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I never used to look for records while thrifting - until now! I dusted off the perfect beginner record player and got it all set up.
I don't know about you guys, but I held off on starting a record collection for a long time. I kind of just figured anything I wanted to listen to could be pulled up on Spotify and listened to at the highest quality. I know, I know, audiophiles are cringing at me right now. But I didn't know what I was missing out on! I remember when vinyls had a resurgence and were being sold at Urban Outfitters like 10 years ago. I loved the idea of it and got my now husband a record player. We played around with it for a while, but it ended up being a door stopper for one of the creaky doors in our apartment.
I actually don't know what compelled me to pull it out, other than the fact that I got sad seeing it sit there. I thrifted a record (which sent me down an entire rabbit hole we will discuss later) and was entranced to hear the music playing out of this lovely machine. It was like being transported back in time.
I'm going to be totally honest - I'm not a vinyl expert. If you are looking for the record player that will give off the perfect sound and will preserve your records and will last you forever, I'm simply not your girl. There are plenty of articles on the internet if you are looking for someone's professional musical opinion.
I'm just a girl. A girl who loves vintage and retro things. Who wanted a way to enjoy the lost art of putting a record on a turntable and enjoying the scratchy, imperfect, romantic sound of an album being played. And I wanted to do it as cheap as possible.
Of course, one day I would like to upgrade my setup, but for now I am able to enjoy the magic of my simple and portable record player!
Like I mentioned earlier, when record players became "indie" and "cool" much like film photography (and some could argue that they've always been cool, but there definitely was a resurgence in the 2010s), I loved the idea, but didn't understand the value of the experience. I understood that like any vintage or retro thing that there is a charm and a "more effort=more reward" type of excitement to it, as well as just the imperfect quality to the records themselves.
But I think the excitement faded out quickly when it felt like I could get a brand new album on Spotify instantly versus paying $39.99 for a vinyl at Urban. I get that there is the element of a collector's item (Taylor Swift fans buy every limited edition vinyl to reap the benefits of the bonuses that come with the purchase), but again, it didn't get me excited enough about records to keep up with them.
One of the very first things that sparked my interest in vinyl again was when I went to an antique mall a few months ago. I picked up these two vinyls that had the cutest covers on them. One had a 50s girl lounging on a lawn chair with a 50s guy serving her lemonade and the other was a vintage nautical theme. I didn't want to buy them because I hadn't gotten back into vinyl yet, so my sister suggested I take a photo of the tracklists and look up the albums on Spotify later. I thought that was a genius idea so I took the photos and went home.
Later on, when I was trying to look up the songs, I couldn't find any of them on Spotify! I mean, I could find the songs by other artists, but I couldn't find them played by that specific orchestra. That's when I realized that this is such a unique lost art.
I'm telling you it was like a switch being flipped. I started looking for vinyls while thrifting and my collection literally grew from 0 to around 75 vinyls in the span of a few months.
As with all collectors, everyone is looking for a different thing! Everyone knows how much I love thrifting and how it is like a treasure hunt every time - well now the treasure hunt is even more exciting because I'm hunting for specific vinyls!
When I'm out looking, I personally don't care for finding the most rare and highest quality vinyls - I look for cool covers and things that interest me.
The backbone of my collection is really curated orchestral playlists. Basically, the most popular songs of the day would be covered by orchestras and put on a themed vinyl. For example, I thrifted a vinyl called "Seven Winds - Music That Stirs Up A Storm!" and all the songs on it have to do with wind (like Gone With the Wind, etc.). It's such a bonus when the cover looks cool and vintage.
Most people don't care to thrift these because they are pretty much nameless performers, but I love a good playlist. I see them all as vintage playlists! I also love to thrift vinyls simply based on the cover. I have been introduced to so many amazing artists from the 50s and 60s all because I thrifted one of their vinyls.
I have pretty much exhausted all the vintage romance playlists on Spotify, and I feel like with vinyls you can really learn some of the less popular songs and cultivate a love for the music of the past. It's also fun to imagine you're a teenager from those days, putting on a vinyl and listening to your favorite songs of the moment.
I have started to get more into dating records - trying to figure out when specifically a vinyl was pressed. Like I said, I'm not the biggest on needing to have the original press run, but it's kind of fun to figure out how old your vinyl really is.
Of course, I also look for specific artists while I'm thrifting. They are usually harder to find, just because resellers are more inclined to pick up vinyls that have better resell value - which includes big names like Elvis, Etta James, etc. And the beauty is over time, once you find lesser known artists that you like, you can look for more of their vinyls. By lesser known, I really mean lesser known to myself or not as much in the current lexicon.
Obviously many of the "lesser known" artists I speak of were HUGE in their day. One of my favorite artists to find is Doris Day, because my mom loves her. I have thrifted plenty of her records and will continue to do so. I do sometimes get lucky and have found an Elvis record or two.
I also really love thrifting musical soundtracks. I have Grease, Sound of Music, etc. I also love thrifting move scores. I have Romeo & Juliet, Camelot, etc.
This is the record player I have! Granted, this record player is even better than the one I have since it does have Bluetooth input and output. Remember the player I have is a little bit older, but this is the new and improved version of it!
