Newbie Vinyl Record Player Advice / other house ideas

[Sepukku]

I have ~$12,000 in savings, a raise kicking in soon, and my parents for my main X-mas gift offered to pay for 1 month's rent this coming calendar year so it looks like I'm finally ready to move back out following my ~18 month return home after college ended. I didn't want to stink up BG and make 2 separate threads cause the first discussion point is related to getting a new place in general, but,

(1) Does anyone have any experiences owning vinyl record players?? I'm looking to getting one of these for a living area center piece but I only know of one friend who has one so I don't have a tremendous wealth of knowledge/anecdotes to rely on from others I know IRL. What would be a good model? If not a specific model, what are things to watch out for as far as making sure it includes or does not have?

(2) What are some good decoration / bachelor pad items? I've got a lot of basic items like DVD/Blu-ray entertainment shelves, a massive CD-rack, some Ikea furniture, a desk, a sound system for my computer, 3 TVs (although only 1 is both 40" and HD to be a main TV, other 2 are either small or non-HD generation), a couch, etc, but I'm looking for some good ideas to really make my place have a bit of unique flavor. The vinyl record player would look good in wherever I go's main living area and I've got a very amazingly large and soft faux fur blanket on order for the bed in the colder half of the year. I also saw a nice idea online where someone took PVC pipe and painted/scuffed it/etc to make it look unlike PVC pipe (only can tell by looking at the joint areas) and made a tiered pipe structure with 3 horizontal sections at different heights to hang their work shirts, dress pants, and jackets and I was going to go down to Home Depot and see if I can't create a similar simultaneously decorative/functional piece myself.

But I was looking for other ideas/suggestions for filling in a new place, either homemade like outlined above or simply buyable products.

[bluefan]

http://s7d2.scene7.com/is/image/Fath...Fscl%3D1%7D%7D

You know you want to.

But seriously, if we want to keep it a bit classy, at least one painting would add that flavour.

[TheKobainGuitr]

http://www.recordsonwalls.com/

http://i1.wp.com/www.recordsonwalls....size=440%2C587

http://i2.wp.com/www.recordsonwalls....size=332%2C254

[Brill Weave]

Do the opposite of whatever brill is doing

Hey fuck you buddy!

[NynJa]

http://s7d2.scene7.com/is/image/Fath...Fscl%3D1%7D%7D

You know you want to.

But seriously, if we want to keep it a bit classy, at least one painting would add that flavour.

I'm pretty sure he'd cuddle with that every night

[Ivaden]

In response to the second question, just use Pinterest.

[Sepukku]

Do the opposite of whatever brill is doing

Im looking to move when spring weather breaks and I'll still probably finish whatever rooms I decide to deck out before Brill finishes the 2-years-and-counting mancave project.

[Sepukku]

In response to the second question, just use Pinterest.

Don't I have to have a social media profile to do that? People used to always be posting via Facebook for that and I deleted my Facebook last summer.

Co-worker and I discussed possibly getting a glass door mini-fridge:

http://www.vending-online.com/edgest...l-cbr901sg.jpg

Solid door ones look tacky, but see-in doors are pretty tasteful in a rec room, game room, etc - even more so if they have a backlight feature inside - and they run pretty reasonable ($200-500) for something that also holds utility value in addition to simply decorating/filling in a place. ((The above example pic doesn't look so great, but there are some nice ones))

[Korietsu]

(1) Does anyone have any experiences owning vinyl record players?? I'm looking to getting one of these for a living area center piece but I only know of one friend who has one so I don't have a tremendous wealth of knowledge/anecdotes to rely on from others I know IRL. What would be a good model? If not a specific model, what are things to watch out for as far as making sure it includes or does not have?

If you're looking for audiophile quality, you will want a belt driven table. Generally Tehchnics, Panasonic, Vestax, or Numark etc. These will be from $80 to $2500. You will also probably need a phono amp, as well as a reciever, and a good set of speakers. You can't just plug in turn-table without an amp unless it has one built in (newer models).

However, if you want some tried and true? Technics 1200 MK2's (250-500). DJ's have been using them for almost 30 years now. If I didn't have a midi controller setup, I'd use that or CDJ's. Get some good headshells and carts and you'll be good to go. The thing to note is, these are no longer being sold brand new. Check out this information on buying a used turn-table. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHhJlTmcgqs

You'll probably be playing EP's/LP's so any table that has 33 1/3 RPM's will be your go to. If you like listening to old-school funk, soul, or R&B, you'll need to get a 45 adapter. Also, try and get a table with a curved tone-arm so you do not wear your records too hard.

[tyven]

Don't I have to have a social media profile to do that? People used to always be posting via Facebook for that and I deleted my Facebook last summer.

