Vintage lovers never fail to have a set of vinyl in their collection. It replicates that 70’s feel with its classic look. Each type, each size, each design served a different purpose, but to an unknowing person’s eye, they all look the same.
The concept of vinyl was first introduced in 1857 by a French inventor named Edouard-Leon Scott. He developed a specialized disc that utilizes a vibrating pen to demonstrate a better understanding of the characteristics of sound. The pen is connected to a cone-shaped structure that would vibrate upon contact with sound which would be visualized with the pen. This device was called the Phonautograph and it gave us a better understanding of sound.
In 1878, Thomas Edison took interest in the idea and developed a device around it. The device was designed to scratch or cut grooves onto discs and cylinders made of tinfoil by using a metal stylus. Like the concept of the phonautograph, the stylus is connected to a cone-like structure that would make the stylus vibrate upon exposure to sound.
In 1888, an American inventor born in Germany patented the Gramophone, a new way to play vinyl records. The device manually cranked and ran at 70 rpm and using a rubber vulcanite disc, 7” in diameter with lateral grooves on the exterior that depicted what sound would be made.
There are two commonly used sizes of vinyl, 7” ones, also known as 45’s, and 12” ones, also known as LPs which stand for Long Play or Long Playing. 7” are referred to as 45’s because they are often played at 45 rpm and 12” are referred to as LPs because they hold significantly longer durations of audio.
The size of the disc typically dictates it purpose. 7” discs can hold 4-6 minutes while 12” discs can hold 15-22 minutes per side. 12” vinyl can hold longer audio and can also produce clearer audio. However, as useful as 12” is, 7” vinyl have powered rock culture, been used in jukeboxes, and has done so much more.
Because of its relatively small size, 7” vinyl are more affordable, therefore the masses can gain access to them better, although they can only hold 1 to 2 songs at most. These are also called singles because a single track can be stored without compromising its audio quality.
Vinyl records typically cost about $10-$40 depending on the popularity of the piece. You can get a record of Bruno Mars’s songs for about $15-$20. However, vintage vinyl records cost a hefty buck compared to later ones. A 7” 1963 vinyl record from the Rolling Stones can be priced at $35.00 for a copy. A far more expensive vintage record would be from AC/DC. Their Flick of the Switch Rare 1983 promo 7” vinyl is priced at almost $1,000.00 for its rarity.
Lately, vinyl have been making a comeback, along with cassettes and other vintage music items which has made the vintage collector community happy. The beauty of yesteryear can still stand tall among newer items.
