CAPTAIN BEEFHEART TROUT MASK REPLICA STS 1053 LP ORIG

$

81

The incredible Trout Mask Replica lp. Original STS 1053 matching cover and lps W/ insert!!!! Visual VG+/VG+ . Vinyl graded under a very demanding 150 watt halogen light bulb. Cover front and back the slightest hint of ringwear. Soft corners (2 very)/bumps edgewear. Superficial feather scuffs and hairlines on the vinyl. Insert is Ex- with bump to one corner of the foldout.

I listened to the entire lp from start to finish. Play grades EX if not higher. As you know this lp lends itself to exposing every bit of surface noise possible. But whether it is spoken word, dead air mid song or between songs, lead in or lead out these lps played phenomenally on my turntable. Just shy enough of M- . Way EX. Why am I selling this????

I play grade my lps on a Rega P3 with a rewired RB 300 tonearm and RCA mod courtesy of Brooks and Berdan Monrovia, Ca. Coupled with a Dynavector 10X5 cart. The lp was cleaned on a Nitty Gritty record cleaning machine.

Bid with confidence!

This offering open to U.S. bidders only. International interest will be entertained on a case by case basis.

I reserve the right to cancel any bid at any time for any reason.

Payment expected within 7 days of auctions close.

ATTENTION: Sealed LPS cannot be opened and then returned. If returned they must be in the same original factory sealed condition as sent out. NO EXCEPTIONS.

SS (Still Sealed)
Near Mint
Excellent and EX- (play grading only)
VG+
VG
Good

Near Mint or M- :
 I define NM and or M- as being almost mint. This grade should be, for the most part, the most widely used grade for records that appear virtually flawless. Virtually flawless records are not perfect. A very minor scuff and very little else can appear on the vinyl. This will most likely have occurred during packaging, or removing the record from the inner sleeve but had been handled with extreme care. It should play without any noise over the flaw. The flaw should be very hard to see. If a scuff covers more than a few tracks yet can be seen, it will not be NM, however it may come very close. The record will play perfectly.

Near Mint or M- Cover:

 The cover should look as close to perfect with only minor signs of wear and or age. Minor impressions to the cover (due to the outer edge of the vinyl resting inside) may be acceptable, however the artwork should be as close to perfect as can be.

EX VINYL:

An excellent condition for vinyl will allow minor scuffs which are visible but only slightly. The wear should be minimal at most and the record should play almost perfect.

EX (-) VINYL :

 A grade I use for play grading only. Not quite perfect (Ex), but not quite VG+. Always given in addition to the visual grade.
EX COVER:

Artwork should still be as close to perfect as can be. Some impression to the cover (minor outer ring wear) but no ink wear! Some slight creases to the corners, but not wrinkled and obtrusive to the eye. The corners can show white (where the artwork pasted slick was) meaning, slight wear. No seam splits or writing on the cover or taped repairs can make this grade

VG+ VINYL:

VG+ will show wear, surface scuffs and very light scratches. Surface scuffs are caused from blunt (not sharp) objects. Often the minor scuffs are caused from inner sleeves. The vinyl should still have a great luster, but the flaws will be noticeable to the naked eye. Holding the record up to a very bright light, you might see a number of hairlines and/or scuffs/marks across the surface but no deep scratches. There might be a bit of low level surface noise in areas or quiet pops for instance , but little else. Truly the middle ground between EX and VG.
VG+ COVERS:  
A virtually clean cover, but may have small writing on it. (Magic marker in big letters will not cut it. They are an eye sore, so be weary of over grading). The artwork should look clean with slightly more aging. The back of the cover usually gives away the age of the cover. Flat white paper will be somewhat yellow yet no stains or mildew from water damage. Some minor wear to the seams or spine, but no tears or holes popping through. The corners will be slightly dog eared yet no crackly bends, defacing the artwork. In essence, a VG+ cover should have no more than 3 flaws mentioned.

VERY GOOD or VG: 

 A Very Good (VG) record will appear well played but still have some luster. The vinyl may be faded, slightly grayish, yet appears to have been handled as carefully as it could have been helped. Records that get continuous playing time will start to deteriorate. More and more surface scuffs and scratches, and audible sound defects WILL be heard. They should not overpower the dynamics of the music.
VG COVERS:

VG covers will look worn, used. There may be some seam splitting (but not  completely separated!). There will be some ring wear, where the ink has begun to wear off. Giving the cover a look of snow falling. If the artwork looks snowy all over, it is less than VG condition. There may be some writing on the cover (still not LARGE letters in Magic Marker).
It will look aged, and more yellowish due to contaminations in the air (sometimes looking like cigarette smoke). Still it should be decent. If damaged beyond any formable beauty, it will not make this grade. VG should at least still have some attractive life to it, and not have taped seams or water damage to it.

GOOD or G :

 A good record will look very well played, dull, grayish and possibly abused. However a Good record should still play. It will have distracting surface noise. Such as crackle that is continuous or some hiss. Will also have some  loss of dynamics caused from grooves being worn. It should play without any skips or any obtrusively loud pops or repeated clicks, caused by deep scratches. If you can't enjoy the record, it is not no longer even good. Good means that it will play with some form of decency, so one can still enjoy the music even though you can still hear noise caused from the wear.
GOOD COVER:

 A good cover will have just about everything wrong with it. It will have seam splits (possibly taped repaired, but only with scotch tape. No duct tape or masking tape repairs. these are big turn offs. May have magic marker writing on the cover but still if they are in huge letters, it is a big turn off. In essence, the cover will looked trashed, but some artwork will still be noticed. If the artwork is worn, it is POOR and the cover is worthless. Huge tears or gouges in the cover will also make the cover POOR.