Could there be an expensive record hiding amongst the records in your collection?
Before mass production of records the way we see now - with the record being moulded into place, acetate records were produced. These were early test pressings, cut by a disc cutting lathe, which carved a continuous groove into the record's surface, making them one of a kind.
What Are Acetates Made Of?
Despite their name, acetate records aren't actually made of acetate. They are made of an aluminium disc coated in a nitrocellulose lacquer, mixed with acetone added to make a varnish.
This gives the acetates a very distinctive smell, which still lingers almost a century later.
As a substitute for aluminium, when it was in short supply during the Second World War, acetates began to be made from glass, with the same coating as before.
What Size Are They?
Modern records are usually defined by size - 12", 10", 7" - and acetates were no different. They usually came in three sizes, 10", 12" and 14" and their size was dependent on the quantity of music pressed.
10" was common for singles, whereas 14" was more common for albums. 12" discs were usually used for what would become a master cut for a 10" record, commonly used as a small album for music in the jazz genre, as pictured below.
Acetate Production - Why Are They So Rare?
Acetates were produced in very small quantities, made to evaluate the quality of the tape to disc transfer of the master recording. Because of this, if you own an acetate, your copy may be the only copy ever made.
Modern test pressings aren't made in the same way, with a preference of pressing a small quantity of the records before rolling them out to the public in larger batches, as the materials used in record production have become more readily available.
How Similar Are They To Other Records?
- Acetates generally play at 33 1/3 rpm, or 78rpm, so they play similarly to other records produced at the time.
- Because of their composition, acetates are a lot more brittle than their LP counterparts. Their brittleness is often likened to how delicate 78rpm records are, as 78s are made from shellac, which has similar properties to an acetate disc.
- Acetates are a lot more unique than a mainstream pressing. As well as music on an acetate, you may also find recordings of wartime radio broadcasts on an acetate disc, as they were commonly used to record and document the happenings of wartime radio, so the broadcasts could be played back to the soldiers.
How Valuable Are They?
Acetates were produced for some of the biggest bands of their time, people like The Beatles, The Velvet Underground and Elvis Presley.
Because of the high profile nature of the artists, and the scarcity of the pressings, acetates can be highly sought after, going for thousands of pounds at auction. For any collector, an acetate is likely one of the most sought after and treasured collection items.
At time of writing, we don't currently have any acetates in stock, but keep an eye on our new arrivals page, where you may discover one!
