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Warped Records for the Win!

shawnald_reaganshawnald_reagan 318 Posts
edited February 2015 in Strut Central
Sometime in the last month or two I bought a sealed copy of Eddie Kendrick's "People...Hold On" on Ebay for like $10 knowing the inherent risks involved in buying a 40 year old sealed record. It arrived and I tucked it away for a rainy day for when I was feelin' lucky.
Today I was feelin it so I cracked it and sure enough it was warped. With cautious optimism I placed it on the deck and watched my needle ride that wax up and down waiting for the distorted result of time and shrinkwrap but damn: it plays pretty great. The needle lolls like a drunken sailor but it sounds good. I'm glad I took a small gamble to finally hear this excellent record.
I'm sure we've all taken an L on a sealed records but this is not the thread for loss. This is the thread of man's triumph over the soul crushing hands of time, for at least as long as the record plays. Please to share your warped record victories.

  Comments

  • GrafwritahGrafwritah 4,184 Posts
    Oven on 100.
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    I've got a copy of the Coup's first EP on Polemic that doesn't so much as have a warp, but a full-fledged ramp for the needle to fly off of. It's only on the outer part of the record, so the inner songs play fine. But damn if that record isn't hard to find. I'm going on over 10 years of needing a replacement copy.

    In better news, long ago I ordered a copy of Black Sheep's The Choice Is Yours 12" off of eBay. When it arrived, my mailman had bent it in its flimsy envelope into my mailbox. Miraculously, I was able to straighten the record out and I still play it to this day.
  • JectWonJectWon (@_@) 1,654 Posts
    So, is there no 'strut-approved' method of minimizing/fixing the warp? I've heard so many methods (ranging from 'that seems like it won't do anything to 'that seems like it will melt my fuckin record') and haven't had much success with any of them.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    I have yet to replace my purchased warped DJ Quik - Trauma double LP
  • billbradleybillbradley You want BBQ sauce? Get the fuck out of my house. 2,911 Posts
    JectWon said:
    So, is there no 'strut-approved' method of minimizing/fixing the warp? I've heard so many methods (ranging from 'that seems like it won't do anything to 'that seems like it will melt my fuckin record') and haven't had much success with any of them.

    Send it to a shop that has proper record flattener.

    I've seen mixed reviews on the Vinyl Flat Record Flattener but that's another option. From what I've read it take some getting used to to get it right.
    http://www.vinylflat.com/vinylflatproducts.html


  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    I have a vinylflat.

    It can help.

    When the record is warped the grooves get distorted, flattening, in my experience, does not undistort the grooves.
  • ElectrodeElectrode Los Angeles 3,131 Posts
    There's a pressing defect on the outer run-in groove of my Bob James 2 which causes the first several seconds of Mardi Gras to skip :holygrail:
  • RishanRishan 454 Posts
    Took a punt on a sealed Sphere 'Inside Ourselves' last year (thanks to Soulstrut for the 'cheap b.i.n' thread!). Seller had half a dozen copies and said they might be slightly warped, but the thing was perfectly fine. Definitely worthy of a FTW. Although the background noise on the pressing is really noticeable - Amir, if you're reading, 2LP heavy gatefold, remastered would go down a treat.
  • GibboGibbo 124 Posts
    Electrode said:
    There's a pressing defect on the outer run-in groove of my Bob James 2 which causes the first several seconds of Mardi Gras to skip :holygrail:

    Mine has the exact same defect... bad run or bad luck?
  • BallzDeepBallzDeep 612 Posts
    Electrode said:
    There's a pressing defect on the outer run-in groove of my Bob James 2 which causes the first several seconds of Mardi Gras to skip :holygrail:

    I LOLed
  • inVrsinVrs 687 Posts
    i love when record shops put even slightly warped records in the cheapos.. over the years i bought a lot of midly warped, perfectly playable raers for cheap this way.

    BUT in the same way its painful if u buy a sealed, expensive record that ends up having a pretty bad warp. Its like this with my copy of the THESDA album. Is there a 100% proof way of fixing it? kinda scared to fuck it up even more.
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