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You are here: Home / Archives for Shopping

How to Find Classic LPs without Breaking the Bank

December 24, 2012 by Chris

Anyone looking to save money on classic LPs are probably thinking of scouring flea markets. There always seems to be someone with several boxes of unmarked records. Sometimes prices can be pretty good, but some dealers are from record stores and expect to turn a profit. This is why wily shoppers will sometimes carry a cellular phone or pocket PC with a price list, though this behavior isn’t always tolerated.

Looking in Libraries

Library book sales sometimes have records, as well as other types of media. People who are used to going to these sales are probably already familiar with the idea of an ex-library copy. Those who really just want to listen to a record probably won’t mind if there are some markings or a library security tag on the cover sleeve. These don’t affect the playability of the disk at all. On the other hand, people looking to resell their materials wouldn’t be thrilled to see stickers permanently affixed to the front of the slipcovers.

Garage Sale Hunting

A box of records is always a fixture at a garage sale, and these have gotten an undeserved bad image in the last few years. Garage sales themselves aren’t bad, but those who want good deals will need to do a little bit of work to find them. Many records sold in this manner are damaged, so one should be sure to take them out of their dust jackets and ensure that they’re not scratched. On the other hand, it’s possible to find records for half a dollar or less at such venues.

Bidding Online

Online auction sites are probably what most people immediately think of when they think of buying classic albums. Popular bands are always going to be in abundance on the Internet, but what makes these pages really useful is their ability to find otherwise rare releases. Users should be sure to set a limit when they bid on online auctions. Some artists are known to really fetch top dollar on these websites, after all. A recording by Alabama Blues singer DA Hunt famously went for about $10,000.

Retailers Still Sell Them Too

There are few things to keep in mind when shopping for records in these places. While it seems like vinyl is usually associated with the past, there are some companies that continue to produce records. Some of these releases are recordings of underground rock and jazz acts that couldn’t be confused with any big name classic releases, but it’s a good idea to check the copyright date on the album before assuming that something is rare. A few reproductions of classic LPs will sometimes show up as well. Collectors will want to avoid these copies.

Attached Images:
  •  License: Creative Commons image source

Eric Blair writes about vinyl records and turntables like those found at www.soundstagedirect.com




Filed Under: Shopping Tagged With: bidding online, classic LP, flea market, garage sale, libraries, Media, records, retailers, shoppers

Damn Life is Good!

November 7, 2010 by Chris

The other day my favorite nurse that I work with at the hospital introduced me to this really cool line of clothing called Life is Good. The clothing comes with some fantastic sayings printed on them.

Most of the items on this site are generally intriguing, but the one’s that interest me the most are the guitar or music related products on the site. If your looking for some distinctive gifts to give someone then I think this is something to take a better look at.

The Life is Good company is based in the US, but has outlets in Canada as well. My friend tells me that any time she travels to the US, she is always aware of the location nearest her destination so she can do some window shopping.

The company carries everything from hats/caps, big cotton sweaters all the way to some cute doggy accessories. A couple of years ago we picked up this great coat for our dog Midnight that reminded us of something that Edith Bunker would wear going to church with good ol’ Archie. Man did that thing turn some heads when we took her for a walk in our neighbourhood! I only wished that they had some of their doggy cloths that came with some of the guitar or music sayings on them.

My favorite one is this sweater that says “Remember the Music is not in the guitar”. It has this stick man figure on it (BTW, Stickman is my old nickname) playing an acoustic guitar while sitting down. Don’t ya get it, the music is in the musician not the guitar? They also carry some neat embroidered Caps as well. Check out the Guitar Tree and Jake Campfire, their hilarious man!

Has any one out there been to one of Life is Good outlets? Tell me what you think is the craziest saying they have!

Keep on Jammin’

Filed Under: Entertainment, Home and Lifestyle, Humor, Recreation, Shopping Tagged With: accessories, apparel, caps, clothing, dog, dog bowls, gift ideas, gifts, guitar, guitar tree, hats, jake campfire, life is good, men, Remember the Music is not in the guitar, sweaters, women

Electric Hendrix Vodka

October 26, 2008 by Chris

There is a new tribute to the greatest guitar player of our time Mr. Jimi Hendrix. The tribute is called Electric Hendrix Vodka. The story now is taking a turn for the worst, just like the unfortunate one that it was named for.

