Guided by Voices 1995 6 LP Box 1st Pressing OOP Great Condition

	C$		80
	$		58

I have the 1995 first edition vinyl box set of the first five GbV albums (including Propeller) and the King Shit and the Golden Boys rarities compilation.

Photos attached to this auction are of my copy of the boxed set.

I want to provide as much detail as I can about what you'll be buying so you're 210 percent happy with your purchase.

Here's the condition of the item(s):

The box itself (the black box) is in good shape. There's minor scuffing on the back, and along the edges, but there are no cracks, or the box isn't becoming ungluded or anything of that nature. The box is, well, a box. It still has the GbV sticker on the front. There's a little bit of black bleed on that down the middle (I probably bought it like that), but the sticker's still there and it hasn't been peeled away or chipped at.

The record sleeves containing original album artwork are in good condition. Obviously, this is a used item, and the sleeves are glossy paper -- so there's a little bit of bending where the albums don't sit in the packaging, so, yes, I played this. However, none of the sleeves are falling apart. There are no rips. No yellowing.

The records themselves are in slightly varying condition. However, the albums don't skip, they generally look pretty clear in terms of scuffs and scratches, the records play through, and the surface noise should be fairly minimal, keeping in mind general use. (And also keep in mind that these recordings are lo-fi, so, in terms of audio quality, this ain't Steely Dan. Still, surface noise should be at a minimum, save for tape hiss from the source tape.)

Essentially, I took as good care of this box set as possible. I bought this set sometime maybe somewhere around 2000, so there's been about 15 years or so of use. But, at the time, I was a big GbV fan and I wasn't really thinking about how this box set would appreciate in value. I played it. But, at the same time, I really tried to take as good care of this as possible, just because I was a fan and thought that I'd never see another Box on vinyl. I didn't touch the records, except on the edges. I never thought there would be a day that I sold this. But times and tastes change.

Individually, this is the shape of things:

Devil Between My Toes: Near Mint. Admittedly, I didn't care for GbV's first album too much, so it didn't get played often. No surface scuffs or scratches. Looks pretty clean to me. I'd say Near Mint.

Sandbox: Because this is the most derided GbV album not called Do the Collapse, this didn't get too much play from me, either. Near Mint.

Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia: This is where GbV started getting interesting for me, so this one has been played a bit more. Looking at this under the light, there's a little bit of surface scuff, but it's pretty minor. You have to be looking for it. It's probably Excellent condition, close to Near Mint.

Same Place the Fly Got Smashed: I took a close look at this one, and, while there are no surface scuffs that I can find, there is the odd tiny bump or freckle. However, the playability of the record isn't or shouldn't be affected. I've just played this again at random to make sure, and I can say there's a tiny of surface noise at the start of "Airshow '88", but it's always been that way, if memory serves. Otherwise, surface noise is virtually non-existent. Let's say this is Excellent to Near Mint. It's somewhere in that range considering that this has been played and because of the tiny freckles or bumps on the vinyl.

Propeller: The gem of the collection. I looked at this under the light, and this is in better shape than I thought. There's absolutely no scratches or scuffs that I can see. I did play this one a bit, but the only thing that you might notice if you're looking really close -- like, in forensic examiner close -- you might go, "there's slightly more groove wear than on Sandbox". Otherwise, Excellent to Near Mint. I'm just listening to this again to make sure, and, boy, it's almost like listening to a really good CD. No surface noise. While Propeller has since been reissued briefly on vinyl, this, my friends, is the reason to buy this box set at whatever price you can get for it. (It's probably my favourite GbV album as I've overplayed Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes, but anyway.)

King Shit and the Golden Boys: There are three minor scuffy marks on Side Two that don't affect playability or sound quality. I recall that if you look at it under the sunlight, the black playing surface may look "faded". (I'm selling this at night.) To some degree, I think part of that is a shipping or manufacturer's defect. It's always been that way for as long as I can remember. Otherwise, I'd say that this is in Excellent condition. I played Side Two again just to be sure, and there's no surface noise, aside from a tiny bit towards the end of the final track just before the run out grooves. Getting this vacuum cleaned might clear that up.

I've just done a random listen to some of these albums, and the surface noise, generally speaking, isn't there. Keep in mind, though, that this is a lo-fi box set and there are limitations from the source tape. Basically, what I'm offering is as close to what I got when I opened it.

I hope you enjoy this and this goes to a good home where it'll be cared for.

I see some folks hoping to get $200 or more for this. I'm not going to start there. I hope my starting price is more than reasonable, and maybe obtainable for the new GbV fan -- unless this goes sky high on bidding. (Hey, I got to pay for a couple of fillings, so I'll take it!) What my starting price is is about what I originally paid for this when sales tax was factored in, plus a slight bump in terms of appreciation of value as this is out of print to my knowledge.

The shipping will be a bit costly due to the box set nature of this. I'm going to try to cover myself there, plus include box and bubble wrap costs, but if I wind up paying less for shipping, I WILL reimburse back to you the amount. I'm honest. I'm happy to scan and show receipts.

I will pack this as snugly as I can, and if you want the records shipped outside of sleeves and the box, or have special requirements, I can do that. And you're going to get something of pretty high quality, keeping in mind it is used, and my goal is that you enjoy this as much as I did, or more.

I will ship right away upon receiving funds.

I'm also selling a couple of other GbV items, too, under my username. If these items sell, more Robert Pollard-related items will go up for sale on vinyl.