Vinyl nerds?

Any serious record collectors here?

Yep.

Word. Making it out to the record convention next month? It's supposed to be the biggest one yet.

Is there a link?

Is there a link? Originally Posted by SNL9933

Its on Oct 19 at the Hilton Southwest. Starts from 10am to 4pm and its a 4 dollar fee to get in. Or for more info,go to Facebook and enter Houston Record Convention.

The Austin Record Convention got cancled so they're pairing up with the one here. Supposed to be huge! I'm bound to find a copy of the Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust there. The shops around here haven't had a copy come through in awhile.

Thank you...

What places do you guys prefer to go for vinyl records?

I'll be attending that convention-- never been to one, yet every year I grab the flyer somewhere and tell myself I'm going but somehow always forget or something else comes up...
Seems like the days of record shopping are somewhat behind me as it's been a good while since I've any solid crate-sifting... however still collects. I feel like an idiot for selling my pair of Technics 1210-MK2's & Pioneer mixer years ago. Would like to re-examine the audiophile side of me and acquire more professional quality equipment.
As far as record stores-- they're mostly concentrated inside the loop:
Vinal Edge (when it used to be on Veterans Memorial)-- its now on 19th in the Heights... haven't checked out Heights Vinyl yet.
Cactus Music
Sound Exchange
Black Dog (find them to be a bit overpriced)
Defunct: Chemistry, Atomic...

If & when I do buy vinyl I'll usually seek best price, condition, etc. online via retailer/wholesaler/marketplace...

^^^^
I am going to date myself here but I grew up back east (Brooklyn to be exact). I put myself though NYU as a night club DJ in NY...all primarily house music clubs that didn't open until about midnight but went on until the next day.

I grew up watching my older cousins get ready to go out to the clubs and Studio 54 in the mid to late 70's... Naturally I gravitated toward dance/house music and acquired my cousin's DJ vinyl collection (he played at clubs in NY back in the day like Limelight) and some other under ground places.

Anyway,..I have always held on to my vinyl and have about 6 or 7,000 records that I will never part with. Most of them are all 12" dance, disco, and house music singles vs. LP's but I do have some rare LP's as well. Crazy things like promo vinyl, test pressings, colored vinyl, some signed by the artist themselves.

I had the original Technics SL-1200's for almost 15 years and they still are a work horse with thousands of hours on them they still work. Although I did purchase the SL-1210 M5G before Technics discontinued the SL all together.

Ironically Pioneer just released a turntable earlier this year as they recognized how popular vinyl still is and how vinyl sales is growing. People (like me)) are still vinyl purists and desire the warm analog sound coming from their speakers vs. the digitally enhanced mp3 sounds that have been produced for so long.

If you are going to look at vinyl the shows are the best place to find rare vinyl and you can bargain with the dealers. There is also a great place in Hollywood called Amoeba records but they buy low and sell at a premium.

Spare yourself the time going to Heights Vinyl unless you're in the area. They do great on repairs, but I'd rather go to Sound Exchange for repairs. It doesn't take long and it's much cheaper.

I prefer Cactus Music, myself.

I've got a Dual 1257 as a backup and a Marantz 6150 that I love. That Marantz is my dream TT. Just got it a few months back. Bought a new stylus for it. Performs beautifully!

I buy from Amoeba every now and again.

Okay, okay. Confession: I sear for records like I search for providers. There. I said it. Lol