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Part II: - Finding and Playing your 78's

I knew I was hooked and I knew that I wanted to pursue this new interest, but there were few guideposts along the way to help me in my quest. In the words of the Memphis Jug Band, I was Fishin' In The Dark when it came to enjoying and expanding my meager 78 collection.

But even before doing more record hunting, my first problem was that I didn't have anything to play 78's on! Although unlike many of my peers, I still had a turntable -- although it only played 45/33 rpm records, which was fine if you like to hear Memphis Jug Band sound like The Chipmunks doing Insane Crazy Blues.

78's were no longer widely produced after the mid- 1950's, and by the mid- to late- 1960's few turntables were made to accommodate 78's. In my naivete I decided to buy an old wind-up Victrola, reasoning that in the rural South (the titular home of jug band music) this would have been the only record player, by default, until electricity was widely available sometime in the 1930's or, more likely into the 40's -- perhaps as late as the 50's in some areas. So I figured I should be listening to my 78's on something 'authentic'. At an antique sale I found a great (circa 1927) Victrola II, tuned up by a local craftsman and in excellent shape. Given the condition the price was right, at about $400.

Problem was, the records really didn't sound their best on a Victrola and using steel needles (even if you change the needle for a new one after each play, as recommended) tends to wear records fairly quickly. Also, after the mid-1920's most records were recorded electronically and will benefit sonically from being played electronically. Still, I love my Victrola and play it occasionally, although I seldom use it with my best records, preferring to keep a number of chipped, cracked and broken-but-repaired records handy to play when the spirit strikes.

After my experience with the Victrola, my next step was to buy a 1950's-era school record player. (Newcomb being one well known brand). These are fairly easy to find (try schools, second-hand stores, older radio/TV shops, local auctions and Internet auction sites such as eBay, etc.), they are often reasonably priced (usually around $50), and they do a pretty good job of reproducing the sound on 78's. Also, importantly, needles and other replacement parts are still available.

Another good alternative is an old radio/phono console player. They were widely popular up until the era of component stereo and they usually incorporate 78 rpm speed. The downside is that they tend to be somewhat less durable, take up more space and are more expensive than the school players. Then again, they can sound fine and are often very attractive. In any case, carry some 78's of varying quality with you and road-test any player before you buy.

From these more "vintage" players you can move up to currently produced turntables which play 78/45/33. With modern components you can also throw in a signal processor, which will greatly reduce the hiss, pops, ticks and scratchy sound associated with 78's, while making the available music on the record more accessible and enjoyable. I've been particularly impressed with the (relatively) affordable KAB Souvenir Vintage Signal Processor and would highly recommend it. You can run your mono reissue LP's through the KAB with great improvement to their sound quality too. Of course using modem components will also allow you to tape your 78's (or, now you can transfer them to CD) as well as run them through your stereo speakers.

Hunting for 78's:

Once I found a decent record player I was ready to begin my 78 search in earnest. I haunted used record stores, flea markets, garage sales and antique stores. 78's are found everywhere. But although I came across some interesting things, I found almost no blues.

[Clarification of the term 'blues': When I say "blues," I'm using the term very broadly -- as a non-specific, all inclusive term which includes; ragtime, songster tunes, medicine show songs, jug band music, blues, string band music, hokum, gospel and others. In short, I include all African-American vernacular musical forms recorded roughly between 1920 and the beginning of World War Two. Another frequently used term for this music is "pre-war blues."]

That I found almost no pre-war blues 78's where I live is easily explained: There were, almost literally, only a handful of African-Americans living in Oregon prior to World War II. The subject of early Anglo-American blues music is grist for yet another article. (But sad to say, as for the 'natives' in Oregon during this period, to paraphrase an old blues lyric, "if it hadn't 'a been for bad taste, they wouldn't 'a had no taste at all" at least when it came to their record-buying habits).

Oregon's African-American population began to expand with the advent of the Second World War and the opening of the shipyards in Portland. But tragically, the vast majority of African-Americans living in Oregon in the immediate post-war years lost most of their belongings when an enormous flooding of the Columbia River destroyed the entire city of Vanport in 1948 -- at that time Oregon's second largest city and home to most of these new immigrants, as well as many others returning from WWII. With the catastrophic flood, any 78's brought West were destroyed along with their other belongings. Most escaped with only the clothes on their backs. But I digress, on with the story:

Of course my experience is not your experience and finding blues 78's inexpensively in your community will vary greatly, depending on where you live.

Given my fruitless experiences with "junking" for blues 78's, I was excited when a woman who reconditions old record players gave me my second auction list, which like the Downhome Music auction I mentioned above, also contained many blues 78's. Again I had several successful bids and got some great records, including a fine version of Sadie Green by Roy Newman and his Boys -- (a good Western Swing group). Alas though, no jug bands this list.

I wanted more auction lists! But where to find them? About this time I discovered Goldmine Magazine at my local used record store. Goldmine is widely available and carries dozens of auction lists. On the downside, the records listed in Gold mine are almost 100% post-war and heavily LP, 45 and CD, with only a very few 78's offered. Still, I was able to buy some Bessie Smith 78's from a guy who advertised in the classifieds. In corresponding with him he happened to mention that if this was the kind of music I liked, then I should check out Vintage Jazz & Blues Mart and Joslin's Jazz Journal. Both of these publications come out several times a year and serve as a forum for numerous auctions, many of which offer blues, prewar country string bands, jazz etc. (and occasional jug band) 78's.

In addition to these two publications, there are also a number of individuals who issue auction lists throughout the year. I wish it were otherwise, but given the rarity of jug band

78's, auctions will undoubtedly be your prime source. Rather than go into the mechanics of bidding in auctions here, I would suggest that if you're interested you send for some or all of the auction lists which follow.

One important bit of advice: If you have ANY interest in collecting vintage 78's, I highly recommend you purchase a copy of Les Docks' American Premium Record Guide. It lists around 30,000 individual records, gives price guidelines as well as label photos and much other helpful information. Be aware however that in my experience, especially in the last several years, Docks' prices for many of the fisted records are much lower than market value with records in excellent condition often selling for double or triple (or more) what Docks lists as a price range. Still, it will give you a comparative sense of record value.

Below are listed a few auction and resources addresses. These are not exhaustive by any means but are a good place to start. Also you might want to look up Internet auction sites and record collecting resources. For this try a good search engine such as MetaCrawler or Yahoo.

AUCTION LISTS:

RESOURCES: (turntables, needles/cartridges, sound processors)


Collecting Jug Band 78's
Part II