nico Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 So I just got a bootleg 7", limited to 50 copies according to the sleeve. But I doubt they would press such low numbers. Also the disc itself feels a bit weird almost like it is a piece of plexi glass instead of vinyl. Could it be a lacquer instead of vinyl? Is there a way yo easily identify the difference between vinyl and lacquer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runforcover Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 What I assume you're thinking of is a lathe, not a lacquer. Lacquers are generally the first step in the process of pressing vinyl unless the DMM (direct metal processing) process is used. Stampers are then made from the lacquer, and from there the vinyl is pressed. Lathe records are pieces of polycarbonate plastic, which have grooves hand cut into them by hand on a lathe machine, much like a lacquer. Unlike a lacquer though, a lathe is meant for listening to, while a lacquer is just a step in the vinyl manufacturing process. What you have sounds like a lathe, but you would have to post a picture for someone to answer for sure. A regular 7" record and a lathe cut record generally look very different though. sergeantscruffy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aflycon Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 It is not likely a lacquer. Generally, there is only one lacquer (or acetate, or master) disc per pressing of a record. The master is used to make stampers (reverse impressions of the master) which are in turn used to press the vinyl, so a lacquer technically could be played on a turntable - and they were in the past. It might even be the best way to listen to a vinyl pressing since it would be the least adulterated medium. That being said, lacquers are made the same way that lathe-cut records are. So, given that someone had enough material to make a run of fifty records on a lathe, they very well could be cut on something other than vinyl. Maybe even plexiglass. It probably isn't an actual lacquer, though, since that material is much more expensive than vinyl. Post some pictures if you would, it sounds cool! Edit: Damn it rfc, you beat me to the punch! Edit 2: I should clarify that aluminum (what many lacquer discs are made of) is not necessarily more expensive in bulk than vinyl, but it'd certainly be more expensive to produce lacquer discs than records - because they must be electroplated with the lacquer, which is an expensive process. The only feasible way for someone to do a run of 50 lacquer records would be if they were an employee of a mastering company and were able to do it under-the-table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out of Breath Records Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 BOOTLEG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nico Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 Ah yes, lathe is what I read about but it makes sense searching for lacquer didn't bring up any good results answering my question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flood Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 just for sake of clarification.. its a lathe cut record, ... a lathe is the name of the cutting tool (basically a turntable with a cutting head instead of a needle). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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