And are they any good?
Did you know that not all vinyl is made from vinyl?
Some records (particularly 7" singles from the US) are actually made from styrene - that's the same stuff as polystyrene. The same material as some disposal plates and cups, though treated a little differently.
From around 1951 - 1991, many US labels including Columbia issued their 45s on styrene. They were pressed using injection moulding process, with the labels glued on afterwards. Not all US singles are made from styrene, but a lot from this period are.
This process enabled the record stampers to last longer.
Some say that styrene is inferior to vinyl, and it definitely seems like after lots of plays it does degrade more easily.
However, an Excellent to brand new styrene record will play and look fantastic, and be just as good a a standard vinyl record.
However, an Excellent to brand new styrene record will play and look fantastic, and be just as good a a standard vinyl record.
How can I recognise a styrene record?
The easiest way we've found is by giving it a light tap on a hard surface. You'll find that styrene has a brighter ring to it, while vinyl gives more of a dull thud!
You can also tell by looking - styrene has a more 'uniform' and shiny look - the grooves are a little less apparent. They also have a squared off edge, while vinyl is typically tapered.
In our experience in the office, we found that a good quality styrene record often has a very crisp and bright sound to it. This would make sense, considering the material is 'harder' than vinyl.
1 comment
Thank you!
Just the information I need
I am an ex. pat. from Wakefield, Yorkshire, England, living in upstate New York.
Retired music lover selling vinyl on line to earn a little additional cash to supplement our social security payments. There is much to learn and as a retired engineer I find the production history extremely interesting. I will give you guys a mention when I come across styrene discs.
Regards
John Bugg aka JB