Co-worker and I discussed possibly getting a glass door mini-fridge:

http://www.vending-online.com/edgest...l-cbr901sg.jpg

Solid door ones look tacky, but see-in doors are pretty tasteful in a rec room, game room, etc - even more so if they have a backlight feature inside - and they run pretty reasonable ($200-500) for something that also holds utility value in addition to simply decorating/filling in a place. ((The above example pic doesn't look so great, but there are some nice ones))

If you are living alone I don't see why you would really need this. Sure it looks cool but will you be drinking enough canned beverages to require their own separate refrigerator? Will you be partying enough that you need your own beer fridge for you and your buddies? If thats the case I don't think people are gonna see it and think "classy".

If you are going to have roommates then having a nice tasteful or classy place is gonna go right out the window. If you are rolling solo then invest in a nice couch, tables, and tv stand/media center.

Can get all sorts of awesome ideas at http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/

also pinterest is it's own form of social media so you can create an account there without linking to a facebook or twitter.

[Sepukku]

If you are living alone I don't see why you would really need this. Sure it looks cool but will you be drinking enough canned beverages to require their own separate refrigerator? Will you be partying enough that you need your own beer fridge for you and your buddies? If thats the case I don't think people are gonna see it and think "classy".

If you are going to have roommates then having a nice tasteful or classy place is gonna go right out the window. If you are rolling solo then invest in a nice couch, tables, and tv stand/media center.

Can get all sorts of awesome ideas at http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/

also pinterest is it's own form of social media so you can create an account there without linking to a facebook or twitter.

Thanks for the link, I will def check it out.

I do anticipate my place becoming 'the place' simply cause I'll be the first one in my circle to have their own place that isn't still living in a college-affiliated apartment for grad school. Our current option A is my friend's mother's but its only convenient for the time being cause she's in central PA with her daughter/son-in-law to help them take care of their newborn child / my friend's new niece.

As far as that item or items in general, I'll be renting as opposed to buying unless my financial/employment situation improves even more between now and ~march so I wouldn't do much as far as alter and invest in the dwelling's improvements. I only would be rolling with things within the place that could serve some use at the subsequent place wherever/whenever that is, so yeah def things like tables, entertainment stand is a possibility, and I already have a couch but if there was leftover budget for furnishings after new bed, etc a second / better couch could be of interest.

Pittsburgh homes are primarily 50-70 year old bricks, half 2 story, half 1 story. Almost all with a basement. I'll be going small since I don't need a lot, but still probably looking at having a 900-1100 sqft home with a partial/full basement to fill and my apartment in college I have left over furnishings from was only a tiny ass bedroom, a shared kitchen, 1 bathroom, and a shared living room so I definitely don't have near enough to account for the sort of space of a small pittsburgh home.

Edit: And ty for the vinyl/record player tips.

[Korietsu]

Edit: And ty for the vinyl/record player tips.

No problem man. I can't recommend a receiver, since i generally use mixers, but speakers which would be great are KRK Rokit 8's. You can get used G1 or G2's cheap now, and they hit a whopping 120db, which is almost as loud as a major music festival mainstage. They also have a relatively flat reponse, producing true sound.

[vagus]

Fuckin hipster if you're just buying a record player now. Lol.

If you're serious about records, buy a Technics SL-1200. Considered one of the best for turntablists. Has a strong engine for scratching, but I doubt you'll be scratching. After the player, you'll need to invest in some nice needles. Don't hang records, it's tacky. Get a nice shelf and keep them organized. Ikea has a nice shelf that fits records. Expedit unit. Keep in mind when you decide to move, moving a pile of records is a pain. So you may want to keep milk cartons at your parents house for moving.

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/images/pro...E229441_S4.JPG

Invest in a nice cabinet for your booze. Learn to mix. Hang framed jersey's.

[Jakson]

Don't hang records, it's tacky.

It's only tacky if you're obvious about doing it for some kind of retro-cred. If the album has decent cover art and/or you are actually a fan of it, hang it up. Otherwise, read up on your fucking Lou Reed, because you're probably gonna have at least one music nerd friend come over and quiz you on your knowledge of that Velvet Underground album.

Also, side note: If you haven't yet, find out if the receiver you want actually needs a phono amp. While not terribly expensive, not all receivers need them.

[Sepukku]

I'm not crazy about the hanging records bit although I do appreciate the input nonetheless. I know some people probably gonna look at the record player bit as a hipster thing but I am a very anti-hipster non-tech person, I don't even have FB let alone twitter, instagram, or snapchat. If you want to get ahold of me, you got to call me on my 2009 phone. The reason I'm definitely getting a record player as the central music option for the main living area is that I was a radio DJ at my university's station for 5 years, so it says something about me, its something enjoyable and different, it seems very satisfying on a deeper level to be involved in the music compared to scrolling and clicking play, and it arguably does sound better sometimes than CD versions of songs.

I've been thinking about making a broken hockey stick item, although I don't want to go with the typical high-quantity, done-1000x bit like a coffee table. I was thinking maybe a shoe rack - have yet to see one done with broken hockey sticks and would require a lower volume of broken sticks.

[BaneTheBrawler]

Fuckin hipster if you're just buying a record player now. Lol.

i dont think you understand what hipsters are.