Vinyl Collector Tips, How-Tos, and Stories
Danny Drinkwater bought his first 45 at a Bellevue drugstore in 1964, at age six, and wrote his name across the label in marker. He still has it. His story in his words, plus who really wrote “Twist and Shout” and how to store 7-inch singles so they last.
Why We Build With Pacific Coast Maple Instead of Shipping in Eastern Hardwood People ask...
A lot of collectors start with shelving, move to a station once they've got a system they actually use, and add cabinet storage later as the collection grows past what any single piece can hold. The furniture should follow how you actually listen, not the other way around.
Wood breathes with moisture changes, and if your shelving is built from anything other than solid wood — particleboard, MDF, thin veneer over composite — that swelling and shrinking can warp the shelf itself over a few years, not just stress your records. This is the actual reason "solid wood" gets repeated so much in this hobby. It's not about looking nicer (though it does). Solid wood moves as one piece; engineered wood delaminates and swells unevenly at the seams.