A company, with the help of the House of Hendrix, started to pay homage to the great Jimi, with out thinking about one very important thing … they forgot to tell Experience Hendrix, the company that runs Hendrix’s estate what they were doing. Now, according to a local radio station Q-107, the product is being pulled from shelves due to licensing issues.

I’ve been searching online for a while now and there isn’t a straight forward answer as to what the reason was that brought on this ruling. The only thing I found was something about the family being broken into 2 camps. They seem to be fighting for whatever piece of the pie they can get? One big happy dysfunctional family I guess? If you can shed some more light on this one for us then please bring us into the loop! I for one can’t follow the bouncing ball.

Here is an overview, in point form, of how it started nice, then somewhere along the way it turned ugly

  • 2005 – Craig Dieffenbach begins Electric Hendrix LLC with the blessing and involvement of the Jimi Hendrix family.
    – Owners of Parent Co. Electric Hendrix LLC include Jimi’s brother Leon Hendrix, Joe Hendrix and other friends and family members of Jimi Hendrix.
  • 2006 – (January) Electric Hendrix LLC rescues, moves and begins renovation of the childhood home of Jimi Hendrix. Electric Hendrix LLC also assisted in securing a new marker for the grave of Jimi’s mother, Lucille Hendrix
  • Present – reps for the “Hendrix Experience” the organization that manages the Hendrix estate won a court battle against the makers of Electric Hendrix vodka. One of the company’s owners was Leon Hendrix, Jimi’s brother, and the head of Experience Hendrix is Janie Hendrix, Jimi’s step-sister.
    (from Michael Stone-AudioPros)

So why can’t we just get along? Here’s an idea, lets have a drink!

Keep on Jammin’

Filed Under: Entertainment, Musical influences, Musicians, Recreation, Rock History, Shopping Tagged With: electric_hendrix_LLC, Electric_Hendrix_Vodka, experince_hendrix, house_of_hendrix, james_al_hendrix, Janie_Hendrix, Jimi_Hendrix, joe_hendrix, leon_hendrix, Lucille_Hendrix

Wanna see a masterpiece up close

August 27, 2008 by Chris

I’m not sure if I told you all, but I’ve been on my holidays for 2 weeks and I’ve been having a blast! I’m really doing anything and I recommend it to everyone!

One of my side interests is about the history of religion. I like to understand what the hell happened a long, long, long time ago and why is everyone so pissed off at each other? I wasn’t around way back in 75 A.D., and I’m sure I would of just tried to get everybody to sit down and have a drink and mule over the things that are making everyone mad! It’s not that hard now is it?

Anyways, I’ve just about finished this book called “The Secret History of Christianity” by Malcolm Brocklehurst. It’s basically it’s about how the church has exploited the Myth of Christ, or so that is the idea that the author is trying to convey. It kinda ties things together and fills in the holes about the bible itself and gives over views of the ancient meaning behind things that are in the bible.

Anyways, while reading the book, I came across this website that is about the Last Supper” from you know who, Leonardo buddy. The author talks about some of the hidden meanings behind some aspect of the wall painting and by using this site you can zoom into the painting like you’ve never thought possible and see for yourself. Boy, he wasn’t kidding! So I’ve been checking it out for the past … dare I say hours!

The company is called haltadefinizione and they honestly out did themselves with their super interactive HD pics on their site. If your an art lover and love to look at the finer details of master pieces that you can only get by going there and looking really close … then you may never go and see this wondrous creations in person after your significant other literally pulls your head from monitor! That’s what just happened to me!

I realize this is not what my blog is about, but the pics on this site is just out of this world. Check it out THOROUGHLY!! It’s time not well wasted!

Keep on Jammin’

Filed Under: Culture, Entertainment, History, My experiences, Sales and Marketing, Shopping Tagged With: Christianity, HAL9000, haltadefinizone, high def pics, last supper, leonardo da Vinci

So who is and isn’t a musician here

April 17, 2008 by Chris

I was just wondering to myself today about how many of you, my good readership, are musicians and who isn’t. I’d like to know for a number of reasons. No, this is not to embarrass anyone or start some kind of mid evil Inquisition folks.

It’s just to:

(1) to tailor topics.
(2) and concentrate on certain categories

Just a simple answer would do here folks, nothing earth shattering.

