This Is Book’s Music

I’m a youngblood and have been thinking of getting into some vinyl. I think it would be awesome to start getting a lil collection, however, I don’t have a record player. Any recommendations on what to look for, what’s best….just anything I should know going into buying a record player. I’m a college student so I’m looking for something cheap, but don’t want to get some shit that doesn’t work!

There are many options out there, which may seen overwhelming for the record newbit, but in truth if you know what to look out for and where to go, it can be easy. Let’s start there.

1) Record player
This pretty much covers every device that actually plays records, whether it’s an old Grammophone that plays only 78rpm records, or a kiddie player with a Big Bird beak. It’s a universal name, a term generally used for all “record machines”, although in many songs the term “record machine” has been used to describe a jukebox.
“can’t you see me standing here, I’ve got my back against the record machine” – Van Halen’s Jump
“Oh, I put a dime in the drugstore record machine.
Oldies goldies started playing if you know what I mean.
I heard Chubby Checker, he was doin’ the twist
And the Beatles and the Monkees, it goes like this!
I put a dime in the drugstore record machine.” – “A Noun is a Person, Place, or Thing” by Lynn Ahrens from Schoolhouse Rock

An example of someone with their back against the record machine can be seen in the George Michael video for “Faith”

Should you buy a jukebox as a first time “record machine”, no, but in the future if you purchase a first time home, you could consider one. For now, keep it basic.

2) Phonograph
The name is synonymous with big, bulky record players from the 1950′s, 60′s, and 70′s. One could find one in libraries, classrooms, or at home. A phonograph generally played records and records only, although the word could be used to describe a “stereo”.

3) Stereo/Stereo component system
The end of World War II often leads to many discussions about people moving to the suburbs and turning their living rooms into modern entertainment centers. A “stereo” was meant to describe what played your stereophonic records, which usually meant the phonograph and of course speakers. As time went on, audio companies would create separate components to add to the stereo system: everything from equalizers, tape (cassette or 8-track) decks, and AM/FM radio. You would gradually add a component, or buy them all at once. In time, companies would often make these components built into one system, which was part of the norm in the late 70′s/early 80′s.

4) Turntable
The turntable is the actual round platter on the record player that you place your record on. These can be found on any device that plays your records, but it wasn’t until the mid to late 70′s that the name became used to describe the device as a whole, not just the round table itself. This coincided with a shift in record players that moved from those that had a spindle, where you could stack three or more records on the spindle and have it play one by one:

to when the player design got rid of the spindle and became more streamline:

While there have been children’s record players without a spindle, it was models of turntables like the Technics SL-1200 that seemed like “the future” in the 1970′s to a younger generation who grew up with big and bulky phonographs. It just looked cooler than what your parents or grandparents had, something sleek, silver or black seemed like something YOU should have.

This is the Ion USB turntable. While Ion is unfamiliar as an audio equipment company, they have managed to make a turntable that is perfect for those who are discovering records for the first time. It is a plug and play device, so all you have to do is plug is into your computer or laptop, and you’ll be able to hear your records. With the USB, you are also able to record songs from the records and save them as WAV files or create MP3, OGG, or lossless files from the WAV’s and archive them as you wish, then transfer them to your portable digital listening device of choice. If you have a receiver or a boom box-type system with an input, you are also able to connect it that way. If you simply want to hear your records, and you know you’ll be wanting to upgrade in a few years, the Ion may be the way to go to start out with.

If the Ion name seems too “dollar store” for you, there are also a number of budget USB turntables you can look at, including the Numark TTUSB, the Sony PS-LX300USB, or the Audio-Technica AT-LP2D-USB.

This is the Vestax Handy Trax portable record player, which plays records at not only 33 and 45 (the “normal” speeds), but 78rpm records as well. Many of the turntables listed above will only play 33 and 45, which is perfect for most of the records you will buy, but if you come across some dusty 78′s and want to listen to the blues, gospel, jazz, pop, children’s records or anything you may find, you can do so. This Vestax also has pitch control, which may come in handy for you young hip-hop producers who will want to know if a song may sound better slowed down or sped up. It has a built-in speaker (mono), headphone output (which can come in handy at stores that may not want you playing any records at any volume) and a “Line Out”, which means you’re able to hook it up to your soundcard or stereo receiver. I have been using the Vestax Handy Trax for a few years, and love it. It’s easy to carry with or without batteries, and with proper use can last a long time.

Vestax have come out with a newer version with USB capability.

Rega is a British company that has a number of different turntable models, but one that has been highly recommended by others is the P-3 model. Reviews have called it “a great beginner turntable” and one that offers great sound from their records. If you are color conscious, you can find the P-3 in different colors to match with your listening room. Other Rega models get a lot of respect, but for one that is of quality and worth every dollar, many recommend the P-3.

or be more sleek and futuristic like the turntables made by Mike Disher

or something made by Rick Collins to your specifications:

Now, if you have $300,000 to spare, I’d like to ask for a flight to your mansion so I can at least see and hear something you play on the Goldmund Reference: