All you old folks and music nerds?
I am looking to buy a turntable, a record player. I know I am several decades too late it is just something I want. Does anyone have any suggestions? Anything specific too look for? I know there are different sizes of vinyls but all I ever see in record stores are the big ones I dont know what size that is, I think the small ones are 45's but do I need a special turntable for different sizes or what. I am kinda stumblin round in the dark.
Ok youngster; an album is referred as a 78 L P. A 45 is like back in the 70s single hit days. Theres good new tables on the market everywhere. Any one will play both’ Back in the day there was a 33 record.Thick as a frisbee
most turn tables are universal they will play all three sizes and have a switch to accomidate. you will be able to find a good table at a used record store. do not go to a music store that sells mainly cds. they have no idea what they are talking about. the rack system (turn table, equalizer, 8 track, cassette or even reel to reel player) is called gear. look for sony ericson kenwood. the guy at the record store will be able to direct you to the one that best suits your needs. if there is an used record store that deals mainly in jazz or rock they know their s h i t. that is your best bet.
ok the record sizes
lps hifis and albums are 33 rpm or 33s
the next size down at oh 3/4 the size of a 33 is the 78 rpm records or 78s
and the singles are on 45s
a 33 is roughly the equivelant of a whole cd today. the better quality albums were recorded in hifi. hi fidelity.
the 78 is smaller and has less room for songs so more along the lines of an 8 track for compassity. 78s are a little thicker.
then the 45s have generally 2 songs. one on either side.
then there are edisons and cylinder records. neither i think you would be in terested in. they stopped making cylinders oh in the teens or early 20s and edisons probably in the 30s or early 40s. cylinder records were made out of bees wax and are reputed as having better sound quality than edison. their shape made them unattractive. they are about the size of a can of campbells soup.
The small 7 inch records with the larger holes are generally called "singles" or 45s because each side usually holds a single song and playback is at 45 rpm (revolutions per minute). The larger 12 inch records with a small hole are called albums or LPs (LP=long playing record), and play at 33 1/3 rpm. Each side of an album can hold about 20-30 minutes. there were some other formats but these became the dominant ones. in the 1980s, the maxi-single became popular. this was a 12 inch disc recorded at 45 rpm (since it spins faster, it has less "time" capacity). these usually contained one main song and perhaps remixed versions of that same song or a couple of bonus tracks that weren’t included on the album from which the main song was included. someone else mentioned 78’s (they played at 78 rpm) but the LP basically replaced that older format (I think during the 1940s). so unless you’re interested in tracking down old 78’s, you really only need a player that will play at 45 and 33 1/3 rpm.
in terms of players, the selection is limited compared to what it once was. probably the best advice is to let price be your guide based on how serious you want to get into it and don’t forget to also get a decent record cleaner (I’m not sure what’s available anymore, "Discwasher" brand used to make a reasonably effective and inexpensive cleaner) and a stylus cleaning brush.
there are two basic designs for turntables - belt drive and direct drive. although both have their advantages and disadvantages, you’re probably better off with a direct drive design.