The Ventures, Going to the Ventures Dance Party, WHITE label "Audition Record"

$

21

Here is what I'm guessing is a rare find...a pretty common album, The Ventures, Going to the Ventures Dance Party, on Dolton BL-2017, 1962, but this is a white label "Audition Record." I presume this is the same as a promo printing.
Tracks are:
Mr. Moto Theme from Come September Ya Ya Wobble Night Drive Venus The Intruder
Gandy Dancer Sweet and Lovely Limbo Rock Lolita Ya-Ya Loco-Motion Gully-ver
The record has surface scratches/scuffs; I have NOT play tested it, but it appears to be playable. The jacket is also G with a noticeable gash on the spine. It didn't have an inner sleeve with it, so will be shipped with a generic white sleeve. 

Shipping is $4.00 via USPS Media Mail. See below for details. US buyers only, please.

--------------------------------

My definition of “play-tested”: I have two turntables that I use to play-test. I am NOT an audiophile, so my turntables are very basic: one is an Ion USB turntable and the other is a vintage Arvin console stereo. If a record looks M or NM, I don’t play-test (so I won’t accidentally damage it). I play-test for two reasons: first, to see if the record skips or repeats. If so, that usually means I won’t even list it, unless it’s pretty hard to find. I WILL let you know in the description if it skips/repeats. Second, I love records, and I like to listen to them! Unfortunately, I don’t have time to play-test every record I list…I will tell you in the description if it’s been play-tested or visually graded.

Also, I don’t generally clean the vinyl before listing/selling/shipping. I don’t have the proper equipment for this. In rare cases, if the record is extremely dirty, I will give it a quick clean using a damp microfiber cloth and mild dish soap, then wiped clean (following the grooves, of course) with another soft cloth. Your record may come with fingerprints; those will be of the previous owner. I am EXTREMELY careful when handling records.

My grading standards: I will only use M (mint) if the record is still factory-sealed. Even then, I can’t make any guarantee, obviously, since I can’t see it. It may have become slightly warped from years of poor storage. NM (near mint) is one that I use very rarely. If I grade a record as NM, it probably looks as if I was the first person to remove it from its jacket. EX (excellent) means that it looks fantastic but may have a very light scuff or surface scratch (and by light, I mean VERY light). It’s just not clean enough to be NM. VG (very good) means that it’s exceedingly playable. It probably has several visible surface scuffs or scratches, but I have play-tested it (see above), and it played through fine, but with pops or crackles. It will probably have a little “spindle wear,” indicative of the previous owner(s) playing it. Most of my listings probably will fall into this grade. G (good) means that it probably has one or two skips/maybe a repeat, but is still desirable enough for me to list. F (fair) and P (poor) are just as they sound…not something that I would usually list. They are most likely unplayable and severely scratched. Sometimes it will be a VERY rare record that is desirable in any condition. Sometimes it will be in a mixed lot of albums that, as a lot, are collectible or for decorating/craft purposes. I do use + or – frequently, as well. 

Jacket grading is also very subjective…M means factory sealed and NO storage wear. NM might not be sealed, but still looks minty. EX will have visible wear, but not much. VG is where most of my records fall…visible edge wear, “ring” wear (shows the outline of the record itself on the cover) and possibly corner bends/dings. G is one that shows lots of wear, writing, taped edges, etc. If there is a BB hole or cutout/saw mark, I usually will note this. Same goes for seam splits, etc. I always take photos of the actual record you are buying, so please look them over carefully. If the inner sleeve is anything other than plain white, I usually will note that. If the record has NO inner sleeve, I will put it into one of the surplus ones that I have (usually plain white, but sometimes just an extra from an empty jacket). 

My usual shipping method: I use commercial grade record mailers specifically made for 12” records. I wrap the record you purchase (usually in Christmas wrapping paper, because I have a lot of it!), then sandwich it between two empty LP jackets (which either were empty when I got them or the records were too trashed to sell), taped together on all 4 sides. I use this for 1-3 albums (each record wrapped separately). For 4-5 albums, each album will be wrapped individually, but no empty jackets will be placed on the top/bottom of the stack. This is then packed into the mailer, which is sealed and then reinforced with filament tape.

Media Mail is a slower service than First Class or Priority; your record(s) may take anywhere from a week to 2 weeks or more. 

Priority Mail is faster, but will cost you substantially more to ship (the package with one record usually weighs between 1.5-2 pounds total, so could cost you anywhere from $9-12, depending on where you live in relation to me…I’m in Missouri). 

Although I rarely do it, I occasionally agree to ship internationally. Send me a message if that’s what you need and we’ll discuss terms.

***I did get a chance to play test this today, and it played through fine on my '60s stereo.***