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"magic" stampers?

to sum up: i have two NM copies of the stones "let it bleed" on the blue london label. i had the itch to listen this morning so i put it on the table. to be honest, nothing to get excited about. seems like it sounded better than that, so i found the other copy. WOW! it was like night and day. the second copy was much more dynamic, detailed, energetic--i was literally glued to the seat slack-jawed. checked the dead wax, and there were some differences in the inscriptions. both copies otherwise appear the same, same amount of wear, no groove damage.

a record dealer i no longer buy from used to tout what he called "magic stampers," which i always dismissed because he asked exorbitant prices for them, plus i was somewhat dubious of the claim.

to think through this as i type, i suppose the first inference would be that earlier pressings are more likely to have these characteristics, but i suppose you never know. just another fun aspect of being a vinyl geek.

any comments or similar experiences are welcome.

happy christmas, hanukkah, kwanzaa, festivus, etc.!
musicdoc
cmo
471 posts
 
I have yearned for good sounding Stones vinyl but nver found it no matter what I bought... Granted I didn't go to the $500 original pressing, chanted over by some guy in a cave, originally used by Keith as a rolling tray, etc. extreems...

I would sure like to know what to look for as far as dead wax, label markings etc. when trying to find the good stuff.... Actually, I guess I didn't thisnk there was any good stuff.

CHris
musicslug
430 posts
 
what you noticed is well documented... another argument in favor of using your own ears. it's not about earlier or later pressings, as you say, and one side of the lp being a 'magic' is no guarantee the other is! it's part of the fun of the 'hunt' for lps - some cheapies are excellent.
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
years of storage in various enviroments will have an effect on any record....even 2 that appear to be from the same era, and even the same plant(even sealed)....there is no magic however....just the luck of the draw....if you ask 10 people if a given lp is a so-called hot or magic stamper, you will get 10 opinions.......my father used to think that the time and day an automobile left the plant fully assembled made a difference in the autos longevity.....hot stampers are the equivalent of an auto 'survivor'. one that got to this point without visual or audible signs of age.
pmotz
412 posts
 
There definitely is a difference in stampers, but you can't necessarily make any generalities about what is best, e.g., earlier stampers are better or pressings from a particular plant or country are better. There are "trends" for sure, but alas, no sure fire methods. I think the timing of this thread is interesting, just this morning I saw an e-mail from "that" dealer and he has a "White Hot Stamper" of Neil Young's After the Gold Rush for $599.99!!!!!!!!! Somebody probably bought this record for $5.99 years ago and now look how much it is worth! This is crazy, but if someone buys it who am I to question it? I just know I won't be the one buying it.
johnjbarlow's avatar
johnjbarlow
175 posts
 
I chose to stop receiving his emails. He has a tendancy to pontificate.
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