Tips On How To Tell Original Vinyl Records From Reissues And Bootleg Pressings

[Shoichi]

Hi

Im new but look forward to long commitment to this site.

Where I am from (Tokyo) there is a lot of original pressings and re-pressings, sometimes it is difficult which one is which. Do you people have general tips or hlp on how to spot originals copy's of vinyls

Arigato

Sho-

[Videoskooter]

Shoichi, welcome to the board.

I'm moving your post to the general Music forum.

Enjoy yourself!

[BrunoRepublic]

It can be difficult, but generally...

- images on covers are blurry
- if multiple sealed copies of a record that's been long out-of-print suddenly appear, they're almost certainly counterfeit

Beyond that, things get tricky. If you know certain details about the originals (deadwax numbers/mastering initials, style of pressing by pressing plant) those can provide definitive answers. Of course, it's hard to know those things without the originals in the first place.

[Ysl]

For US pressings, if there is the stamp Frankford Wayne or Sterling in the run out groove, they are originals...
Some photos here http://dig-it-out.blogspot.com/2006/...ignatures.html

[Disco Funk]

They might not be bootlegging US pressings, plus they could forge those mastering company names.

For me, I've only been able to tell by listening to the record, and the sleeve is sometimes a giveaway. Older records sometimes have more than one piece making up the sleeve, like a glued on back picture, whereas the new reissues are one piece and very glossy.

If you're suspicious of a record that might be a bootleg, sometimes it helps to look online to see if there was a recent reissue.

Disco Funk

[BrunoRepublic]

They might not be bootlegging US pressings,

True

plus they could forge those mastering company names.

Ah, but mastering companies usually had their mark stamped in, not written, which would be much harder to forge. "MASTERED BY CAPITOL", "STERLING", or for some UK pressings "STRAWBERRY" or "TOWNHOUSE" stamped in the dead wax means you've got the real deal. Specific pressing plants had their own markings and idiosyncrasies too, although again, this requires some knowledge of the original pressings in the first place (also complicated by the fact that in the US, it wasn't uncommon for major labels to use more than one pressing plant).

[JussiK]

Like the president of Bruno Republic stated, if we suddenly get huge stacks of hard to get albums things are not like they seem. Recently, collectable lps by Laser and Brian Bennett have been spotted everywhere and you know how scarce those are. Schoichi, your best bet is to march directly to Face Records, Kouno-building #203,41-23 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya, ( 5 mins walk from the Crossing & Hatchiko) as no way they will sell you anything dubious. Better still, try Small Paradise in Shibuya in the same building as Sam's funk store - if you manage to find the tiny operation open, that is. Paradise it is...but hard to get into!