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Not quite, although I have used a DV10x5 high-output MC cartridge in the past and I enjoyed it a lot. The cartridge in the photo is a Rega Ania with is a low-output MC unit.
I've been fortunate to live in a lot of cities with great record stores over the years so most of my vinyl was acquired in person. I've also been to a some great record shows in the past — before so many people started collecting albums just for the sake of collecting (acquiring hundreds or even thousands of albums that they've yet to ever listen to) driving prices up even higher. I did enjoy gemm.com when it was around as I had really good luck the few times I bought via stores in their system. Almost all of my LPs are older with no digital manipulation in the chain. I have a couple thousand CDs as well and just never got into streaming music. We even still have a few decent FM radio stations here in Portland including a jazz station that I enjoy but sadly it doesn't play nearly as much jazz as it used to just a few years ago.
Yeah, I've been collecting these things, since I was a kid. I'd ride my Schwinn String Ray down to the local Record Shop once a week. To help spend my lawn mowing money. I think the first 45 was a used (hole punched in label) Buckingham's "Mercy, Mercy. Mercy."
I put a Denon DL-103R (with Soundsmith boron cantilever and nude contact diamond) --- onto my restored old Sony 2251 (SME 3009 arm). Man, this is a nice setup! Warm, natural tone. Almost as good as the Hana SL on my Pro-ject, when playing female vocal albums.
You like guitars? I see that one hanging on the wall. Me too! My only full bodied acoustic is a Martin HD28. A nice 1990 model.
You like guitars? I see that one hanging on the wall. Me too! My only full bodied acoustic is a Martin HD28. A nice 1990 model.
A little bit too much over the years I'm afraid. I've almost lost count of how many acoustic guitars have passed through my hands since the 80's and I still ended up with a small collection of the things. Back when I lived in Austin in the 90's I met Bill Collings and later had a chance to go to work for him. By then I had found another line of work that I really enjoyed so I passed that opportunity. I have to admit I would have loved to have been involved in building Collings guitars, but it just wasn't to be. I ended up owning a couple of Collings guitars later on, both of which are gone now. I'm particularly fond of mahogany bodied guitars. The guitar hanging on the wall is a '97 Taylor 510. I keep it hanging on the wall for easy access in the spring/summer/fall but tuck it away in it's case with a guitar humidifier in the wintertime. I also have some Gibsons, a Martin and a National Steel guitar. For decades my fingernails would wear like steel and were a big part of my playing style and tone. A few years ago my nails really started to deteriorate, splitting quite easily. Now I fingerpick with bare skin (except when playing the National when I use thumb and fingerpicks) and as a result I just don't play guitar nearly as much as I used to. Unlike my vinyl record albums I'll likely sell off many of my guitars over the coming years. I'll always like guitars, even if I hardly play anymore. At least I'll still have plenty of guitar music on vinyl to listen to.
I never played on a Collings. I know that they are good stuff. One day, maybe. I've only owned two acoustic guitar (well, 3 with the mini Martin). An OLD Gibson Hummingbird, which had a great tone. But, is long gone --- to a girlfriend. And the Martin HD28. I've owned a TON of electric guitars. Trying to thin out the herd to maybe four or five.
[QUOTE=Thomas Guide;24564882]I'd like to add a bit more about vinyl care. Langelo's comment about going through 2 Hendrix albums from playing them so much might be from how they were handled. Considering that all my vinyl is still in near mint condition, even the ones I DJ'd with, you won't find a scratch or finger print on any of them. I've observed over the years that most people don't actually know how to handle records or how to set their turn tables up causing the quality of the sound to degrade badly.
I played the drums in a rock band. To figure out and get down Mitch Mitchell's licks I used to slow the record speed down, or speed it up, repeatedly move the needle and put it back...
I used to party to Hendrix
Last edited by Langelo DeMysterioso; 02-13-2019 at 09:27 AM.
I'd like to add a bit more about vinyl care. Langelo's comment about going through 2 Hendrix albums from playing them so much might be from how they were handled. Considering that all my vinyl is still in near mint condition, even the ones I DJ'd with, you won't find a scratch or finger print on any of them. I've observed over the years that most people don't actually know how to handle records or how to set their turn tables up causing the quality of the sound to degrade badly.
I played the drums in a rock band. To figure out and get down Mitch Mitchell's licks I used to slow the record speed down, or speed it up, repeatedly move the needle and put it back...
I used to party to Hendrix
Turntables have come a long ways over the years. They've also become considerably more expensive in many cases. There are now speed controlled belt-driven tables that run every bit as stable as their direct-driven counterparts. Similarly some of the latest direct-drive motors no longer suffer from cogging or rumble like the old 1200 MK2.
Very interesting. I've owned close to 10 SL-1200's since I considered it a musical instrument and would upgrade to the newer models and then sell off the older ones. I only have one left and the last time I played it after moving, I thought I was detecting something akin to a rumble. I didn't spend too much time investigating before putting it away as I thought it could be crooked or maybe the stylus was dirty.
The cogging I have heard of once, when I sold a pair of SL-1200's and later the person reported this issue that was going to require a couple hundred dollars to fix. I felt bad but it never did it for me.
The SL-1200's were / are great from a musicians standpoint, as they are monsters at taking abuse. I would pack them up into a crate, load it into my car, and then play a house party or gig until the sun comes up, other people playing them, exposure to smoke, outside elements, then pack them back up and take them home. Wash, rinse, repeat. Although I'm very careful with all my musical stuff, things happen and they always took the abuse.
I definitely can understand your thoughts and comments regarding the SL-1200's, long known for their bulletproof durability. My very first turntable was a Technics, not a SL-1200 but a lower end model. Later on I upgraded to a Linn turntable. This was long after most people had begun to latch on to CDs. I tried giving away my old Technics table but I honestly couldn't find any takers, no one was interested and I mean no one. I ended up tossing the Technics in a dumpster as I just did not have the space to store it in my apartment at the time. I still feel bad about that. I set my hifi equipment up and then don't mess with it other than to listening to music playback on it so all of my gear tends to last for decades. No doubt even the lesser Technics I owned since the 70's would still be spinning today had I kept it. I do still have a Sony cassette deck from 1982 that's still going strong today.
02-11-2019, 07:05 PM
