Jethro Tull AQUALUNG DCC 1LP 180gm - Near Mint Minus Vinyl LOW #0338

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83

Jethro Tull AQUALUNG - DCC's First (and ONLY) 1LP 180gm 33 1/3 vinyl pressing, and this is LOW #0338! One of my all-time favorite LPs, and I've owned many (!) pressings from the U.S., UK, and Japan (including the excellent -- but very different -- Steven Wilson remix). I've owned THIS copy since date of release, and of all the audiophile/high end reissues of this classic, I think the DCC comes closest to the original UK, and this is an outstanding copy. Now's your chance to get this out of print collectible at a fair market price!
Please check out my other DCC rarities on offer this week!

IMPORTANT: The cover is in NM Minus condition, with no significant trauma, but a bit of wear here and there. Picture 1 shows the album inside its original outer bag, with the DCC sticker on it. Pictures 2 through 5 show the LP outside of the outer bag, including both sides of the gatefold cover. Pictures 6 and 7 show the lyric sheet/DCC promo, which is in NM condition. 
Pictures 8 through 15 show closeups of each corner of the LP from: Front Top Left to Top Right to Bottom Left to Bottom Right, and then in the same order for the rear. 
I Play-Graded the LP (listened to each track), and my notes are shown below:
PLAY-GRADED LISTENING NOTES:

isn = incidental surface noise nm = dead quiet ANYTHING IN ALL CAPS = A noise event significant enough to merit comment

SIDE 1 Track 1 - NM Minus: very faint isn in the first few seconds, isn at 1:05, 1:20, 5:00, and 5:18 Track 2 - NM: faint isn for the first 10 seconds 
Track 3 - NM: isn around 0:18 Track 4 - NM: isn in the very last couple seconds at the end Track 5 - NM Track 6 - NM
SIDE 2 Track 1 - EX: The solo guitar leaves no place for surface noise to hide, so the first minute or so has random isn throughout, but after the first minute the track is NM or NM Minus, with isn at 1:54, 5:16, and from 7:00 to the end Track 2 - NM Track 3 - NM Minus: isn from around 0:48 to the end of the track Track 4 - EX: Similar to Track 1, random isn through the first 1:20 because the solo piano exposes any and all surface noise. The rest of the track is NM except for a bit of isn at the very end of the track. Track 5 - EX: Finally, like Tracks 1 and 4, random isn for the first minute and a half, then near mint from 1:30 to 4:30, with isn at 4:30, 4:45 and 5:45.
SUMMARY: Side One grades a solid Near Mint. Side Two averages a solid EX+, but as the comments above indicate, the problem is NOT the pressing, which is terrific. The problem is long passages with solo instruments on Tracks 1, 4 and 5, and no place for incidental surface noise to hide. While I've graded those tracks the same as I do for all records, the overall listening experience, I think, is better than what the grading suggests. I'm confident the auction winner will LOVE this copy. 
ABOUT USED RECORDS I SELL ON EBAY: I will be selling many high value used records over the coming months (or years!). I've been lucky enough to be able to use very high-end cartridges on both my mono and stereo turntables. The cartridges are cleaned before each side is played, and I'm currently using the DS-Audio ST-50 cartridge cleaner. 
I clean ALL records, every time, before the platter hits the turntable. I've been doing so for the past 20 years or more, and I am currently fortunate enough to own THE best record cleaning machine in the world: KLAudio's KD-CLN LP200T (Acoustic Sounds uses these machines to clean THEIR used records). Every used record I sell on Ebay is cleaned before I grade the album, and then cleaned AFTER grading so that the buyer receives the LP in the best possible condition. PICTURE 16 SHOWS THE LP READY FOR CLEANING. HAVING CLEANED THE RECORD BEFORE AND AFTER SAMPLE GRADING, THE NEWLY-CLEANED RECORD HAS BEEN PLACED IN A NEW MFSL RICE-PAPER SLEEVE (THE ORIGINAL SLEEVE IS ALSO INCLUDED), AND HOUSED IN A SEPARATE GENERIC CARDBOARD COVER. 
In order to sell used records efficiently, I have two methods of grading used LPs:
Play-Graded - For my rarest records, I will listen to the entire LP and make track by track notes of any possible issues.
Sample-Graded - Other used records will be sampled at the beginning and end of each track, but I cannot guarantee the LP won't exhibit some random noise or pressing flaw that goes undetected. However, I find this approach is reasonably accurate, and considerably more so than visual grading, which I find can be quite deceptive (at least, I've never had any luck at it when buying used LPs).

ABOUT EBAY’S INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING PROGRAM

IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE U.S. AND ARE BIDDING ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE READ THIS:

Ebay now offers an international shipping program to sellers, and I have opted in to see whether the shipping process is as easy for the seller as it sounds.

I have received enquiries about shipping and other costs from international buyers, but I do not have that information. Please contact Ebay customer service and I believe they can provide you estimated costs.

I have NO power to choose how international items are shipped, or what carriers are used. Part of the agreement when a seller joins EBay’s international shipping program is that EBay controls EVERYTHING. When the item is paid for, I ship it to an Ebay shipping center. They do ALL the customs paperwork and then they ship the item to the buyer. I literally cannot modify any aspect of the shipping process, and as a buyer all you can do is accept the options eBay provides. 

THIS MAY BE A DIFFERENT BUYING EXPERIENCE FOR YOU THAN YOU ARE ACCUSTOMED TO, AND THEREFORE, YOU MAY WISH TO DO A LITTLE MORE RESEARCH BEFORE YOU BID. Good luck!

ABOUT SHIPPING AND HANDLING: Please note there is a $3 fee included in Ebay's estimate of Media Mail shipping costs. I believe the best way to ship an LP includes a 13"x14"x3" "pizza" style box, 12"x12" cardboard flats, outer shopping bag, and bubble wrap. The shipping boxes alone cost me over $3 each, and the average total cost of shipping materials is around $4.72, so this is NOT a money-maker for me. However, it does ensure, consistently, that these high value LPs arrive safely. Please check my feedback and I think you'll see that buyers appreciate the care with which these precious artifacts are handled.

COMBINED SHIPPING: I am more than happy to combine shipping. Ebay buyers pay the actual postage costs. If a single LP is purchased, the buyer pays actual postage and $3 for shipping materials. If two LPs are purchased, the buyer pays actual postage and $3 for shipping materials. If three or more LPs are purchased, the buyer pays actual postage and $0 for shipping materials (I will absorb the cost of materials). As the final amount can only be calculated after auctions have ended, I will issue the appropriate refund on the day the LPs are shipped. 

About Me: I'm a long time Ebay buyer intent on selling a significant portion of my LP collection over the next year or two (or three!). I believe in the auction process, so I'm NOT going to list records at absurdly high prices, and I look forward to getting rare, out of print records into the hands of music lovers, record collectors and audiophiles (I consider myself all of the above). All LPS stored in a smoke-free, climate controlled environment. 

Please check my feedback and BID WITH CONFIDENCE. Also, please take a look at other items I'm listing (new items will be listed on Sunday and Wednesday nights), and good luck! 

PayPal Payments Only. Payment required within 3 days after the end of auction. All records will ship USPS Media Mail.