8ight

1200 will be a great place to start, everything else can be upgraded from there over time... enjoy the bug!

I've been looking for one and now that I know the price range, I'm saving up . They are very well regarded

I completely agree... get a 1200 you will not be dissapointed! Also if you really get the upgrade bug you can upgrade the tonearm later and get into really good sound (comparable to 2k tables). Un-upgraded the 1200 sounds superb though so dont believe any audiophile that tells you otherwise, one in good condition will wipe the floor with a debut or entry level rega.

This. I'll stick to my $15 copy of Leviathan. 

"I'd rather buy it for $70 now than double or triple that on ebay in 6 months"

If you wanna go used / "vintage" (depending on what year you find), the Technics SL1200MK2 is a great table. Production stopped around 2010, but they're still really easy to find and usually sell for well within your budget. If I remember correctly, I bought mine for $300, but you might be able to do far better. If you're patient, you might be able to score one locally for much cheaper. 
 
These things were built like tanks, and they hold up very well.

If you wanna go used / "vintage" (depending on what year you find), the Technics SL1200MK2 is a great table. Production stopped around 2010, but they're still really easy to find and usually sell for well within your budget. If I remember correctly, I bought mine for $300, but you might be able to do far better. If you're patient, you might be able to score one locally for much cheaper. 
 
These things were built like tanks, and they hold up very well.

Tom Waits is awesome.

Suma is such a killer band with a sick guitar and bass tone. One of my favorite doom bands. From what I can recall, they’ve only been to the United States once and that was in 2010. They toured with Unearthly Trance and that’s when I picked up my copy of Let the Churches Burn. Suma’s live set up is different than most bands because the drummer is front and center and the singer stands in the back. Besides my brother and myself, there were probably a total of maybe 15-20 people to see them play.
 
I’m glad you checked them out and definitely look for all of their albums, especially Ashes. It’s just as good. By the way, I read that they may be releasing a new album this year. I’m super excited for that.

+1
 
I never see these guys mentioned online. Maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places, but that album destroys and doesn't get enough attention. It was released back in 2010 on wax, yet it's still available today. Meaning less that 500 people listen to Suma (on vinyl). Which is kinda sad... but also good news for anyone here that wants it/doesn't have it. 
 
http://sumanoise.bandcamp.com/album/let-the-churches-burn-2lp

http://www.amazon.de/-Loused-Vinyl-LP-Mars-Volta/dp/B00JK4JZOY/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1397487793&sr=1-5
 
$34.55 shipped to US, black I would assume

I'm having beer too, if you need to know. I work 3rd shift, and my weekend just started!

Finally got my vintage technics components fully setup after a small restoration and some servicing, all tied together nicely with my Funk Firm Little Superdeck, next on my list is some new speakers, I currently have Dali Zensor 7's with a natural wood finish (Doing a decent job to be honest) but I want to get something vintage.
 
Technics ST-7300 Tuner
Technics RS-615US Tape Deck
Technics SU-7700 Amp
 

 

 

I wish I lived in Florida. 
 
Actually, no I don't. I just wish I could teleport there for this show. 

shut up

So why is this $45? Seriously, that's just blatantly overpriced IMO... Kinda like saying, "Hey, we know lots of people want this. Suckers!" It's not even a new album, just a repress. 
 
I don't want to pass. But I'll pass. I'd rather buy three $15 records. Hell, I wouldn't have even made that big a deal if it was $30, but $45 just feels like a slap in the face. 

So why is this $45? Seriously, that's just blatantly overpriced IMO... Kinda like saying, "Hey, we know lots of people want this. Suckers!" It's not even a new album, just a repress. 
 
I don't want to pass. But I'll pass. I'd rather buy three $15 records. Hell, I wouldn't have even made that big a deal if it was $30, but $45 just feels like a slap in the face. 

They were fucking KILLER. So good! The band opening for them, Mothership, were bad ass as well.
The merch was decent. They only had one tour shirt, which I got, And I got a few other shirts.
I got a rad print too, and I managed to get them to sign it!

Make sure you check out their earlier material. You'll love it.

If you're interested in putting some time into your gear and adding a personal touch rather than just opening a box and plugging everything in, buying vintage stuff can be rewarding. Just like well-crafted, old instruments hold up well and are often sought-after, the same actually applies to some old audio gear. 
 
Do a bit of research on old gems, and with some luck/patience you may find some ridiculous deals on old "trash." Recap/refoam if needed, polish up the wood, make a new mesh/screen... really, if you're interested in building speakers, simply refurbishing some old, quality ones is probably the best way to start. I have a pair of '70s Dynacos that sound fantastic, and I haven't even touched them yet. And you'll likely end up paying far less than $500-700, which means more money for vinyl. 

It's funny how VC makes fun of threads like these.. Yet a post about collecting different colors of the same record is 400+ pages deep.

http://boards.vinylcollective.com/topic/91320-paypal-seller-fees-and-not-gifting-payments/
 
You're welcome...

I don't understand the hate, especially coming from a community that values buying multiple copies of the same album (variant collectors). Not saying anything against that, but I just think it's a bit hypocritical to be bashing this guy/thread because he likes collecting/preserving the original packaging. After all, isn't the physical aspect of vinyl one of the reasons we all enjoy vinyl? 
 
 
But again, back on topic, I saw a video a while ago of a guy going through some albums he bought, all were old LPs that still had the shrink wrap on them (opened on the sides). They were all still in perfect condition. Granted, none were gatefolds. 

I don't understand the hate, especially coming from a community that values buying multiple copies of the same album (variant collectors). Not saying anything against that, but I just think it's a bit hypocritical to be bashing this guy/thread because he likes collecting/preserving the original packaging. After all, isn't the physical aspect of vinyl one of the reasons we all enjoy vinyl? 
 
 
But again, back on topic, I saw a video a while ago of a guy going through some albums he bought, all were old LPs that still had the shrink wrap on them (opened on the sides). They were all still in perfect condition. Granted, none were gatefolds. 

Maybe I'm too new, but... this is trolling/dumb? He's asking whether you remove the plastic wrap or just open it to get records out and then leave it on. Right?
 
If it's just shrink wrap, I get rid of it. I don't really care about stickers that just label the vinyl color or whatnot. But some albums come with a larger sleeve, which is what I store my records in anyway. Dopethrone comes like this, and the actual lettering is on the outer sleeve rather than the gatefold. So in that case, I like keeping the original packaging. But it already tore. So... w/e, I'll eventually get rid of it and replace it with one of my generic sleeves. Doesn't make much difference to me!