: -- the effective length of the tone-arm -- the cartridge's weight -- the vertical tracking alignment / rake angle -- the anti-skating -- the overhang -- the offset -- the zenith angle -- the cartridge's azimuth. With the above dialed in, your records will also play quietly. A misaligned stylus will be rubbing in the wrong places, and that results in noisy playback. It is amazing how quietly quiet passages will play, when everything is dialed in properly. And the focus and the imaging will be better, too. Lastly, know that some cartridge manufacturers install the stylus into the cantilever at an improper angle. This even happens, occasionally, on multi-thousand dollar cartridges, and far more often on lower cost cartridges. This will absolutely diminish the sound quality, and likely make it impossible to correct with adjustments, no matter how skilled you are at turntable set-up. Getting vinyl to sound glorious is a challenge, even if you have $$ to burn. But WOW is it good when it all comes together!

Excellent advice for both, the newbie, or a longtime collector that has gotten off track along the way.

Another great informative video from NTX Vinyl! Well done!

I collect records since 1980, and I learned lot of things 😊👍

Good video, buuut enjoying the music...i buy the CD if available when buying vinyl. If you collect, then the premise of collection doesn't mean use. if use is part of the equation, then buy 2. so, good video, I'll be checking out other videos you posted. thanks

Can’t stress it enough hold the record by the edge, NOT the grooves! I seriously cringe when people do this! Clean, clean the record and stylus before each play!

Agree with just about everything except a few minor quibbles. Do not agree with cleaning every time you play. Ivor Tiefenbrun, designer of the Linn Sondek LP12 states otherwise. Take a clean LP out of the sleeve (meaning it may have once been initially cleaned). Play it. Return immediately to jacket and shelf. Perhaps carbon fiber brush to get rid of the cat hair (thanks a lot, Beulah). I'm 71 and have 3,800 LPs. They are cataloged.....in my head. Too old and too little time left. But agree 100% with condition, condition, condition. And buy what you love and yes, be willing to take a chance once in a while (if price and condition warrant it).

People that buy records like they're stocks or baseball cards to sell later for profit are lame af.

Here’s a hidden tip; If the price is too good to be true, especially in contrast to what many dealers are asking, something is amiss. Either the condition is not up to par, extras with the album like posters or photos are missing, or it’s not the early pressing you want. Also, when it comes to Oldies artists, there are many ripoffs in terms of Re-recordings, meaning the song you always heard on the radio is not the version on your record. Do your research and find out what labels you need to look for, and what to stay away from. Approach “cheap” with caution!

Just wondering if you have permission to use the Grateful Dead logo for your store logo???

It takes about 3 plus years to really have a clue about the genre which includes important players, labels, and one-off's.

I don't collect records, I listen to music.

People need to just cut it out with this “streaming” stuff, musicians deserve to get paid for their work. Buy the record, or bugger off.

Don’t collect as an investment, it isn’t. Just an investment in time. I’ve been collecting 60 years you’re just a kid!

Southern Harmony Musical Companion Masterpiece Anniversary Box Remaster Extras Live Show double gonzo 179.99 Autographed 🥲 249.99 4 CD 99.99 2 CDs 19.99 1Lp 27.99 😮with all due respect I’ll wait 6 months and pouch it of Amazon for Half price. Who’s ✍🏼 autographs 2 same last name mo Marc , Johnny, Ed, or Gorman. Wiuldmy be great to have a Rick Rubin signed Money Maker lol. Almost all of their phenomenal 2005 run was recorded and sold insta live. I’ve got 3 shows from August Fillmore Why don’t they hawk those if they’re so desperate for cash. My favorite band🥲Cracker Anniversary KerosineHat