early BOB WILLS w/ SLEEPY JOHNSON, 78 rpm Fiddle tunes

$

67

okeh78 Store


early BOB WILLS w/ SLEEPY JOHNSON, 78 rpm Fiddle tunes

Bob Wills and Sleepy Johnson - No Texas Playboys - Melotone 61150, 78rpm, “Harmony” b/w “Smith's Reel”  Condition: E-/VG+, with nice labels. 

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This is one of the least seen Bob Wills 78's... These are fine pre-Western Swing fiddle tunes from Bob and Sleepy in these 1935 cuts.  Music is loud and clear, well above the light snap, crackle and pop.  The B side has a few stressed grooves, (without them it would grade out at VG++ or E-) but they pass quickly and don't greatly impair the music. 

I accept PayPal,money order, cashiers check or personal check. For non-USA sales, please inquire before bidding

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Itemspurchased by personal check will be held for ten business days to assure bank clearance.

USA shipping is: $5.50media rate or $7.50 priority rate (non-USA shipping - please inquire).

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~~ PACKAGING ~~

With many years of buying/selling 78's (and 100% positive feedback) please rest assured that my packaging is designed to correctly protect your fragile purchase.

Despite the fact thatmy packaging is excellent, and I have neverlost a 78 rpm record to breakage, I would recommend you purchase Postal Insurance to cover any potentialPost Office damage or loss.

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RECORD GRADING

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ON GRADING AND CONTACT ME WITH QUESTIONS BEFORE THE END OF THE AUCTION:

RECORD GRADING: When assigning a grade to the records I offer, I try to dig a little deeper than some sellers. I judge the record visually, but I also give-it-a-listen to aid in assigning what I believe to be a reasonably accurate grade. I stand by my record grading and I invite you to contact me if you think I've missed the mark.

That said, the grading of 78 rpm records is not a science- and here are some reasons why: 78's are usually only graded visually, with the theory being that a glossy, scratch-free record has better sound than one which appears worn. There is a fair amount of truth to the theory but visual grading is only a fair approximation of actual sound quality.

Sound quality will also vary widely depending on the machine the record is being played back on, which can range from a Victrola to a 1950's Hi-Fi to an ultramodern turntable with a digital signal processor- or anything in between- with widely differing sound outcome. And of course the stylus used for play-back has a huge effect in sound quality also, with the 2.7 mil, 3.3mil and 3.7 mil sizes encompassing a good range of choices.

In addition to visual appearance and the record player, there is a wide range of sound quality from record label to record label (e.g. vintage Paramount's usually sound like they were pressed on a cow-patty, while a totally trashed Chess might sound great). 78's recorded pre-electric microphone can be challenging and at times a beautiful E+ copy of a 1930's or '40's 78 might have been pressed from a worn or badly recorded master- in other cases the opposite may be true -a worn and pathetic looking specimen might sound great.

Still, when you go to bid on or buy a record sight-unseen there needs to a way to reasonably accurately communicate the record's condition and sound quality. To this end I use the standard 78 rpm record grading key from Mint to Fair but I also make an effort to factor in the actual sound quality and I also strive to be accurate in describing any faults, such as rim chips, hairline cracks, laminations, pressing marks, pin digs, skips, hang-ups etc.

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The Grades:

M- (Mint Minus) - appears new, perhaps un-played.

E+ (Excellent Plus) - looks & plays like new (noise = 1/10).

E (Excellent) - very shiny, little visible wear, light scuffs and scratches (noise = 2/10.

E- (Excellent Minus) -less shiny, more wear,with some scuffs and scratches (noise =3 to 4/10).

VG+ (Very Good Plus) -dulled finish, gray grooves with moderate wear but generally free from distortion (noise = 4/10).

VG (Very Good) - over-all general wear, surface noise may be significant, dulled finish, graygrooves with moderate wear but may have somedistortion (noise = 4 to 5/10).

VG-(Very Good Minus) - lots of surface noise and defects (noise = 5 to 6/10).

G+ (Good Plus)- worn, high amount of surface noise, with defects, blasting etc.(noise = 7/10)

G (Good) - quite seriously worn and scratched but music still audible with the right equipment

(noise = 8/10).

G- (Good minus)- probably a wall-hanger, but the music can be made out (noise = 9/10).

F(Fair) - for sure, a wall-hanger- buy it if you must (noise = 9+/10).

(when an extra + or - is added, it moves the grade closer to the next higher or next lower grade)

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THE RECORD LABEL: If the labels on both sides are in approximately the same condition I will usually show the A side. If there is significant damage I will show the damaged side and indicate in the item description the condition of the other label. On black labels (especially) my scanner has a bad habit of picking up light reflections which appear as white dots or lines.Also, withmost colors the actual label is brighter, more vivid, and looks betterthan the scan would indicate... but over-all the scan should give an accurate image ofthe labels'condition.

Please see "other auctions" for more interesting and related items.