buy & sel l
prices. Check websites like eBay or Amazon, and stop by your local record stores to peruse the shelves. There are several quality establish- ments in the Kansas City area including Zebedee’s RPM and Renaissance Vinyl on 39th Street in Westport, and Love Garden in Lawrence. When delving into the wide world of vinyl, record players are of equal importance to buy, sell and enjoy. The different types and qualities of players available are as diverse as the music that plays on them. A few categories to consider are: turntables that look really cool but have me- diocre sound quality, turntables with good sound quality but less-than- impressive design, and the magic combination—turntables that sound amazing and have awesome looks to boot. The first category includes suitcase record players. Often made of plastic, they fold in half and have a handle for easy transportation.
Dual CS-5000
Made by companies like Zenith, Crosley, Tele-Tone, GE, and RCA these portable record players are all-in-one, with built- in speakers and no need to be connected to a receiver. They are great for aesthetics and comparatively inexpensive, but to the true audiophile’s ear they probably won’t make the cut. These types of players can be purchased (or sold) in the range of $20 to $70. Let’s skip the middle category (because it’s boring) and go straight to record players that both sound and look grand (because this is where things get interesting and po- tentially profitable). A few turntables in this category include the Marantz 6300, Thorens TD-124, and our favorite—the Dual CS- 5000. With casings of solid wood, all three players are great centerpieces for your record collection and will make any album sound amazing. These turntables can range from $300 to more than $1,000 depend- ing on the condition and type of cartridge (or needle) they come with. If you stumble across one of these record players for a low price, you’ve either found a nice profit or exponentially increased the quality of your music listening equipment. (If neither inter- est you, then give us a call and tell us where to purchase it). Whether you have the ear to hear the qual- ity of a Dual CS-5000 turntable with Martin Logan speakers or you just enjoy finding that rare album that makes your day of estate sale shopping profitable, we hope that we have as- sisted you on your vinyl journey and we wish you happy picking. ^ Michael and James Fry are brothers and the owners of Brown Button Estate Sales. Find them at brownbutton.com and facebook.com/ brownbutton.
He said ... He said
What’s spinning on your turntable?
I enjoy a wide variety of music, and my record collection is not a bunch of LPs I have sought out to buy. I enjoy “the find,” and my vinyl stock is comprised of great albums that I have stumbled upon in garage sales, flea markets and estate sales across Kansas City. One of my favorite bands is U2 and I love the cover art on War. I purchased my mint copy from a garage sale in Olathe for $3. From U2, my tastes (and albums) wan- der far and wide to include Simon and Garfunkel, Duke Ellington, Elton John’s Madman Across the Water, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, everything Johnny Cash, and of course, The Beatles. I own the “Red” album and I am currently on the hunt for the “Blue” album. Despite the amazing list of artists and albums in my collection, my 3-year-old would trade them all for his vinyl copy of Bert and Ernie Sing Along.
Being a Kansas City native it seems appropriate to highlight a few noteworthy jazz albums. Jazz is one of those genres of music that seems to always sound bet- ter on a record player. The slight crackle and occasional pop coming out of your turntable just adds to the glory of an old Miles Davis “Kind of Blue” or Dave Bru- beck “Take Five” record. Other notable artists and albums in this category include John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme,” Thelonious Monk’s “Brilliant Corners,” Charles Mingus’ “Mingus Ah Um,” Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and to top it off with a few KC originals, Count Basie and Charlie Parker. Jazz singers and crooners also have their own special quality when played on vinyl. Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday are always enjoyable, but my favorite singer would most certainly have to be Louis Armstrong. His gravelly voice never ceases to bring enjoyment to my ears.
VintageKC / Spring 2013 7
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