I've only went shoppin for vinyl once...

and I can't say it turned out to good lol. It was a week or so back and I went to this GoodWill over here in the Bronx, NY at 3rd avenue. They ended up only have two very small piles of records, maybe 40. A lot of repeats too. I ended up only getting 3 records...

The Dream Academy - Gilbert Gabriel, Nick Laird-Clowes, Kate St. John
World Party - Private Revolution (dunno if that's artist name >_>) Karl wallinger with Rufus Dove are the two mentioned &..
Gun- Simon F

1 of them ended up being some religious stuff (World Party) and I think 1 other was as well (The Dream Academy). The 3rd vinyl, 'Gun,' was nothin special either. I only spend like $3 for the three... so I'm not trippin but I would hate to go through this every time I pick out some records lol.

Eh, I dunno, just checkin on what you guys do and think of when going crate diggin. I use to really be STRICTLY hip-hop so I have a lot to learn in pretty much every other genre.

hmmm... couple views and no feedback

Im just lookin to get people to talk about some of their guidelines and thoughts when diggin for vinyl. You know, whatchu look for 'cause I'm sure everyone doesn't walk in a store and know about each vinyl they grab... you might look for familiar producers or people playing instruments. Might take note of the time period or genre...

I mean, I dunno. I'm lookin to check some spots in manhattan/ other boroughs and just wanted to go with a more proper mindset.

thinkin' of checkin that other GoodWill on 86th and some avenue there. I heard it was much bigger and had a better selection. I definitely gotta find an actual record spot though.

"that the fukin' way she goes boys"

Tr1pl36ix wrote:I definitely gotta find an actual record spot though.

Are you serious?

You live in NYC and have never been to Academy Music, Bleecker Bob's, Other Music, Rockit Scientist, Sound Library, Turntable Lab or the dozens of other vinyl shops?

Most serious record stores have turntables setup so you can listen before you buy. Granted the LPs will be more expensive than what you will find at a thrift, but it all depends on what you're looking for. They have cheap bins where you can find gems if you're patient enough or know what you're looking for. Nobody is going to hold your hand to tell you what to buy.

just get out there and check out records,,, the best part of diggin is finding something really dope,,, you didnt know about. most record stores have listening stations,,, and NY is one of the best citys to explore.

Yeah man, just go down to Bleeker Street, there are about a half dozen good record shops in the area.

As for what to look for, nobody is going to drop any secrets, but this question has been answered about a hundred times on these forums. Heres a pretty good answer from another thread.

eastcoast121 wrote:cmon man! you cant ask people to dig for you son. but a lot of those joints are good records. ill give you some of my *personal* tips

1. i usually dont buy stuff from 60's or 80's. usually i just buy 70's stuff.

2. look for instruments used on the album. horns, strings, flute, all that stuff is good.

3. look for player names (you cant really do this yet because you just started but if you find something good take notes of the players names, especially in jazz because alot of those cats played on multiple records.

4. this one will help you a lot. look for record labels. anything on CTI (i think most of those bob james joints are on CTI hint hint) thats the only one ill give you for now, just if you find somethin good take note of the label its on and itll help you make decisions in the future most of the time. (stuff like columbia put out a lot of stuff in a lot of genres tho so labels like that are hard to tell)

man just look, a lot of the dudes records are nice. look for stuff with people rockin afros on the cover. or stuff with trippy artwork.

also pick up that steve miller band fly like an eagle joint. theres a nice drum break on there. theres more records he has with breaks on them but i cant give them all up. just dig and dig and youll get better. btw i wish i had that list of records to choose from! got a lot of stuff im still on the hunt for!

I'll also drop a few labels for you to look for, pick up some stuff from Buddah, Hot Wax, and TSOP.

Good luck, keep diggin.

ay any of u know a more specific address like Bleeker street. Like the cross section or what train stops near by?

I've seen record stores here and there walkin around sometimes. But I usually don't go in those areas of NYC for no reason, and when I did see a store here or there I didn't have a turntable and so I wasn't really hunting for anything.

I was thinking record stores is gonna be a rip off compared to places like GoodWill. I'm really pressed for cash right now though, whats the average prices and price range for a decent vinyl? Wonder how much I should have on me when I do go. Thanks ya.

sounds like you really don't want to put any effort in.


good records are not free.
you have to put in the work.
if you don't want to pay record store prices, then you have to dig hard.
in greenpoint there is a thrift store that has a million records in their basement. 50 cents a piece
go to different thrift stores, not just good will
in nyc there are so many 'independent" church run thrift stores.
travel to thrift stores up state, or in Jerz
call all the pawn shops in the tri-state and ask if they have any records.
ask all of your familiy members for their old vinyl.
ask random strangers if they have any records they would want to get rid of.
go to the library and get some cd's to sample


get up, get out, and get something...
don't let the world pass you by.



grow a pair, and go out and get some vinyl

stay at the goodwill you will do fine..


from 94-98 I lived 2 blocks away from the main goodwill in my town.

I went diging 6 days a week at my local goodwill.
some of the best records in my collection came from thrift stores.

good luck

has nothin to do with puttin effort into anything. I'm not plannin to look for records for at least a few more days. Like I said, I'm really tight on cash right now and was just lookin for an insight on other people's thought process on crate diggin. Kinda like the videos up on OnlineBeatTutor.com where people take u crate diggin with them (via camera).

But u did inform me of a few things. Thanks dude

All I'm really wondering now is some price ranges, so I know how much I would need to set aside for however many records I plan to pick up. I'm sure it's the same with vinyl like anything else in NYC, prices can vary depending where you buy stuff at (what borough, nice area, etc.).

know the labels, know who your familiar with and try to find them. like for me dionne warwick is someone who i always look for. i've sampled her music a lot. i look for records that have sax's and trumpets, in case i feel the need to add some of them in my beats.

know what your wanting and needing before you go.

some people around these forums bought the Pt-01 just so they could listen before they buy.

Tight on cash?

Dig through people's trash.

My first diggin' adventure I was combing rich neighborhoods and found loads of records. My pops turned me on to that sh!t, he was a sanitation man and would bring home all kinds of records from 78s, 45s, 10''s and 12s. Some were even made of metal.

So go raid the wealthy's trash and those neighborhoods for senior citizens, someone's death could be your chance to get some good LPs.

lol good tip man, didnt think of that

it's like fishing kid you dont except to catch every fish in the pound at once,you have to come back every so offten and clean it up, right?

same for records you have to keep coming back everu so often to see what they put in the crate for you new, your new to this game , your not like them dude on the radio THEY ARE TELLING YOU LIES life and diggin is not that easy,
with time comes the gold,you need to put time in to this game to get to know artist and music,
remember this your diggin for music that is WAY older then you ,you never heard any of this music beofore how can you excpet to go in and know what your looking for?

expand youe mind to listen to other music then RAP, theres more out there then that trust me, i've been in this game for 31yrs, alot of music i know,alot of records i have seen,and heard. .....it takes time to learn these things ,DONT LISTEN TO WHAT THEY TELL YOU ON THE RADIO IT'S ALL LIES FOR THEM TO MAKE MONEY

Ill-Green wrote:
So go raid the wealthy's trash and those neighborhoods for senior citizens, someone's death could be your chance to get some good LPs.

Ill comment but so true
peace

hell yeah,,, i see records any where im looking through em