Want a million dollar record collection but don’t have a million dollars to spend on vinyl?
Try searching for rare warped records and flatten them out with the Record Pi flattener.
Most people first get a Record Pi because they have some warped records in their collection that they want to fix. However, as you gain experience flattening records, you will be able to spot some killer vinyl gems you can get for cheap that will easily flatten out.
Here are some simple tips to get started as a warped vinyl picker.
- Ebay or Discogs
- On Ebay, navigate to the Vinyl Record Category by clicking Shop by Category, then All Category --> Books Movies & Music --> Music --> Vinyl Records
- On Discogs, navigate to Marketplace -->Vinyl
- Search for keywords like warped, warp, rare warped, first pressing warped. You will need to ignore results where “warp” is in the album name, but most sellers will indicate a record is warped in the description.
- Filter by desired Genre
- Filter by condition VG or G and below, including “Not Specified”
- Try sorting by price, both up and down.
- Contact sellers to request video clips of the warped record spinning on a turntable. Don’t be afraid of making a low offer.
- Confirm no visible groove damage or melting present.
- Good Will, Garage, and Estate Sales
- Main tip is to bring something you know is perfectly flat (a small piece of plywood works nicely) that you can place a record on and check for warps by tapping around the edge and seeing if the other side lifts up.
- Of course, you can also visually check for warps by simply holding the record horizontal in front of you, and closing one eye. However, this method may not spot less obvious warps.
- Local Record Stores
- The key is to find record stores that haven’t discovered the magic of the Record Pi yet!
- Talk to the owner or employee and simply ask if they have any records that are rare but unplayable due to warping. Many stores will also have new pressings that arrive warped that they will sell for a big discount because they consider them unsellable.
What other ideas do you have to source warped records? We want to hear. We are always on the hunt for interesting warps to work on.
Happy hunting!
-The Record Pi Team