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Now let's talk about album sleeves


USNRET

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OK, the VPI cleaner arrives tomorrow (Peach preamp coming back same day as well!). I will not get my Tercel until late March when Mark get's the new batch built. Between now and Tercel arrivial I have a little time to spiffy up the 10-30 year old album collection of 400 or so records. I know that some are bound for the dump[:'(], some are salvageable and some have never been played. In the mix I will probably be needing some amount of inner sleeves. First, is there any reason in the world that I would replace servicable 'factory' sleeves based on what they are made of? Second, knowing that I probably need a bunch of sleeves to replace bad, groody (is that a word?) or missing ones which ones would I buy? I have seen clear, paper, rice paper, mother-to-end-all-sleeves, etc. As you can tell this is not the library of congress vinyl, just my lttle collection that I would like to clean and store oh, and listen to!

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I got 100 of the Diskeeper 2.0 record sleeves from Sleeve City at www.sleevetown.com for less than $20 with shipping though $14.50 per hundred now and were $13.95 when I bought them, $67.50 per 500, and $119.95 per 1000. They're made of high density anti-static polyethylene. I hope this compares well to the Discwasher VRP I used many years ago - maybe have 70 or so of those when I only had 70 albums.

I wonder if I should've gotten the rounded bottom ones for albums with a printed inner sleeve? Maybe I still should when I get around to cleaning my LPs.

The more serious vinyl guys recommend Mobile Fidelity sleeves. They're quite a bit more expensive, but still not too terrible, $36.95 per hundred at Sleeve City

Sleeve City also has the Diskeeper Ultimate Audiophile inner sleeves which they claim to be the same design as the Discwasher VRP only higher quality for $33.80 per hundred, $147.50 per 500.

My albums are all pretty much standard issue run of the mill except for maybe the heavyweight copy of Steely Dan's Aja I bought a few months ago. That said, I suppose the Mo Fi's or other higher quality would be good for any higher quality or rare LPs if I ever get any. I'd think anything that's antistatic would do fine.

I'm sure some of the serious vinyl people will chime in soon .... if they haven't by the time I post this.

Sleeve City also offers up to 2 samples for $.01 with order or says to contact customer service about getting samples. Silly me didn't think to order any.

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  • I don't like paper at all
  • Paper with poly lining and 'window' in the center is ok the window is nice to read tracks on both sided
  • poly only sleeves get the job done and I have a lot of them
  • Rice paper sleeves are great because unlike straight poly the paper makes it stiffer and WAY easier to get the LP back in after a few adult beverages
  • But the all time winner is the MoFi sleeves as they have eveything to offer that the rice sleeves do PLUS a marker telling you which end the LP goes in

Might not sound like a big deal when you are readig this but fumble around that damn plastic square looking for the opening a few times and you will wish you dropped the extra $$$ on the MoFi ones. If you are outfitting a bazillion LPs it might be pricy. If you have a hundred or less LPs get the MoFi sleeves and be done with it.

Keep the original paper sleeves in the cover. Get cheap poly outer sleeves and thow the cover in the sleeve. Now put your LP in the MoFi sleeve and keep them between the back side of the cover and the poly outer sleeve. Your covers will stay nicer and you and just slip the MoFi/LP out for use. Others can help you with your deseeding and rolling issues this may create.[;)]

Just my $0.02

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Thanks for the replies and especially to rplace. Very nicely detailed. I had just placed an order for the MoFi sleeves, just a hundred for now until I see what's what before I read this. I didn't have a clue about the outter sleeve and wish I had ordered some as you have a great idea there. I can probably work around the need for a spare cover to do the "gardening" with as I copped a Sonic Drive-in window tray many many years ago.....

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<< "groody (is that a word?)" >>

I am not sure of the of the word 'groody'. Perhaps others can opine and shed some illumination on this. If you were using the word 'grody', then the answer is yes, but your spellage is incorrect. Used in surfer and popular nomenclature:

1.

grody

399 up, 47 down
love ithate it



Nasty, dirty, disgusting, foul, revolting, yucky.


Are you sure you want to eat that Chinese food? It looks all grody.



2.

grody

364 up, 108 down
love ithate it



noun: disgusting, dirty or just plain unappealing.



inflected: grodier, grodiest



it seams this may be an Americanized pronounciation of the british "grotty", which means "of poor quality".


