Dave Mason "Alone Together" 1st UK Harvest LP A1/B1

	£		20
	$		26

ARTISTE, RECORD TITLE  AND LABEL 

DAVE MASON "Alone Together"

Harvest SHTC 251 (pressed in Gt. Britain)

MATRIX NUMBERS:

SHTC 251 A-1/SHTC B-1

A very first print with the die cut centerfold which has a pre-punched holes at the top of his hat for hanging it and with the "Gramophone Co" text at the 11 o'clock position on the labels. It is of the very first printed matrix numbers. There is another set of printed matrix numbers ie SHVL 778 A-1 and SHVL 778 B-1 which have been scratched out. Other than a punch hole at the top left hand side, the jacket is generally excellent. The vinyl looks and plays well(see results of my grading below). It has its original printed Harvest inner sleeve though I had removed its polythene liner many years ago as I found that sometimes these react with the vinyl causing a sheen.

GRADING RESULTS:

 The jacket is generally Excellent. Other than some light creases at the bottom left and right hand corners as well as the punch hole mentioned above, there are no major flaws.

The vinyl looks Near Mint on Side 1 and Excellent on side 2 with one hairline surface scratch at the first track which extended to part of the 2nd track. This did not cause any problems  It maintains it lustre and brilliance. Tracking at 1.7g on a LP12 mounted with an ARO arm and a Lyra Helikon SL cartridge, there were a couple 2 light clicks at the start of track 2 on side 1. On side 2 there was some very light extraneous surface noise at the beginning of track 1. All these were not intrusive. The playing is graded as Near Mint.

How I Clean and  Grade my Records

Cleaning: Cleaning is usually done on a Loricraft PRC 4 cleaning machine  using the US made Walker Audio 3 stage cleaning solution.

Playback Equipment: Playback is through a Linn LP12 turntable/Armeggedon/Naim Aro tonearm/Lyra Helikon SL cartridge and through a brace of active Naim 250s/135s into Naim DBL speakers. For 45s I use a second Linn/Lingo/Aro/Linn Troika though I change them occasionally as the arm tubes can be easily transferred from one deck to another.

I use both Goldmine and Rare Record Price Guide grading system as a guide and came up with the following:

·       Mint  I only use this for sealed items. The record is virtually unplayed and is in a brand new condition. Cover is pristine. Up till now, I have never used this grading and, chances are, never will, due to my conservative nature in matters of record grading.

·       Near Mint  Very little or negligible flaws. Faint lines or very faint creasing  on laminated covers visible under a strong light is acceptable but nothing serious. Records which show some signs of having been played such as very faint spindle marks are allowed but there should be no lessening in sound quality. .

·       Excellent   Item obviously played, though not often,and enjoyed with some slight noise. The record should be nice and shiny but may have a few light marks which should not intrude on play. Slight wear on cover is acceptable. 

·         Very Good Many more imperfections which are noticeable but not obtrusive. The record has been played several times but there should be no major deterioration in sound quality despite some noticeable surface marks and light scratches. Normal wear and tear or writings on the cover  is acceptable but there should not be any major tears.

I do not offer any records below Very Good  unless its extremely rare. 

Shipping costs

I  use brand new custom made  plastic sleeves  for both the vinyl and for the sleeve. Shipping from Singapore is always by Airmail and by registered post as it allows one to track items in case of delays. I usually post within 2 working days from date of payment. From experience, I know that it generally takes about 10 days to arrive at the destination though there might be variations of plus/minus 3 days. Shipping costs in pounds are:

UK/USA/Europe Australia Japan          10 pounds

Hongkong, Taiwan South Korea  8.9  pounds

Each additional LP                       3GBP

Postage is via Airmail, "signed for" delivery. I prefer signed for delivery as it allows me to "chase" on my side if buyers do not get their items within 2 weeks though so far this has only happened with Italy.

 I will  inform buyers of the registration details through Email on posting.

Forms of payment that I accept include:

·       PAYPAL (preferred choice)