At least you have the good sense and common decency to wear your snapback with the SNAPS IN THE BACK. Hat on backwards is an extremely douchey look for anyone over the age of 40. It says, "I desperately wish I was cool, but I'm just old". Thanks for aging gracefully. There may be hope for you yet. BNM
I'd like to think I'm aging gracefully. It happens to everybody, just have to decide how you're gonna handle it. When I hear my kids friends give me props in the back seat while I'm carpooling, makes me feel good. I remember the younger days saying to myself that I would never get old, not me. Can't escape it.
I was just talking to my 23-year old son about this yesterday. He thinks it's cool that I'm into "vinyl". I've hooked him and all his friends up with vintage turntables. I pick them up at Goodwill and off craigslist, restore/repair/service them, install and properly set up a new cartridge/stylus and pass them on. These are vintage tables from the late-70s, early-80s, right before CDs came out, when turntables had reached their pinnacle of design and construction. They are much better machines than anything new you can buy for less than $500 and have that desirable retro look all the kids are into these days. All the hipster Portland kids are into vinyl. So, I am their go to guy when it comes to hooking them up with vintage gear. I told my son, "I didn't come to hip, hip came to me." I was into vinyl way before it became cool (again). BNM
Out of curiosity. We have an old Bang and Olufsson (spl?) turntable stored away. How hard would it be to restore a foreign make like that?
Depends on what model and what's wrong with it. If you just need it serviced (cleaned lubed and adjusted), it will typically run about $125 - $150. Parts for many of their models are unobtanium. They also used proprietary cartridges with non-removable styli. They no longer make cartridges, but there is a company called SoundSmith that does. They are expensive. If your stylus is worn, another option is a retipping service. They install a new diamond on your existing cantilever. Re-tipping services start at about $75 for a bonded elliptical and go up from there depending on the diamond profile. Which B&O model is it. My first turnbable was a Beogram 3400 that I bought back in 2008. It was still working fine when I sold it in 2017. I also have a 3404 parts unit and an MMC20 cartridge. BNM
The thought that anything from the late 70s is now vintage made me laugh. Not that it is incorrect, just that I'm so very old. barfo
One of the benefits of growing old is seeing the things that were cool when you were a kid become popular again. I look around my place and half the stuff I own is now considered "collectible". I didn't buy it to collect, I bought it to use. Thankfully, most stuff back then was built to last - and it has. I should probably consider selling high. BNM
I have an old magnavox turntable that has a CB radio built into it as well. I will take some pictures and post them here. Ive been looking for a buyer for awhile. All the wires are super old but it spins and has volume. May need speakers replaced too. Not sure, because I've never actually played anything on there longer than to see if it worked. I did look it up and they go for $500 -$2000 depending on the condition.
MP3's are the worst if you ask me. I personally cant stand how music has evolved to them. They are a truncated version of the real thing and they lose so much of the little tonal qualities wav files have. I will never buy MP3's and i'm old school I prefer the physical disc to look at anyhow. MP3's suck, except for the storage space is all.
Thanks for the info. I will have to get it out and check the exact model. We got it around 77 or 78, IIRC, so it may need steam engine parts!
Agreed! Compression sucks the life out of music. If you must go digital, DSD is the format for quality sound. You need the right equipment to support the format, and the selection is more limited and more expensive than the compressed formats like iTunes and MP3, but on the right equipment, DSD playback can sound amazing. My latest obsession is trying different vintage cartridges on my turntables. The differences are sometimes subtle, sometimes not. Its amazing to me that the exact same record played through the exact same system can sound so different just by swapping the phono cartridge. This is one of my current favorites: It's a vintage Shure from the late 1960s/early 1970s. I lucked out and got a NOS stylus for it in the unopened factory packaging off eBay for $8 delivered to my door. This is a high output moving magnet cartridge with very full, impactful bass. It is the perfect cartridge for classic and progressive rock, which were bursting onto the scene when this cartridge was new. BNM
There are people locally who can work on it. You might give Doug at Audio Specialties a call. He will give you a free estimate on the repair/service cost. If he can't fix it, he'll tell you up front. BNM
Not even close. When I got divorced and moved out 8 years ago, I dug my stereo out of storage and hooked it up at my new place. My kids were teenagers, but had never heard a record before. The stereo went into storage when the twins were born, we needed the space for a nursery (some people's priorities ). The first time I played it for them at my new place, they were awestruck. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. They just sat there on the floor and listened, smiling and shaking their heads. They were like some long lost tribe of natives hearing music for the first time. BNM
