i'm pretty young i guess (still 26 for another week) i've been not actively seeking out 78s--but i do take a look--and perhaps by default--i am a sort of collector of them--though i don't consider myself a hardcore 78 collector or even a huge fanatic of them (i always get scared when i set them down in my car on the way home). i've probably got around 75 decent to good ones-my fave stuff being african, jamaican and latin 78s--also i really enjoy early r&b and gospel stuff on 78. i have several hundred of them around--tons of acetates that are mostly home recordings, rednecks singing country/hillbilly records, high school jazz band recordings-- and some that have radio shows and advertisements on them.
i did come across some of the rarest of rare 78s and records in general a few months ago (those 1890s berliner records i found). i've also got a lenny bruce 78 that is a white label. and i've come across two rca victor pic discs that have made me some good money as well. basically--what keeps me digging through crap 78s is the prospect that i can find something good or interesting in the bunch--just like lps (though i much prefer to look through lps or 45s)
i have a friend who started collecting them in his mid-20s as well. he got heavy into it a couple of years ago--put a ad in a local paper etc. he has a shedfull of them now--though i think he has whittled his collection down a bit. he recently found a place in brooklyn that he is going to open up a shop in. he will mostly deal with lps and 78s. i think he is just starting to get into 45s--he used to hate 45s for reasons unknown--but i think he realizes that if he is going to have a shop in nyc--that he's got to carry 45s.
and the only places i ever look for 78s are 'out in the field'. i've never gone into a record store or a record fair to find them. only thrifts, fleas, junk shops, yard sales, and auctions (not ebay).
I do know a 22-year-old soul fanatic in Boston who has a few 78's lying around, but as far as I know his collection isn't massive. (During the short time he lived here in Chicago, he seemed to have more 45's than anything else.)
eli reed?
hell yes! "eli the paperboy!" heh, heh! i take it you live in boston and know him, huh? we used to hang out during the year he stayed in the windy city...good friend of mine.
I don't hate on (78's) at all, just not something I'm interested in really collecting at the moment.
I think the fact that most modern-day turntables don't have a 78 speed is a major reason why I never got into that format. I've got this Cab Calloway seven-inch that turns out to revolve at 78 RPM...I still have yet to plug in my old GE portable from childhood to play it.
I don't hate on (78's) at all, just not something I'm interested in really collecting at the moment.
I think the fact that most modern-day turntables don't have a 78 speed is a major reason why I never got into that format. I've got this Cab Calloway seven-inch that turns out to revolve at 78 RPM...I still have yet to plug in my old GE portable from childhood to play it.
Run it on 33 or 45, record it onto a computer, and speed it up.
Personally, I think 78s are the new 45s. All the rage even. Detroit represent!
There's some people who've been collecting 78's for over forty years, and they'll tell you that 45's are the new 78's.
I was trying to be funny......yet was unsuccessful.
I got the humor and thought it was clever...I was just sayin', that's all. Didn't mean to step on the joke!
Who are the 78 collectors, though? I've been picking up blues 78s whenever I see them out and about, but I don't know who to sell them too. I was going to put that John Lee Booker 78 I posted a photo of up on the bay to see how it does. I don't even know how to grade it, though. I guess I'll use that grading scale someone put in this thread......no, not the virgin methaphorical grade....the regular one. ; )
I've only met one 78 collectro personally. He's about 50 or 60, owns the largest indy blues label in Canada, and has an array of 78's autographed by now-deceased blues legends.
Is this Andrew Galloway (who runs Electro-Fi Records)?
I don't think Electro-Fi is a Canadian label. The one I'm talking about is Stony Plain Records. They've been around for around 30 years. The owner is really cool. I went through undergrad with his son and I'm now living with him (no homo). I joked about wanting to view his dad's collection for 4 years before I finally got the chance.
What??? Tapes are the shit. Better bass. Only drawback is magnets. Seriously you can get a lot of music on tape for cheap. I still don't get why people don't buy more tapes.
I do know a 22-year-old soul fanatic in Boston who has a few 78's lying around, but as far as I know his collection isn't massive. (During the short time he lived here in Chicago, he seemed to have more 45's than anything else.)
eli reed?
hell yes! "eli the paperboy!" heh, heh! i take it you live in boston and know him, huh? we used to hang out during the year he stayed in the windy city...good friend of mine.
