[78-L] Beach Boys 78

[David Lennick]

Let's hear it for half speed mastering (or worse). I have a set of lacquers of 
a broadcast over WFUV where the last 2 or 3 sides play at 156RPM..some numskull 
changed the speed on the tape deck before transferring the last sides to disc.

dl

On 4/22/2011 3:47 PM, Royal Pemberton wrote:
> Which was something I've wondered about the track 'Gene Autry: a foxtrot' on
> the WOW album by Moby Grape.  It's for playback at 78, but is a track unto
> itself.  The other tracks on that side are all 33 1/3 of course with the
> last track ending in a locked groove.  You have to manually move the tonearm
> to play GA in addition to switching the speed to 78.26.  However, the end of
> GA ends in the typical leadout spiral just like the other side of the
> LP....it looks to me like they actually prepared a very slowed-down dub of
> GA so that it could be cut at 33 1/3 and give correct pitch played at
> 78.26.  (I experimented with this once and determined it had to be slowed
> down something like 17.5% slower than half speed for this to work.)
>
> On Fri, Apr 22, 2011 at 8:35 PM, Michael Biel<mbiel at mbiel.com>  wrote:
>
>> On 4/22/2011 11:54 AM, agp wrote:
>>> At 15:07 22/04/2011, DB wrote:
>>>> I just received my copies of "Good Vibrations" on 78 and although
>>>> it's spinning
>>>> in shining splendour on my Credenza, I thought I should find out some
>>>> information before I lower the arm onto it.
>>>>
>>>> 1 What size stylus do I use to play it?
>>>
>>> I think it is microgroove
>>>
>>>
>>
>> If that is the case, I would recommend for your Credenza that you use
>> the special orand shank chromium needles that RCA recommended for their
>> Long Playing Program Transcriptions.   (I'm kidding of course, because I
>> am assuming YOU are kidding!!)
>>
>>>> 2 It supposedly had a run of 5,000 but one of mine is numbered
>>>> 6965?  (I know,
>>>> that doesn't sound like a question.)
>>> I hear there is going to be a convention in LA of everyone having
>>> that particular number. Seriously, I wonder if they randomised the
>>> numbers so as to make it difficult to get the lowest number -- as in
>>> the Beatles' White Album -- Serial Number 1
>>>
>>
>> I did see one of the ebay records with a photo that included a number in
>> the five hundreds.   I also had seen the 5000 pressing run cited and
>> tried to get the set with number 4995 someone was selling, then I saw a
>> few with numbers in the low 5000s.  I was thinking that maybe they had
>> really pressed 6000 but with your number of nearly 7000, who knows???
>>
>>>> 3 Why in the world does it say on the label "Vocal group with Theremin"?
>>> Somehow this sounds like retro-sillies. I'm surprised it doesn't also
>>> say 'Foxtrot' or 'Jaunty Two Step' a la non-contemporary 78s.
>>>
>>
>> Bump and grind?
>>
>>> I am curious about the actual disc configuration. For example, What
>>> size and style label did they use -- lp size or 10 inch size. If they
>>> used a 78/ 10-inch style label, is the landing area for the label
>>> larger than the label (lp size).
>>>
>>
>> This was nicely answered in another posting by Royal, but I am
>> interested in a MORE vital question: Were the master lacquers actually
>> cut at 78????  Do they have a lathe turntable still in operation that
>> actually spins at 78.26??  I bet the cut it at 33 or 45 and transposed
>> the recording down while cutting.  I have not gotten my copies yet to
>> check, but I wonder if the accurately pitxch out at 78.26.  Not 78.00
>> but 78.26.
>>
>> Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com