"I absolutely love this. I only have 3 vinyl records right now but I will be in the store buying more to play. It sounds great."
This record player has stirred up quite the controversy online. From what I can gather, the people who are just wanting to enjoy records and not take things too seriously (me) love this player, and other vinyl experts very much disapprove of and dislike this record player.
Light & portable
Very affordable (~$60)
Cute
Easy to understand/use
Speaker sound quality not great
Made of cheaper materials
Reportedly not good for vinyl longevity
Here's my take: If you are wanting a good low cost entry level option to gauge how you feel about vinyl, this is a great pick. If you are the kind of person who knows you want to start a record collection and is wanting the top of the line option, go with something else. Will I eventually upgrade my system? That's the hope. But for now, I'm more than happy with my Crosley.
Of course I want my vinyl collection to remain in good shape, but at the end of the day, I'm not the person who is freaking out about keeping everything in mint condition. I take care of my records, but I just try to enjoy them without any fear. I'm the kind of collector who would rather take the doll out of the box to enjoy it rather than let it sit there for years. It's fine if you're not in that camp.
This record player is a 3-speed - 33 1/3, 45, and 78 RPM. To be honest, I've never even worried about that. Every record I have thrifted has worked fine on the player. I always just thrift the standard size. If you want to learn more about speed and size, check out this article here.
I'm still learning about vinyls and vinyl specifications if you can't tell!
So here's my big take: the Crosley record player is a yes from me with one exception. You need to hook it up to a speaker. The speaker on the unit itself is fine and will work in a pinch, but it isn't very loud and you won't really be able to enjoy it.
I hooked it up to my Bose Bluetooth speaker and it works like a charm! Now, the only thing I wish my record player had was the wireless Bluetooth output, which I believe this new Crosley model does have. All that means is that I had to buy a separate aux cord to hook my speaker up to the record player itself so the speaker will play the record player's output.
I would love to be able to bring my speaker into a different room than my record player, but I can't since it needs to be hooked up to the speaker. Such a great upgrade that they included on the new Crosleys.
I'm not sure why you would ever need to use the headphone jack, or the Bluetooth input. For example, my record player can play songs from my phone on its speakers, but again the speakers are not the best, so I never use that feature.
"The fact that I am reviewing this positively, is saying something. I rarely spend time with positive reviews, but this is too good to NOT tell others about."
I've owned this Bluetooth speaker for years and I swear by it! It's my favorite and works great with my turntable.
So over the past few months, I have perfected my thrifted vinyl routine!
Here's everything I do when I thrift a vinyl and bring it home to add to my collection:
For this, I use a blow dryer. I swear by it! Take a blow dryer on the hottest setting and put the heat on the sticker. Gently peel the end of the sticker and keep adding heat. The adhesive with warm up and you'll be able to peel off the sticker without causing damage to the vinyl cover itself. Just be careful of your fingers! I have definitely burned a finger or two during this process!
I like to spray down a paper towel with a multipurpose spray or a disinfecting spray to wipe down the cover only. I do not spray anything on the record itself. I also avoid any paper spots, so only the areas where the cover is glossy.
Something I decided to do for my collection was buy these protective plastic sleeves from Amazon! They were super affordable and they make my collection look so much nicer. Plus, I like how they protect the vinyl covers since that is half of my favorite part of collecting. When you thrift vinyls, a lot of times the covers are in pretty rough shape, but with these plastic sleeves they are preserved and so much nicer to store.
"They serve their purpose and are durable. They prevent rubbing damage to sleeves and make a record “feel” more valuable (it’s now a cared-for possession instead of a musty relic)."
I'm going to be honest, and I might get myself in trouble for it! I have yet to develop a process for cleaning the records themselves. There are amazing kits on Amazon for this to remove dust and preserve, and I am going to look into it! It's a good habit to get into in order to extend the life of your records.
"As a passionate vinyl collector, maintaining the pristine condition of my record collection is of utmost importance to me. That's why I couldn't be happier with this cleaning kit. This all-in-one solution has completely transformed the way I care for my vinyl albums, providing everything I need to clean, preserve, and protect my cherished collection."
I know I'm probably the only one, but I don't worry too much about the condition the record itself is in when I thrift it. I have some records that do skip, some that are bent, and some that are pretty scratched up. Again, I don't worry about the resell value of these things. Yes, I take care of them once they are in my possession, but being totally honest, I find it all adds to the charm of the records themselves.
Like when I thrift things in general, I don't expect them to be in perfect condition. It's a bonus when it is, but it's not an expectation for me!
Now, I have gotten burned once when I thrifted a Grease vinyl and only one of the two LPs were in the sleeve. So I try to check that the record matches the cover and that it's in there. I have started to check the shape of my records here and there, but I don't mind the dusty, crackly sounds that come from an old record.
I figure if I want the sound to be immaculate, I'll just listen to the songs on streaming.
The funny thing is, playing vinyl records is work! You constantly need to flip over your record and replace it. You'll be surprised as to how much playtime you'll get out of one record before you either have to flip it or switch it out. We're so used to the modern convenience of never ending streaming on our phones that you forget how kind of cumbersome it is to need to flip a record.
But that's all part of the fun!
If you guys would like me to do a post on some of my favorite records that I have thrifted, let me know! That would be such a fun one!
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