I know Eli as well - he succeeded me as the manager of a record store here in Boston...he eventually quit for the same reason as me, also - we have gone 45 digging a couple of times, dude has deep crates for such a young gangsta. Very talented musician, too. He's blowing the spot around here these days with his band.
I do know a 22-year-old soul fanatic in Boston who has a few 78's lying around, but as far as I know his collection isn't massive. (During the short time he lived here in Chicago, he seemed to have more 45's than anything else.)
eli reed?
hell yes! "eli the paperboy!" heh, heh! i take it you live in boston and know him, huh? we used to hang out during the year he stayed in the windy city...good friend of mine.
I know Eli as well - he succeeded me as the manager of a record store here in Boston...he eventually quit for the same reason as me, also - we have gone 45 digging a couple of times, dude has deep crates for such a young gangsta. Very talented musician, too. He's blowing the spot around here these days with his band.
When he was in Chicago, we did a one-off gig at a coffeehouse one night, me playing harmonica, him on guitar, and the two of us harmonizing on old R&B songs. Big fun. I still get people asking me whatever happened to the kid I was playing with that night.
What??? Tapes are the shit. Better bass. Only drawback is magnets. Seriously you can get a lot of music on tape for cheap. I still don't get why people don't buy more tapes.
Just don't like the format, don't like the fact that it takes me a while to find the specific track I want (as opposed to getting to it right away on CD or vinyl). It's just a goofy format all around. Now, BLANK tapes serve a purpose, but prerecorded tapes will never take the place of vinyl/CD. Doesn't look right, doesn't feel correct.
I've only met one 78 collectro personally. He's about 50 or 60, owns the largest indy blues label in Canada, and has an array of 78's autographed by now-deceased blues legends.
Is this Andrew Galloway (who runs Electro-Fi Records)?
I don't think Electro-Fi is a Canadian label.
I think it is - I somehow remember calling them direct to see about getting review copies of their CD's...
I do know a 22-year-old soul fanatic in Boston who has a few 78's lying around, but as far as I know his collection isn't massive. (During the short time he lived here in Chicago, he seemed to have more 45's than anything else.)
eli reed?
hell yes! "eli the paperboy!" heh, heh! i take it you live in boston and know him, huh? we used to hang out during the year he stayed in the windy city...good friend of mine.
I know Eli as well - he succeeded me as the manager of a record store here in Boston...he eventually quit for the same reason as me, also - we have gone 45 digging a couple of times, dude has deep crates for such a young gangsta. Very talented musician, too. He's blowing the spot around here these days with his band.
that's cool, i didn't know that... i've been talking with him online thru the noiseboard... he's got a helluva voice and def. knows his records, we've had arguments (hank ballard and the midniters vs the 5 royales, i was HB all the way!), but he's knows his shit and is a cool dude...
I do know a 22-year-old soul fanatic in Boston who has a few 78's lying around, but as far as I know his collection isn't massive. (During the short time he lived here in Chicago, he seemed to have more 45's than anything else.)
eli reed?
hell yes! "eli the paperboy!" heh, heh! i take it you live in boston and know him, huh? we used to hang out during the year he stayed in the windy city...good friend of mine.
I know Eli as well - he succeeded me as the manager of a record store here in Boston...he eventually quit for the same reason as me, also - we have gone 45 digging a couple of times, dude has deep crates for such a young gangsta. Very talented musician, too. He's blowing the spot around here these days with his band... i've been talking with him online thru the noiseboard... he's got a helluva voice and def. knows his records, we've had arguments (hank ballard and the midniters vs the 5 royales, i was HB all the way!), but he's knows his shit and is a cool dude...
Oh yeah, he's real definite about his R&B tastes, but then again so am I, so we've disagreed every now and then (particularly on rockabilly guitarist Paul Burlison, from the Johnny Burnette Rock & Roll Trio - he wasn't feeling it, but Burlison was alright with me). Even so, it is always a pleasure to talk with him. I gotta shoot him an IM...
The Midnighters vs. the Five Royales? That's like: my right foot or my left? Ha, ha - both have that raunchy "secular gospel" sound that only the King Records artists seemed to have, back in the sixties and early seventies (also see: Little Willie John, early James Brown). I couldn't choose one over the other, 'cause they were both cool.
Am I right to assume that almost every 78 in "Good" condition is pretty much worthless?
Actually, one thing I like about 78's is that often super-trashed ones will play well* - sort of the natural progression from how trashed 45's can generally play better than rinked LP's.