"sit in the back seat, i spilled honey on the front seat and it's all grody."



"those are the grodiest rest rooms in the state"

Not to be confused with "gnarly". If your liners are gnarly, then you'll probably want to keep them. Gnarly liners are considered fashizzle.

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Found this thread by accident, but glad I did. :)

After Horor-cane Katrina I had to replace lots of stuff. Bought about 100 records since then. Almost all used and in fair-great condition. Almost all 12", only a few 45s. Lots of Jazz, mostly tracks laid down from mid 50s Stan Getz, etc, to early 80s. Records may have been pressed as early as the late 50s as best as I can tell. Lots of 70s-80s rock too. Mostly bought at used vinyl stores, flea markets, etc. (SF bay area, LA, and Chicago had great stores, Austin too, as did Berlin flea markets.)

Have gotten lots of advice on other forums and from others in person.

We have a different issue in the HUMID Gulf southern US: are we sort of forced to use sleeves that have a paper surface in contact with the vinyl/plastic record in order to avoid moldy nasties from occurring? We have an audio group in New Orleans (BBATS) and some of the members have told me not to use plastic sleeves due to our climate.

I still have to properly clean the records (yes, I know, that is an all night conversation too). Once done, time to put them in sleeves. I had previously plannned only to put the orig sleeve in the cardbord record cover and to place the actual record next to it. Not even sure I should put both the outer cardboard cover and the sleeved record within a separate poly/plastic/etc cover due to the forementioned issue of humidity and mold. Also in humid climates, and even the AC still leaves our homes humid in the 9 months of summer, will these plastic-type outer sleeeves stick to each other? If the plastic sleeves are ok to use (inner record and/or outer cover), which type is best for the outer as I think 2 or 3 different types are available.

I have not called the companies that popped up under record sleeve google search yet, as I found this thread 1st.

All comments appreciated. Mardi Gras is just 3 weeks away and my liver needs to be prepared !

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  • 10 months later...
  • I don't like paper at all
  • Paper with poly lining and 'window' in the center is ok the window is nice to read tracks on both sided
  • poly only sleeves get the job done and I have a lot of them
  • Rice paper sleeves are great because unlike straight poly the paper makes it stiffer and WAY easier to get the LP back in after a few adult beverages
  • But the all time winner is the MoFi sleeves as they have eveything to offer that the rice sleeves do PLUS a marker telling you which end the LP goes in

Might not sound like a big deal when you are readig this but fumble around that *** plastic square looking for the opening a few times and you will wish you dropped the extra $$$ on the MoFi ones. If you are outfitting a bazillion LPs it might be pricy. If you have a hundred or less LPs get the MoFi sleeves and be done with it.

The old DiscWasher VRPs from the late 70's early 80's were printed also. I got some samples from Sleeve City of most of the anti static platic type including their own that they claim is the same materials as the VRPs but better. Have not dug out a VRP to compare but seems very comparable to MoFi but with slightly heftier paper and/or material but no indication as to which side is open [:@]. I got a hundred of Sleeve City's plain antistatic plastic models and they and it's hard to find where the album goes. Very frustrating and irritating. I think I will mark a corner or add an arrow with a sharpie if I can verify cam packaged with opening all on the same side.....

Anyway. Sale at Sleeve City. They have MoFi. They have their own that are supposed to be same formulation as VRP only better. And not paper lined. And varios paper models. Etc. Might be a pretty good deal if the CD opener works and can use the CD sleeves (sound usefull) and might be a VERY hard to beat price wth 17% off.

Drop them a line and they'll ship you a sample of a few different models. I think I asked for 4 instead of 3.










Sleeve City


December, 2009

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17% Off Coutpon! Free CD Opener



  • Free CD Operner and 100 Diskeeper 2-Disk Sleeves with $25.00 purchase!

  • Type DEC17 in the coupon box during checkout.

  • Add a sample to your cart for just a penny!

  • Coupon good through December 31, 2009.

  • Please call 1-866-380-4168 or email us if you need assistance.

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Free CD Sleeves!





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Shoot me your email address via email option if the email ad I copied and pasted above doesn't work. Coupon code is DEC17.

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In the Beatle movie A Hard Days Night, George Harrison tells the marketing team he runs into that their shirts are Grotty and that he wouldn't be caught dead in them.

Upon questioning by the not as hip as they wished they were marketers George explains that grotty is short for grotesque.

-Josh

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