You could state “Musician” or “Non-Musician”. What instruments you play and maybe what type of gear you have. If your a “non-Musician”, then tell us what genre of music gets you going! If you have any interesting or entertaining events might be good for a laugh, I know we all have 1 or 2 of them up our sleeves!

So state your case and get back to us … we’re waiting!

Keep on Jammin’

Filed Under: Culture, Electronics, Entertainment, General, Home and Lifestyle, Humor, Sales and Marketing, Shopping, Technology Tagged With: art, blog categories, blog topics, folk, genre, genre of music, informal survey, inquisition, instrument, instruments, interest, jammin, laugh, mid evil, Music, music genre, musicans, musician, Musicians, non-musicians, play, readership, simple answer, type, your interests

The PATH in Toronto

February 3, 2008 by Chris

I was downtown the other day and we ran into the hidden gem for all tourists to use in the winter time. We haven’t used this way for years and I just wanted to share it with you all.

Like most cities that have cold/snowy weather during the winter, you have to deal with the slush and snow while traversing through the core. This really can put a damper on your experience here. So in the early 1900’s our forefathers came up with this fairly new concept on building a underground city to keep you spirits warm and dry. I know that this sounds like some bad sci-fi movie idea, but it works great!

It started out around the landmark Eaton Centre then other locations started to jump on board with this fabulous idea. Then a 1988 reform in city council decided to scale back this idea. After this, developers had to give way to their tenants cries to have their locations attached to this revolutionary way of shopping. This gave way to the rise in land value of the property making the developers owners of the most valuable pieces of property in the country.

According to Guinness World Records, PATH is the largest underground shopping complex in the world with 371,600 square metres (27 km.)of retail space. The PATH also holds the bragging rights to the worlds largest side walk sale! It’s even bigger then the whole size of the West Edmonton Mall. If you’ve ever been there then you get the idea. Soon, they say, it will cover around 60 kilometers underneath the downtown area.

If you ever come to Toronto for a visit, check out the official PATH site and print out a copy, it’ll be one of the best things you did if you come here!

Keep on Jammin’

Filed Under: Canadian, Culture, Health and Fitness, History, Home and Lifestyle, My experiences, Recreation, Shopping Tagged With: bragging rights, cold, country, damper, downtown, downtown toronto, eaton, eaton centre, forefathers, getting around toronto, getting around toronto by foot, guinness world records, hidden gem, kilometers, landmark, PATH, retail space, sale, sci fi, Shopping, shopping complex, slush, snowy weather, spirits, The Path, Toronto, Toronto s PATH, tourists, under ground shopping, underground, underground city, walk, walking, warm, west edmonton mall, winter time

The Theremin is a instrument of the future

December 4, 2007 by Chris

This little device looks like something that would be found in an old Frankenstein black and white movie or something out of the Hilarious house of Frightenstein.

The inventors name was Leon Theremin and the Theremin was built in 1918. Vladimir Lenin liked the instrument so much that he actually took lessons!

This instrument was made more main stream while Jimmy Page of Zed Zeppelin used it in the studio and on stage. He plays this instrument in Whole Lotta Love and No Quarter.

jimmypagestheremin.jpg

You don’t really have to touch it to make sounds, get that all of you out there that say they can’t play any instruments! This video will show you how so check it out ok, you know who you are!

Keep on Jammin’


Filed Under: Electronics, Musicians, Shopping, Technology Tagged With: 1918, blog, electronic instrument, guitar, Hilarious House of Frightenstein, house, instrument of the past, inventors, Jimmy Page, jimmy page s theremin, Leo Theremin, leon theremin, lessons, main stream, odd musical instruments, play, plays, sound, sounds, Theremin, Video, vladimir lenin, whole lotta love

Well, that was fun

October 8, 2007 by Chris

My wife and I are going to a blogging convention in Las Vegas in November, but we both need passports! If we don’t get them we won’t be able to fly into the United States.

I had to get photo copies of this that and the other thing Sunday night, get our photo’s from this Greek Photo Finish shop in the heart of Greek Town (The Danforth to Locals) run by this really nice little Asian couple on Monday. Gotta love the big city or what?

