Record Regrets

If you have read any of my previous postings you will know that I originally thought about collecting vinyl when I was a senior on high school. Sadly I let years of collecting vinyl pass me by, but I still collected some great music.

One of my favorite albums from my youth is Garbage's first album from all the way back in 95'. I didn't actually get the CD until late 1996 though. I listened to this album whenever I could, and by late 97' I was eagerly awaiting their second album, and begging to look into a possible release date. It was at this time that I was first exposed to something called Amazon.com. Back the Amazon was still fairly primitive, and they also did auctions too. But typing Garbage in I became aware if special CD singles, remixes of current songs, and the first album on LP. 

As I spotted it I was stunned. My classmate was right new music was being put out on vinyl. Here was my chance to get into vinyl. But for $20, I didn't know, after all I had the album on CD so why bother. I logged off of Amazon and thought about it, no wish lists on Amazon back then so I would have to specifically look it up when I came back later. I got up and went to work the next day, and maybe class too, but I just remember being at work and at one point saying to myself "when I get home I'm going to buy it!". 

I remember finally getting home and sitting down and front of the computer going on to Amazon, and well changing my mind and not buying it. I though about it a few more times after that but just let it go after time.  

Flash forward to last week. I look the album up on Amazon and its $139, plus I can't even find the first album on eBay. All I can say is damn! I could have gotten it for $20, back in the day. Oh well! Guess that's a record regret!

The Record Player

July 28, 2013

It was crazy how quickly I found the record player. I thought for sure the box it was in was buried under a pile of boxes in the basement and it would take me several weeks to find it. Somehow though in my wife's hurry to move things out of the way to light the hot water heater she moved things and the box with the record player ended up on top of a stack of plastic containers. So all I had to do was open it and there it was.

For some strange reason I had it in my head it was a Panasonic or Technics record player, since I have a love for Panasonic, but the turntable is a Sony. As I got it upstairs and on to my kitchen table I realized the belt was loose. I popped off the rubber pad, and the metal turntable, and the belt was rolled into a ball in the corner. I was a little freaked out, I had no idea how to loop it or if it was broken. I gave it a shot to see if I could figure out where it went with no luck. 

I turned to the Internet looking for some instructions, and found virtually nothing that could help. Then I turned to YouTube, no luck for Sony turntable belts. Finally, in desperation I dropped the Sony part, and finally I caught a break. There where several videos and even though the one I watched was for a JVC turntable the idea was the same. The belt loops around that metal turntable and was an easy fix, thanks to the video. 

Now for my next dilemma. The receiver even though it was from 1999 still had a RCA jack for a phonograph no big issue. The turntable though has jacks that only stretch about a foot out of the back, and I need at least three feet of cable to make it to my receiver. I need RCA female to female connectors, I thought I had a pair but I can't find them. It's already late on a Sunday night so my dreams of hearing that staticky-ness of vinyl music will have to wait.