Michael Garson Serendipity Reference Recordings 1986 RR-20 Promo Very 1st Press
$
28
$ 28
Sold For
Feb 1, 2021
Sold Date
Jan 25, 2021
Start Date
$ 10
Start price
5
Number Of Bids
USA
Country Of Seller
eBay
Auctioned at
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Description
- Michael Garson.
- Serendipity.
- Reference Recordings.
- First Pressing Promotional Copy.
- Keith O. Johnson Audiophile Recording.
Item Details
Manufactured in: USA
Recorded: April 9 1986 At Oxnard CA Civic Auditorium
Additional Recording On: April 27 1986 At Santa Anna HS Auditorium
Recording Engineer: Keith O. Johnson On His Custom "Focus gap" Tape Machine
Lacquer Cut By: Doug Sax At The Mastering Lab, Los Angeles CA
Pressing: By Allied Record Company, Los Angeles CA (Allied symbol in matrix below).
Original Issue: 1986
This Issue: 1986
Label: Reference Recordings RR-20
Runout Deadwax Matrix Numbers:
Side 1: (etch:) RR-20-A-1M (stamp:) TML-M (etch:) ? ? 12731 1-1
Side 2: (etch:) RR-20-B-1M (stamp:) TML-M (etch:) ?-? 12731-X 1-1
Was bought new by this seller at the 1986 Consumer Electronics Convention in Chicago and now offered from his private collection (you have absolutely known provenance). Was played only a couple of times on an expertly setup high-end audiophile turntable, arm, and cartridge. Has never been exposed to heat or tobacco smoke and always stored vertically in a specially designed record cabinet (Rackit) to prevent warpage.
Was cleaned on a VPI HW 16 with Audio Intelligent solutions and ultra-pure water rinse (50X purer than distilled water) before my pre-sale sound check. I wear nitrile surgical gloves while cleaning and play testing to avoid any chance of transferring finger oils to the vinyl.
Very sensitive play testing was performed straight off my Ayre P-5xe fully balanced phono preamp over Sennheiser HD 600 headphones using a Schiit Audio Valhalla 2 tube headphone amp fitted with Voskhod Soviet matched tubes (see last photo).
Track list
1: Serendipity, Lady, Autumn Leaves, I Should Care.
2: Spirit Of Play, Trio Blues, My Romance, Tam's Jam, My One And Only Love.
I never take "distant" photos nor the so-prevalent type with the LP sticking halfway out of the jacket. I take close-ups under photo lamps so you can see nearly everything I describe in the jacket grading. It is virtually impossible to know the true vinyl condition from any photograph. That takes very bright and close visual inspection PLUS play testing with thorough coverage on high resolution equipment.
Grading Details
Note: Record grading by text characters is subjective and does not fully describe quality levels. Please see photos and my detailed descriptions below.
Outer Jacket Inspection:
NM-/NM
The jacket is a plain off-white "generic" blank cardboard sleeve, being a promotional item. The front side has just a very slight ring discoloration at the very top. The rear side is NM. Both sides have a fine matte finish. Please examine my photos carefully so you can judge the grading to your own personal opinion.
Vinyl visual inspection:
After cleaning, surface visuals were inspected under high intensity halogen light. I rotated and tilted the record in multiple angles with my eyes a few inches away from the vinyl. Side 1 looked visually perfect. Side 2 had a faint set of lightly reflective "contrail" fog lines extending from the middle of T2 thru T5. It looked like something rubbed lightly against the top surface of the vinyl there. I made a note to pay close attention to this area when play testing (see below). There are LAST stickers on both sides because I usually treated all LPs with the LAST vinyl wear prevention treatment before 1st play. Both sides were played only once right after purchase until now.
Play Testing:
NM/VG+
Extensive play testing was performed after visual inspection. I listened to 100% of both sides while digitizing as 192k/24-bit WAV files. Continuous written notes were taken. I was able to go back to my recorded files and re-check my listening notes in Pro Tools. Here is rundown of each side from my notes.
Side 1 Play
The recording has a very nice natural hall reverberation captured well by the recording. The piano has a near-perfect distance perspective and can project a lot of detail and power when played loud. I was most impressed by the way the acoustic bass was presented. It is among the most natural, getting the full range of the instrument with deep low reach and no "boom." Just loved the bass solos. The Allied pressing was very quiet. All I noticed were a few occasional little ticks that were mostly high frequency and very low in energy. Nothing really to ever get in the way of musical enjoyment.
Side 2 Play
This side had all the same great attributes as Side 1 with the bass just exemplary. The saxophones sounded very real with powerful projection as did the flute. The "contrail" going thru T2 into T5 did not produce any repeating ticks or anything at all. However, near the very start of T2 and above that "contrail" mark I heard two "snap-like" ticks in a row. I re-did a visual check to see if there was an abrasion I missed the first time. It took me a long time slowly rotating the record under very bright light close to my eyes trying to find something. Finally I detected a microscopic pin hole in the vinyl surface straddling two groove edges. It explained the 1st tick in one channel followed by the 2nd tick on the next revolution in the other channel. I'm convinced it is an artifact of the stamping process (micro-bubble in molten vinyl perhaps?) and not any damage from playing or handling. Measured in Pro Tools their exactly 52 seconds from the T2 start. Not like their loud "pops" but can definitely be heard . I'm calling this out because its the right way to grade. This artifact is why I downgraded the otherwise solid NM play quality of Side 2 to VG+. I'm also keeping the minimum bid low because of it.
Packaging
- Record will be placed outside the jacket to protect against seam splitting.
- Original inner sleeve is included separately.
- Record has been placed into a new MFSL-style "rice paper" sleeve, as the original, even though plastic lined, may be holding onto some dust. This will keep vinyl surfaces clean during shipping and ultimate buyer usage.
- Outer jacket is contained in a new clear polyethylene protective sleeve.
- Sent in good quality record mailer with cardboard stiffeners.
Shipping
- Shipping will be via USPS Media Mail for a flat charge of $3.98 per single album sale.
- A combined shipping discount is available on multiple sales completed within 5 business days($3.98 plus $0.50 for each additional LP).
- If you intend to buy more than one LP do not pay immediately but wait for my all-combined invoice. A discount for the combined items will show on that invoice. Then, once payment is received, the items will ship.
price rating
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