dlc3172

1 hour ago, Derek™ said:

Not to hijack OP’s thread, but.

I get that people chase first presses, so I’m not trying to rain on any parades with this post.  But for those that do, I’ve never really understood why they do… unless that OG copy happens to sound the best or has some unique packaging / art / content that doesn’t make it onto future presses.

Maybe it’s just me but being able to say “yeah I own a 1st press” has never been a massive flex in my books.  I guess it’s nice when it happens but for releases that are just standard black vinyl and basic packaging, printed again and again over the years, I feel no additional satisfaction knowing that I bought a record 10 years before someone else bought an exact copy at their local shop for $22 or whatever.

In fact, I’ve often sold OG presses for a really nice profit, and then turned around to buy an expanded edition, or repress with better sound quality, or a cool variant.  So long as the sound quality is the same or better, I’ve personally thought of that as a win… but to each his own.

I have at least 1 friend who is always on the hunt for OG presses, even if they sound inferior or are scuffed to hell and back from being handled for the last 20+ years.  My guess is that for those folks, there’s something appealing about having a “relic” that’s been around since day 1 of the album being on the scene.  And I suppose I kinda’ get that.  Chalking it up to different priorities for different collectors.

I believe vinyl collectors would want first presses for the same reason that book collectors would want first editions and for the same reason that baseball card collectors want rookie cards.  It's the "first" of something, so for most collectors, it's the version they want.

1 hour ago, phillybhatesme said:

Welcome to the site @op. Some good info in here despite it looking like it's a bit aggressive. At least you now know that you can use discogs's search function to lookup runout matrices. 

Yes, I didn't even realize you could search like that.  As I said, I am brand new.  I didn't even know what "matrix" was until yesterday (laugh all you want - you have to start somewhere). Unfortunately, I am getting answers to my original question that I find hard to decipher based on my limited knowledge of the lingo and the actual process of manufacturing a record.  However, my original question still hasn't been addressed by anyone.  Is the record I have considered a "first pressing"?  Is there even an agreed-upon definition for "first pressing"?  Someone else told me I do indeed have a "first pressing," but not a "first, first  pressing" because I have A-2 and A-5 instead of A-1 and A-1.  (By the way, I don't even know what these numbers mean in regards to the manufacturing process. I assume they are different "runs" of the first pressing of the record. I also don't understand why the same record would have different numbers on each side (i.e., 2 and 5).  Again, just trying to figure it all out. That's why I came to this forum.

Hello,

I'm brand new to vinyl and trying to figure it all out. I figure there are a lot of experts here who can provide advice on a specific question I have about what consititues a "first pressing."

So, here's the situration:  I just bought a record on Ebay advertised as a "first pressing."  It's Metallica's 1983 debut "Kill Em All."  

Here's what I see on discogs.com (https://www.discogs.com/release/1259481-Metallica-Kill-Em-All😞

• Matrix / Runout (Label Side A): MRI 069 A
• Matrix / Runout (Label Side B): MRI 069 B
• Matrix / Runout (Variant 1, Runout Groove Side A): MRI-069-A STERLING A-1 ↔
• Matrix / Runout (Variant 1, Runout Groove Side B): MRI-069-B STERLING A-1 ↔
• Matrix / Runout (Variant 2, Runout Groove Side A): MRI-069-B STERLING A- ↔
• Matrix / Runout (Variant 2, Runout Groove Side B): MRI-069-B STERLING A- ↔
• Matrix / Runout (Variant 3, Runout Groove Side A): MRI-069-A STERLING A-1 ↔
• Matrix / Runout (Variant 3, Runout Groove Side B): MRI-069-B STERLING A- ↔
• Rights Society: ASCAP

On my record, the labels looks good. It has MRI 069 A and MRI 069 B

However, what I see on the dead wax has me a little worried. 

Side A has:

MRI-069-A STERLING A-2 ↔ and

Side B has:

MRI-069-A STERLING A-5 ↔

So, I'm not clear about whether this constitues a "first pressing" or not.  Is the A-2 and A-5 significant?  In this case, is a true first pressing really only A-1 and A1?

They guy who sold it to me on Ebay claims it's a true first pressing, although he admits he didn't even look at the dead wax.

I'm sure there has already been a lot of discussion on the subject of "first pressings" in this community, but any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!