LED ZEPPELIN III LP UK 1st PLUM "Do What Thou Wilt"

	£		156
	$		207

whiplashrecords Store

Whiplash records : est. 1989

LED ZEPPELIN - III

Original UK LP

Atlantic (2401002)

Rare and very early UK pressing with the "Do what thou wilt" and "So mote it be" etchings in the run out grooves. These seldom hit the market in anywhere near this condition and are extremely sought after. A genuine early press original with "Produced by Jimmy Page" and "Executive producer: Peter Grant" credits in the top half of the label. This comes in the correct, very thick and laminated wheel sleeve.

We are so thrilled to be able to offer this Led Zeppelin rarity for sale. Sometimes an item is just so desirable that i get more of a kick from being able to offer it for sale than if i bought something off my own wants list.

As you will have gathered by now, if you have your speakers switched on, we have recorded the entire album for you. We have nothing to hide here and want you to be really happy with your purchase should you win the auction.

This whole album was recorded on our most sensitive set up. A Nagaoka cartridge with a Nagaoka elliptical stylus. This is one unforgiving set up and any problems can be heard all too easily.

I've listened through two times before recording and the playback is incredible. You really would be hard pushed to find a better quality audio experience. Lets not forget this is a Lez Zeppelin album from 1970, most are absolutely trashed.

The playback is deep, punchy and as loud as hell with incredible stereo clarity. Yes, i heard the odd bit of crackle as you will on the soundfile, but i think with such a sensitive set up you would be hard pushed not to find a slight bit of crackle on any record. It really doesn't detract from the experience. Just imagine what it sounds like on your deck, so much better than the soundfile.

Just incase you're worried that this is leading to a vg record with great sound, rest assured the visual grade is almost as good. A nice shiny record that has not been overplayed. Please read on for full details.

If you win one of these records rest assured that we do not use those flimsy record mailers. We pack with the record outside of the sleeve (inside a new plain inner sleeve), placed in a polythene sleeve and then inside a cruciform box with stiffeners. All packing materials are new. We want your item to reach you in the condition it leaves us.

LED ZEPPELIN III

An incredibly hard to find and genuine first issue record and first issue sleeve. Incredibly rare matrix markings with the Do What Thou Wilt" message hand etched into the run off. Rare first issue sleeve with fully working wheel that shows few signs of being turned. A solid ex/ex copy that would be a fabulous addition to anyones collection, especially considering the superb near mint audio.

This is  the rare first issue sleeve. The first thing you notice is how thick it is compared to all other pressings. You then notice the wonderful wheel gimmick that still turns freely.

The labels and record are genuine first issue too. The labels are the so called Plum Atlantic variety due to the deep plum colour of the bottom strip. These labels have the production credits for both Jimmy Page and Peter Grant. On later copies Grant's name was removed. There is also no gap or line in the middle of the catalogue number.

It also has very early matrix with the rare run out messages that are very much sought after by Led Zeppelin collectors:

Side 1) 2401002 A-5 Do what thou wilt

Side 2) 2401002 B-5 So mote it be

The picture sleeve is so nice. The only negative to report is that the sleeve has buckled as shown on the photos below. This is very common with this album, a mixture of laminating a very heavy card sleeve with a spinning wheel inside has caused many to do this over the years. So a problem of manufacture and not damage caused by a previous owner. The only other wear is general light rubbing. The spine is nice and readable and even the corners are nice and square.

No Ringwear

No Tears

No Writing

No Splits

No Corner bumps

No Bends

No Sticker tears or residue

The labels are both in near mint condition. There are only two or three spider marks on each side.

No Writing

No Tears

No Spindle wear

The record surfaces look near mint in indirect daylight. When angled under two very bright 50 watt halogen bulbs i can make out two circular scuff marks that go with the groove for just over half the circumference of the record on one side. The other side has just one. At first i worried that it would show up groove wear but as you can hear, there is no groovewear at all. I can only put these down to having been there from the manufacture. They make no difference to the playback at all and with no spindle wear and hardly any spider marks this album has rarely been on a turntable. However, they are there and we want to be brutally honest in our auctions.

No Scratches

No Hairlines

No Scuffs (apart from the circular marks)

Other than the circular scuff like marks under two very bright lights i can only make out wispy light paper scuffing.

The playback is near mint. There is only very occasional light crackle which is unobtrusive. We have not used any noise reduction on the soundfile, no other software, just recorded ditrectly into the computer with our most sensitive set up. The sound through our system is just incredible.

No Clicks

No Sticks

No Jumps

Please note that we grade all records the same way, whether they're 40 years old or one year old.

CONDITION

Sleeve: Excellent

Record: Visual: Excellent. Playback: Near Mint

Our grading is strict so as not to disappoint, we have been selling on ebay since 1998 & know how important this is. Grading of records is done with the record angled under a 100 Watt bulb. Scans are of actual item up for auction. All records are packed securely & most importantly packed outside of the picture sleeve (in a plain inner sleeve) so as to avoid seam splits during shipping.

SHIPPING COSTS

U.K: £4.00 (Special Delivery)

Rest of Europe: £10.00 (International Signed For)

U.S.A./Canada: £12.00 (International Signed For)

Rest of the world: £13.00 (International Signed For)

If the final price is low enough we will remove the cost of Registered Post.

PAYMENT DETAILS

Paypal
Payment within 7 days please.

We can only ship to the following countries by International signed For mail: France, The Netherlands, Russia. Please wait for an invoice. We no longer ship to Poland under any circumstances.

Near Mint
Almost mint. Very minor paper scuffs 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 obviously it had been handled with extreme care. Any flaw should be very hard to see. 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.

Excellent
An excellent condition for vinyl will allow minor scuffs (Scuffs lay on top of the grooves) which are visible but only slightly.The wear should be minimal.The play should be close to perfect as well. 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 a little white, meaning slight wear. No seam splits or writing on the cover or taped repairs.

VG++
As Excellent but with a larger number of scuffs, maybe a couple of hairlines (very light scratch that can't be felt) or a couple of marks. Sound quality should still be very close to that of an Excellent record with only minor crackle in quiet segments only, NO scratches that can be felt. Cover as Excellent but there may be a small seam split on the cover, or a very minimal amount of writing like a name written in small writing or a number. A VG++ record should be an acceptable record to live with if you aren't looking to pay the price of a Near Mint copy.

Please add us to your favourites list!

Please look at my other items!