Monday, June 02, 2008

Needling



This revival-of-vinyl easy-upload-to-mp3 format cross-fertilisation mallarkey's all very well but where does a person go for a new stylus? Eh?

This reminds me of all those fruitless trawls I made around smalltown hi-fi shops when I was a nipper except now it's a fruitless trawl around the interwebby and trying to match my cartridge with the cartridges in the smallest, crappiest pictures you've ever seen and failing, either because a) the number of my cartridge does not match the picture of their cartridge with the same number or b) the picture of their cartridge that matches my cartridge is an entirely different number, so different in fact that one gets a distinct feeling of unease about the prospective purchase.

What I want to do is walk into a little shop where the man has a hundred little boxes in a cabinet, hold up my cartridge boldly and say 'Good morning matey tatey, have you got one of these?'

What are the chances of me being able to do that do you think?

*sigh* I think I might just have to get on my bike and find such an emporium and try....

The Velvelettes - 'Needle In A Haystack' (1964)

[Actual cartridge not as shown. Natch.]

20 comments:

  1. http://www.turntablestylus.co.uk/

    They seem like nice people; even a photo of their dog on the site!

    Maplins used to sell styli (is that right? plural of stylus?); but I dunno if they still do. Given that they've startd to sell USB turntables it's quite likely.

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  2. To all marketers everywhere - stick a pic of your pet on your website and Simon and I are suckered.

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  3. I'm sure 'styli' is right by the way - but I'd feel a right dork saying it, wouldn't you?

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  4. I want to say styluses or something. Stylistics!!! Oops soul tourettes playing up again.

    Aretha!!!

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  5. Davey here's the T list for the that latin thing..

    Variety Lab - London In The Rain
    Big Muff – My Funny Valentine
    Physics – Leaving Monte Carlo
    Scubba (featuring Moana) - Fool To Cry
    Rouge Rouge – L'amour
    Ohm G & Bruno – One
    Grandadbob - Hide Me (Al Usher Dance Mix)
    The Streamers – Zwing Ting
    311 Porter - Surround Me With Your Love (Mental Overdrive Mix)
    Stigmato Inc. - Reality Check
    Nouvelle Vague – Ever Fallen In Love
    Patricia Marx and 4 Hero – Menino
    Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band – L.I.P.S.T.I.C.K
    Ralph Myerz & The Jack Herren Band - Think Twice
    Parov Stelar - Kiss Me Twice
    Nouvelle Vague – Dancing With Myself
    Pink Martini - Sympathique

    Several of the tracks are taken from various( and always excellent)Hotel Costes albums, but the rest are bits, bobs and scraps that seemed to fit.

    I've got a similar one, mad at roughly the same time (about a year ago) but slightly more 'barefoot/balearic' and uptempo which I'll upload if you're tempted.

    I'm also working on a Acid Jazz, Mod, reggae and other flavours mix at the mo' called 'Lazy Sunday' - which should be up and running fairly soon.

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  6. An expert writes: "For jazz records I find a large rusty nail works best."

    Thank me later.

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  7. Thanks for the track list Mondo - nice.

    Soul tourette's! Simon, that made me laugh out loud. CURTIS!

    Michael, you haven't let your medication lapse again have you?

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  8. Yes, now it’s just me and my jazz cigarettes, man.

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  9. my that has brought back some fond memories.

    Cheers.

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  10. Wot, the jazz cigarettes??

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  11. the shop right at the centrepoint end of tcr is where i get my stluseses - very helpful chaps in there they are. i saw a record player - just a record player none of this computey or dj stuff - in the window of one of them stores down there on sunday and it cheered me right up. simple things.
    x
    ps
    big muff ??!? tee hee hee

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  12. There are some lovely ones on ebay.

    Bush. Tee-hee.

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  13. huurrrghhh gotta gotta whoooo


    tourettes is going vocal.....

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  14. !!!

    By the way I just ordered from the nice people with the dog. They were most helpful in IDing my stylist. Thank you.

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  15. those ebay treasures still aren't as good as mine
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/dusty7s/2398426562/

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  16. Yay! The dog gets to eat for another day!!!

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  17. They turned out to be that little shop I was waxing lyrical about - I sent an email, got a nice, helpful and personal reply from a lady called Hayley, thanked her, duly placed my order and then got another thanking me for that. And the styliss cost a tenner, free post & packing.

    I bet they even have ones for lovely plastic orange portables ; )

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  18. Those are some awfully cool Polaroids there, ally. Very nice indeed.

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  19. Glad you chased down that stylus, Davy. If you were to mention discount needles round here, most people would simply tell you they get their's for free. And then show you the track marks on their arms!

    Thanks for dropping round my place, regardless...

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  20. Chaps - one time 'Art Decade' guest Glaswegian blogger ib's new site is a cracker and I reckon you'll all have a lovely time over there - drop in and give him some lurve.

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