I have grown up around records as my Dad was, and still is an avid collector. With rows and rows of records stacked up in book shelves, he probably has a small shops worth of vinyl. I thought since records are now coming back in fashion I'd give those wanting to dabble, a small easy to follow guide.
The first thing you might want to consider is price. Records and record players are not mass-produced on a wide scale. Even modern records rack up quite a price as there is not a large market for these kinda things. So if you want to take this up as a hobby save up the money.
Firstly you will need a record player. Before you even think of buying records for obvious reasons need a record player. Although on a side note if you see a vinyl that you really like pick it up, you never know if you will see it again. A record player can rage from £50 to way way beyond that, but on average a decent record player will be around £100. Places such as Amazon and Urban Outfitters do good beginners record players. Although I would personally recommend going vintage/retro as older record player were built to last, as well as this your more likely to get that characteristically grainy sound. Another awesome place to look is charity shops, lots of people throw out their parents/grandparents old players. Your also gonna get a brilliant bargain, the only downside is that you may have a while before you find a good one.
On another note make sure you know what size records it takes, for example mine will take pretty much all records. My dad however has ended up giving me allot of his records as he cant play them. So I'd make sure it plays a rage of sized vinyl.
Lastly make sure the rubber pad and the stylus are both in good shape. You don't want a blunt stylus (the pin you put on the record) to scratch your vinyl. As well as this you want a nice rubber matt (which is what the vinyl sits on) to make sure it runs smoothly and keeps your record in good shape.
All you need to do now is make sure you have a safe, dry place to keep your records as well as a duster. Dust collected on your record is gonna make it skip, so make sure to pick one off Amazon for £5 (I prefer the velvet static brushes).
After you have gotten your player it's time to move on to bigger and cooler things, buying the actual records. Now apart from the obvious (record shops) their are so many other options. The best actually being charity shops. There has been many a time I've popped into a charity shop only to come out with David Bowie or Jonny cash.These places are like undiscovered goldmines, so take advantage. There are also many online stores but be wary, there is no way to check the quality over a computer. Saying this many online retailers of records tend to be very reputable.
Old verses New. Now I have nothing against getting modern vinyl. I actually love getting a physical copy of an album I love. Sometimes I buy it purely for the amazing cover art. But you do have to keep in mind that modern vinyl was not record to go on vinyl. Therefore you wont really achieve that famous static sound that record collectors live for. I personally mainly collect old vinyl, buying modern records for albums I'm really in love with.
As you can see it is pretty simple process. Vinyls are a lovely way to keep physical copies of your favourite artists, and in a stylish way. So go forth and start collecting. Once your start you'll find yourself surrounded by the things.
Love Child Xx