I went downtown one day last week. On that day I got up at 6:45 (early for me) so I could go see my old buddy Dave the Criminal lawyer guy downtown Toronto to do his part with the Passport legalities! When that was done I was going to go home pick up the wife, go back downtown to do the Passport paperwork stuff when it dawned upon me that, “Why don’t I just do it when I was downtown doing some paperwork stuff with Dave? So I did it, thus eliminating around 2 hours of driving downtown.

While driving home I picked up some earth worms for our pet turtles. Nice! Had to go there anyway at some point in time. I was busy that day. I also ended up getting the muffler replaced, now our car doesn’t sound like some kid’s street racing machine, that just got his ride pimped right!

While I was waiting for the car to be finished I walked up to my favorite store in the world, the 12th Fret and bought some new strings for my Fender Lead II. Walking into the store I was greeted by the presence of a new White Gibson SG Double neck, now that’s a greeting! It was about $3568.00 (Can) by the way in case your wondering.

While walking back to Speedy Muffler King to pick up the improved ride, I walked into this neat sidewalk patio and had a few light refreshing liquid beverages. The finger foods were nice too, as was the conversation with the owner an older Macedonians lady.

When I finally returned home I had a well deserved rest. What a busy day that was! Cheers!

Keep on Jammin’

Filed Under: Guitars, Home and Lifestyle, My experiences, Recreation, Shopping Tagged With: 12th Fret, blog, blogging, cafe, Canadian, Canadian Passport, car, criminal lawyer, Dave, downtown, fender, fret, Home, muffler, Passport Canada, patio, sound, Toronto, United States

Bass guitar wonderland

July 20, 2007 by Chris

I love playing bass once in a while even though I’m ok at it. I wish that I had the technique to do some “bass slapping” but my longer finger nails prevent me from doing so. I can pull it off in playing songs on my guitar like Neon (John Mayer) or Peggie’s Kitchen walls (Bruce Cockburn) but the doing them on bass is another matter left to the masters of the 4 string.

strange_guitar_21.jpg

My wife came across this site called weirdomatic and bookmarked it without telling me, but I do have selective hearing (like most men) and I had to check it out when I stumbled upon it early one morning while she was asleep.

This site has the best and original looking basses that I have seen anywhere.

Even if your not a bassist check out this link anyway. These artisans are unreal in their abilities to create functioning works of art. I would never have considered some of these styles to actually work.

The bass’ do not look to be ergonomic, but they would be a blast for anyone’s collections. Even just to look at them and admire the artistic merits is worth looking at.

Keep on Jammin’

Filed Under: Guitar Equipment, Shopping, Technology Tagged With: art, artisans, bass, bass guitar, bassist, fun, play, playing, unique bass guitars, weird bass guitars, weird looking bass guitars, weirdomatic

My new SONY HDR-SR5 Video Camera

July 3, 2007 by Chris

So we finally got ourselves a more then capable HD Video camera. Our SONY HDR-SR5 was bought this past Sunday. I have been going over the manual for some time now and I must admit it seems easy enough to use but to get the desired effect maybe another story.

hdr-sr5.jpg My first video attempt was just random shots here and there around the house. I also had the opportunity to video some fireworks down at our local park. It was Canada Day on Sunday so perfect timing! The focus was so fluid and the simple effects were just plain simple to execute! The touch screen was very user friendly not to mention very cool as well! It is set up in such a simple format that even my parents, I think, could figure it out. Sorry mom & dad!

hdrsr5.jpg

The HDR-SR5 has a CD for running the camera for idiots and another for the recording software as well as an in dept PDF manual that is very straight forward.

If you are looking for a HD Video camera I think you should check this one out! The only problem that I have with this so far is that we need a S-Video cable to plug it into our SAMSUNG HDTV. Otherwise full steam ahead.

Today I will install the software in my laptop and try out a few of the basic functions. I hope the software allows me to import the audio from an POD to the final video. If I am having problems the old boys at G-Force Media Productions in Toronto, can certainly help me out!

So wish me luck! Finally after all the hype about my starting to set up lessons on line it really will be coming soon to you my good readership!!!

Keep on Jammin’

Filed Under: Electronics, Entertainment, Home and Lifestyle, Shopping, Technology, Video Tagged With: 1080i, functions, G Force Media Productions, HD video, HDTV, smallest HD Video camera, software, SONY, SONY HDR SR5, Toronto, Video, Video camera

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