$749.00 for a used copy of "The Wall" by Pink Floyd?

[birddog]

OK, lets start with a disclaimer...

I am not an expert in the ways of the vinyl, not by any means. Therefore, the following post is in no way meant to insult the seller of these so-called "Hot Stamper" releases of various LP's, it is merely an expression of "WTF!", in regards to the validity of the claims and of the expense of these LP's, since I am having an EXTREMELY hard time wrapping my head around the actual concept and associated cost of these LP's.

Here is a link to the aforementioned Pink Floyd LP. It's not some rare, limited numbered Japanese special edition signed by the band, no solid gold plaque included verifiying that Dave and Roger personally autographed it while having lunch with God, or anything else remotely unusual or special about it, just that is a "Hot Stamper" with wonderful sound, in their opinion.

http://www.dccblowout.com/product.as...kfthewa%5F0708

Website: http://www.dccblowout.com/index.asp

Yes, I am aware that some releases sound better than others, and that the quality of the vinyl used can vary greatly during the pressing run, but $749.00 for a regular off the shelf release of a used album that sold millions of copies, with nothing in the way of proof that it is in any way different from the rest of the bunch, other than these folks opinion?

Does anyone besides me think that this has a familiar bovine fecal matter odor to it?

Please, anyone who thinks this is legit, besides just the argument that it is worth what someone would pay for it, please chime in! Again, I'm not trying to discredit the seller, just hoping for a little insight to their claims, and pricing structure!

[scootchu]

How does one come up with that price point? $749? At that point why not $1,000? It's a record and if you try to get your money back down the road what other fool would buy it based on pointing to that website? LOL

[beemer]

This guy has been around a while pitching these "hot stampers".

"Audiophiles" believing in bottles of pebbles on the speakers, "Clever little clocks", and "teleportation tweaks" are prime candidates for "hot stampers" as well.

Caveat Emptor!


Best,

Paul

[birddog]

Seems like BS to me, no matter how you slice it, but being a vinyl neophyte, I was hoping that someone could explain it, if it really was a "Legitimate" enterprise... I have a feeling that there isn't a good explanation behind the claims made, at any price structure.

[NYListens]

I don't care if it is the first Beatles White Album ever pressed with documentation showing that it was John L's own copy with his fingerprints and signature on it, I ain't paying 700+ for it, no matter how much money I have to throw around.

[winters860]

Wow - what a crazy coincidence! My copy of The Wall is a Hot Stamper too! I'll sell it for just $300. I think I've got a Hot Stamper of Let It Be I'll thrown in for an even $500.

EDIT: After looking around the site, I noticed this gem:

"An erstwhile customer of ours sent me an email recently: "Hi, What is the FULL stamper matrix for this record... all the way around the dead wax?"

I replied that we never give out stamper numbers for records. The only way to find out ..."

Is to buy the record from them. Is this guy's name Geoff?

[Arkay]

I have five or six different pressings each of The Wall and of DSOTM. After seeing that listing, I've just decided that by unbelievable coincidence, they are ALL "hot stampers". Anyone who wishes ten of them, I'll sell them all together for the low, discounted price of only $600 per LP. Cash or paypal, and no refunds will be given! I'll even autograph them with band members' names, if you want!


Actually, there are differences between different pressings of LPs. Sometimes it may be because a particular stamper just is "right"; at other times inferior sound may result because the stamper has been used a lot and is nearing the end of its useful life, or they didn't manage the steps involved as well. Maybe a bit of dust got in the way, or the handling or timing of the cooling off wasn't optimal. Lots of things can happen when making records. Out of my "The Wall" LPs, I think the German pressing is probably the "hot stamper" of the bunch. It even beats the UK and Japanese pressings, IMO.

They do say on that site that you could find your own "hot stamper" by buying, say, 20 copies and listening to them all to find the good one. Uh, do the math! At five bucks apiece, say, one could buy that many for $100 and save $649! Or even paying ten bucks each and buying 40 to sift through, you'd still save $349. Or how about flea market/garage sale buys of a buck or two. You could buy hundreds of LPs at that rate to compare (if you could find that many and don't value the time spent getting them...), and end up with several "hot stampers". Anyway, there are more unpleasant things to do with your time than seek out and compare copies of good music!

I like how they also say, "Considering what we charge for the best copies of Dark Side, Meddle, and Wish You Were Here, this stellar copy of The Wall is a bargain! " Yes, it is a bargain, considering what THEY charge! By that reasoning, I have a Marantz 1060 amp that I'll sell you for just $130,000. Considering what I charge for the 1250 (a cool half million), it's a bargain!

If they can get those prices, good for them. But they won't get that money from me, and I wouldn't ask that money from anyone else for a regular LP, no matter how good it sounded!

[similost]

Originally Posted by NYListens

I don't care if it is the first Beatles White Album ever pressed with documentation showing that it was John L's own copy with his fingerprints and signature on it, I ain't paying 700+ for it, no matter how much money I have to throw around.

Oh I'd pay that for it.. cause I'm gonna get rich selling it..

[thedelihaus]

john, those records I picked up for you?

All hot stampers.

See what kind of friend I am?

You're welcome!

[drknstrmyknight]

That's exactly what I do, keep buying the same album and discarding the inferior one - usually for a buck or two at a yard sale. I usualy have about 3 of a favorite title cuz sometimes I ain't so sure. It's hit-or-miss and time consuming. If I've gone through 20 pressing to find a hot stamper, I've probably got 20-50 bucks invested plus 20 hours of 'work' (not that I can find anyone to pay me for listening to records).
$750, fuggetaboudit!

[ponderbear]

This copy's got the kind of magic that will have you enthralled in your chair from start to finish. When The Wall doesn't sound good, it can be a very difficult listen. On a copy like this, you remember exactly why everyone flipped out over this crazy thing.

The BS factor is pretty high on this site.

[Toasted Almond]

I have a whole box of Pink Floyd records I've been holding onto for the right moment. A box of Led Zeppelin and a couple boxes of Beatles too. For that kind of money per album, I'll stomp them all day long before I ship if that's what the customer wants.

[xiaNaix]

There are lots of threads on AK that cover the "Hot Stamper" debate. Some people seem to think that these records do sound better but the majority of people see it as b.s. I agree with the latter group.

I find his assessment of this particular Pink Floyd album rather amusing, though.

Side One - A+++
Side Two - A+ - A++
Side Three - A++
Side Four - A++ - A+++

So how many pluses actually make it perfect? Are three pluses as high as his scale goes or are there four or maybe five plus versions out there?

[dnewma04]

Is a hot stamper anything like a hot carl? It sounds like it might have some sort of fecal relation.

[240sx4u]

^at least you know what your getting with that one!