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Too Many Bad Pressings

Has anyone else noticed a fair amount of bad pressings for new vinyl?

I received a turntable for my 50th birthday in October and have purchased a fair amount of vinyl since then. It blows me away the number of records I’ve purchased for $1 that play perfectly, but this isn’t about that.

I bought Nine Inch Nail Pretty Hate Machine, the Bicycle pressing, and side two, track one skipped on its first play. I sent it back for a replacement and that, too, did the same thing. Clearly a bad pressing.

Last week I ordered The Go-Gos Beauty and the Beat and side one played great, but the pressing is clearly distorted on side two as the tone arm swings left to right like a snake. My first copy I sent back and the second copy arrived today. It doesn’t swing as badly, but it’s still weaving side to side. On the first listen I didn’t think I heard a skip, but I played through again and sure enough, it skips towards the end of side two, track one (“We’ve Got The Beat”). So again, bad pressings, especially if the tone arm is weaving as it is.

And yes, I’ve played other albums immediately thereafter and the tone arm dutifully makes its way to the center of the record, without weaving, as it should.

I have a 45-year-old Donna Summer live album that cost me one dollar that plays like new.

Mind you, that’s only two brand new records (well, four, technically) that I have experienced this, but even if I have only bought 20 brand new albums since October, that’s a 10% failure rate, which is pretty high in my opinion.

How does one make sure they get a good pressing for music that they want?

(Links included to reference the copies I purchased; I don’t suggest buying them).

© 2024 Michael A. Diaz

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