*of course, a 78 playing "well" is still usually pretty poor sound quality. I'd be curious to hear what a mint 78 on an audiophile set-up sounds like, because I've yet to hear a 78 that didn't have some relation to listening to music inside of a tin can...
I have a shallow 78 collection, but I look through all the piles nonetheless. I'd never buy one on the Internets. I've got to find it with my own two hands and then use those self-same hands to transport it home. No packaging in the world, that I've seen, is foolproof for 78s.
My favorite so far (though not exactly raer):
Muddy Waters - You're Gonna Miss Me / Mean Red Spider (Aristocrat)
Meaty: what do you want for the Cobra/Chess/Checker 78s? Dibs on the Geechie Wiley on Vocalion.
Am I right to assume that almost every 78 in "Good" condition is pretty much worthless?
Actually, one thing I like about 78's is that often super-trashed ones will play well* - sort of the natural progression from how trashed 45's can generally play better than rinked LP's.
*of course, a 78 playing "well" is still usually pretty poor sound quality. I'd be curious to hear what a mint 78 on an audiophile set-up sounds like, because I've yet to hear a 78 that didn't have some relation to listening to music inside of a tin can...
there are also alot of as-new looking 78s that play with major hiss - I have a couple aristocrat blues & billie holiday on commodore like this.
Am I right to assume that almost every 78 in "Good" condition is pretty much worthless?
Actually, one thing I like about 78's is that often super-trashed ones will play well* - sort of the natural progression from how trashed 45's can generally play better than rinked LP's.
*of course, a 78 playing "well" is still usually pretty poor sound quality. I'd be curious to hear what a mint 78 on an audiophile set-up sounds like, because I've yet to hear a 78 that didn't have some relation to listening to music inside of a tin can...
there are also alot of as-new looking 78s that play with major hiss - I have a couple aristocrat blues & billie holiday on commodore like this.
Mr. Nemo,
Riddle me this: Some sources cite Johnny Williams as really being Baby Boy Warren. Some sources cite Johnny Williams as being John Lee Hooker. Which is it? Or is it both?
*of course, a 78 playing "well" is still usually pretty poor sound quality. I'd be curious to hear what a mint 78 on an audiophile set-up sounds like, because I've yet to hear a 78 that didn't have some relation to listening to music inside of a tin can...
Which kind are you talking? Earlier teens-20s type or late 50s that played on electric-operated turntables?
The earlier version will always sound like a tincan. First, they only have a very narrow range of sound reproduction. Second, the stylus' on the crank players weighed POUNDS, literally. Heavy as fuck. Then they are tipped with thick ass steel needles. They literally grind the record grooves down to dust. That definitely "hiss" adding.
If you've ever used one you'll know what I mean. You gotta set the needle down lightly because if you don't, you can very easily crack the whole damn record with the stylus.
Comments
i've probably got around 75 decent to good ones-my fave stuff being african, jamaican and latin 78s--also i really enjoy early r&b and gospel stuff on 78. i have several hundred of them around--tons of acetates that are mostly home recordings, rednecks singing country/hillbilly records, high school jazz band recordings-- and some that have radio shows and advertisements on them.
i did come across some of the rarest of rare 78s and records in general a few months ago (those 1890s berliner records i found).
i've also got a lenny bruce 78 that is a white label. and i've come across two rca victor pic discs that have made me some good money as well. basically--what keeps me digging through crap 78s is the prospect that i can find something good or interesting in the bunch--just like lps (though i much prefer to look through lps or 45s)
i have a friend who started collecting them in his mid-20s as well. he got heavy into it a couple of years ago--put a ad in a local paper etc. he has a shedfull of them now--though i think he has whittled his collection down a bit. he recently found a place in brooklyn that he is going to open up a shop in. he will mostly deal with lps and 78s.
i think he is just starting to get into 45s--he used to hate 45s for reasons unknown--but i think he realizes that if he is going to have a shop in nyc--that he's got to carry 45s.
hell yes! "eli the paperboy!" heh, heh! i take it you live in boston and know him, huh? we used to hang out during the year he stayed in the windy city...good friend of mine.
There's some people who've been collecting 78's for over forty years, and they'll tell you that 45's are the new 78's.
I think the fact that most modern-day turntables don't have a 78 speed is a major reason why I never got into that format. I've got this Cab Calloway seven-inch that turns out to revolve at 78 RPM...I still have yet to plug in my old GE portable from childhood to play it.
