LP records: Time to... oi... buy another crate...?


OK, I'm not asking you what I should do, I'm asking what you did and, in retrospect, what you think about it. I was doing my annual assessment of my LP collection this winter, running cleaning fluid through the VPI 16.5, listening, and deciding what "VG" copy needs to be upgraded to a "NM" and what holes still need to be filled. I've never considered myself a "collector" and have attempted to "collect" only what I wish to listen to. I'm now at a crux: I've just about exceeded the "magic number" of LPs that I can reasonably expect to enjoy if blessed with a normal lifespan. I'll be one of those old guys, God bless 'em, whose survivors give his collection away to anybody who will take that pile of non-digital whatever.

For my sanity, I need to decide before Springtime whether to keep upgrading or housing multiple copies of stuff I really like (Do I need two copies of my favorites, just in case? How many versions of Quatour pour la fin du temps do I need? Do I really need mono and stereo versions of all my favorite 1958-1967 stuff? Should I upgrade my later Blue Note "player" pressings to early presses and/or 45RPM remasters? Will I really enjoy critically listening to six early copies of Aja one evening to determine which one is the "keeper?"), or just listen to what I have, get rid of what I don't think I'll play, and buy a new release now and then. I think I need to do this because managing the "collection" is now probably preventing me from enjoying it. I'm tempted to visit some of the local used bargain bin sellers with a stack for each, take whatever they offer me, and let somebody else make some lucky finds.

I'm not asking for advice or counseling, I just want to hear from those of you who also reached this point, which way you went, and how much enjoyment you get out of whatever you decided to do. If you decided to radically downsize and listen to everything you have, to "use it or lose it," how many did you keep? Do you miss any, or do you enjoy the remainder all the more? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
morgenholz

Showing 1 response by rshak

I've got around 8,000 LPs (give or take a few hundred) and, like Elizabeth, I am now retired, so I have time to mess around with the "collection," which consists of around 500 rock titles from the 50' and 60's with the balance a divided between classical and jazz.

About 6,500 LPs are stored in cabinets or custom-made shelving. I ordered my first custom made shelf from a place called *Nude Furniture* in 1985. It holds about 750 records, and at the time I figured it would be sufficient for years to come. Talk about "misunderestimating!" I've also got over 50 of the Per Madsen cubes, as well as a couple of other types of dedicated LP shelving I picked up over the years. About 1,500 records are still in boxes - - no remaining shelf space and no place to place any new shelving without really junking up the house. Time to winnow the collection down.

I have started the process by giving some of the records away - - mostly dupes but also some titles that I didn't care for. I have even (shudder!) begun pitching some records into the trash. And I have toyed with the idea of selling some of the choice items that I just don't appreciate that much but are saleable (e.g., some of the Mosaic jazz sets, and some classical rarities, like Joseph Szigeti's traversal of the Bach sonatas/partita's for solo violin - Bach Guild 627/9 - that I picked up for $3.00 used and even in the current market is worth a couple hundred bucks.

My goal is similar to Elizabeth's - limit the size of the collection to what current total shelving capacity can handle. How successful I'll be is another matter.