LED ZEPPELIN II Atlantic SD 8236 Robert Ludwig RL side one SS side 1&2 CTH plant

$

150

ORIGINAL PRESSING

 (SEE PHOTOS).

MESSAGE ON STEVE HOFFMAN FORUM....

I wrote Robert Ludwig in the last week and he wrote me back. All the versions from sterling are the same hot mix. The subtle variances between them are all simply from the slight differences in making a hand-made analog lacquer disc, at least one of which was sent to all the pressing plants at the time. The CTH plant got a lacquer that was half RL and half LH (Lee Hulko, his partner) but was of the SAME MIX AND MASTER, based on RL's notes. THEY ARE ALL THE SAME, aside from subtle variances and should be valued the SAME no matter who's initials are in the dead wax. They are all the same master from STERLING SOUND! Here is my reply from Robert Ludwig. Let this be the final word in this debate. Thanks!
Hi Jim,
I'm surprised about Lee Hulko's initials being on some of the parts. In all these years I had never come across any copies with his initials before.
When there were big orders of certain titles and there wasn't physically enough time for one person to crank out the lacquers as fast as the record company wanted, sometimes we would help each other out.
For instance, my initials might appear on a Beatles record that Lee mastered.
In every case, compared to now, those titles were relatively easy to master. Once one of us mastered an album and it was approved, we made careful notes, either one of us could cut it and it should come out the same. Back then, Lee and I shared the one room and worked different hours so it is possible one of the plants blew a part and needed a replacement right then with no delay.
So after I mastered the album (which Eddie Kramer & Atlantic approved) it was shipped to all the radio stations and the initial pressing was all from me and Sterling Sound.
Amhet Ertegun at Atlantic heard the album (which Eddie demanded be as hot as possible) and apparently it skipped on his daughters little turntable. Instead of calling us at Sterling and asking us to lower the level a little and telling us where it skipped, they had the disk cutters at Atlantic use my EQ'd cassette file copy and they cut it WAY lower than my original cut plus, in my opinion, it sounded dull and generally not very good sounding in comparison.
So all the disks that were played at the radio stations and all the initial pressings world wide came from me (and apparently Lee cut a part or two) and that was what "sold" the record and made it a hit. A year later, whenever I visited someone I would look at their Zeppelin II album to see if it was my cut or Atlantic's cut. It was easy to see by eye, the Atlantic cut ended much farther from the label and the grooves to the naked eye looked very conservative.
I still got to Master "Houses of the Holy" later on, no skipping problems with that as far as I know!
I hope this clears this up for you.
All my best,
Bob Ludwig
Gateway Mastering Studios Inc
428 Cumberland Ave
Portland Maine 04101
This is obviously one of the copies Robert Ludwig is writing about. It has SS on both sides signifying both sides were cut at Sterling Sound. It has RL, Robert Ludwigs initials on side one. The trailoff grooves are small compared to later pressings without the hot mix. I played this record on my house stereo to check it out. I have Magenplanar speakers and two 24" Hartley subwoofers. I was playing it when my wife at the other end of the house started yelling, "What are you doing!? The dog is going crazy!?" The bass was that strong! This record is definitely not doggy approved.:)

MY GRADING SCALE

All records are SIGHT graded NOT play graded. A "scuff" is defined as being created by probably sliding the record in and out of the inner sleeve or cover. Scuffs may sound as a crackle on playback during quiet passages and probably not heard at all during loud passages. A "small scratch" is defined as having been created by the needle itself and in most cases will be heard as a pop upon playback. With a "large scratch," the record may or may not skip or hang up depending on the tracking force, anti skate settings on your turntable.

10 (MINT)..Looks like it was just opened.

9 (MINT MINUS).. A few scuffs with no discernible scratches.

8 (EXCELLENT)..A few scuffs with one or two miniscule scratches per side; record still has plenty of gloss.

7 (VG+).. Scuffs and a few minor scratches per side; record still has plenty of gloss.

6 (VG)..Record has scuffs and small scratches; still has some gloss.

5 (GOOD +)..Record has numerous small scratches and a few large scratches.

4 (GOOD)..Record has numerous small scratches and numerous large scratches.

3 (GOOD -)..Numerous scratches with very little gloss.

2 (POOR +)..Numerous scratches that may not play through.

1 (POOR) ..I don't usually sell records in this condition unless it is very rare.

Why buy from someone else and risk your record being destroyed in transit because they did not pack well? Look at my excellent feedback concerning packing.

ATTENTION:

Against my better judgement, I am going to sell to international buyers again after a hiatus of about a year. All my records will be sold to international buyers AS IS meaning NO RETURNS for any reason what so ever. International buyers must contact me via EBAY contact message and agree to the above policy before I will sell to you. After agreeing to the AS IS/NO RETURNS policy, I will then release the purchasing block placed on your country. Thanks.