Run it on 33 or 45, record it onto a computer, and speed it up.
I was trying to be funny......yet was unsuccessful.
I got the humor and thought it was clever...I was just sayin', that's all. Didn't mean to step on the joke!
Who are the 78 collectors, though? I've been picking up blues 78s whenever I see them out and about, but I don't know who to sell them too. I was going to put that John Lee Booker 78 I posted a photo of up on the bay to see how it does. I don't even know how to grade it, though. I guess I'll use that grading scale someone put in this thread......no, not the virgin methaphorical grade....the regular one. ; )
Scott
What??? Tapes are the shit. Better bass. Only drawback is magnets. Seriously you can get a lot of music on tape for cheap. I still don't get why people don't buy more tapes.
I know Eli as well - he succeeded me as the manager of a record store here in Boston...he eventually quit for the same reason as me, also - we have gone 45 digging a couple of times, dude has deep crates for such a young gangsta. Very talented musician, too. He's blowing the spot around here these days with his band.
"Wheelchair Shuffle" backed by "Nursing Home Blues"
TAKE THAT SHIT TO THE BREAKS.com!
No seriously, thats crazy.
When he was in Chicago, we did a one-off gig at a coffeehouse one night, me playing harmonica, him on guitar, and the two of us harmonizing on old R&B songs. Big fun. I still get people asking me whatever happened to the kid I was playing with that night.
Just don't like the format, don't like the fact that it takes me a while to find the specific track I want (as opposed to getting to it right away on CD or vinyl). It's just a goofy format all around. Now, BLANK tapes serve a purpose, but prerecorded tapes will never take the place of vinyl/CD. Doesn't look right, doesn't feel correct.
I think it is - I somehow remember calling them direct to see about getting review copies of their CD's...
that's cool, i didn't know that... i've been talking with him online thru the noiseboard... he's got a helluva voice and def. knows his records, we've had arguments (hank ballard and the midniters vs the 5 royales, i was HB all the way!), but he's knows his shit and is a cool dude...
Oh yeah, he's real definite about his R&B tastes, but then again so am I, so we've disagreed every now and then (particularly on rockabilly guitarist Paul Burlison, from the Johnny Burnette Rock & Roll Trio - he wasn't feeling it, but Burlison was alright with me). Even so, it is always a pleasure to talk with him. I gotta shoot him an IM...
The Midnighters vs. the Five Royales? That's like: my right foot or my left? Ha, ha - both have that raunchy "secular gospel" sound that only the King Records artists seemed to have, back in the sixties and early seventies (also see: Little Willie John, early James Brown). I couldn't choose one over the other, 'cause they were both cool.
And what is this "noiseboard?"
boston based rock and roll musician board...
Been collecting them since I was 19. Not a hardcore dude but, what I got is quality.
Mainly R&B,Doo-Wop,and Gospel.
Actually, one thing I like about 78's is that often super-trashed ones will play well* - sort of the natural progression from how trashed 45's can generally play better than rinked LP's.
*of course, a 78 playing "well" is still usually pretty poor sound quality. I'd be curious to hear what a mint 78 on an audiophile set-up sounds like, because I've yet to hear a 78 that didn't have some relation to listening to music inside of a tin can...
My favorite so far (though not exactly raer):
Muddy Waters - You're Gonna Miss Me / Mean Red Spider (Aristocrat)
Meaty: what do you want for the Cobra/Chess/Checker 78s? Dibs on the Geechie Wiley on Vocalion.
there are also alot of as-new looking 78s that play with major hiss - I have a couple aristocrat blues & billie holiday on commodore like this.
Mr. Nemo,
Riddle me this: Some sources cite Johnny Williams as really being Baby Boy Warren. Some sources cite Johnny Williams as being John Lee Hooker. Which is it? Or is it both?
they were so hacked, I didn't even buy em. Besides, for the price he was asking, it was no where worth it,
Which kind are you talking? Earlier teens-20s type or late 50s that played on electric-operated turntables?
The earlier version will always sound like a tincan. First, they only have a very narrow range of sound reproduction. Second, the stylus' on the crank players weighed POUNDS, literally. Heavy as fuck. Then they are tipped with thick ass steel needles. They literally grind the record grooves down to dust. That definitely "hiss" adding.
If you've ever used one you'll know what I mean. You gotta set the needle down lightly because if you don't, you can very easily crack the whole damn record with the stylus.