Your opinion on test pressings?

[richiebullets]

inspired by the picture disc thread...

i've never really been a fan...most are black vinyl with blank labels and no artwork...i could never justify buying one in my head...opinions?

[geezfools]

I though you were talking screen prints. But TP's, I have some with cool jackets and I have some borings versions. But hey, if you're into collecting, they're kinda fun to chase. Or, like a few of mine, kind of a cool piece for being part of a project.

[justindinealone]

I though you were talking screen prints. But TP's, I have some with cool jackets and I have some borings versions. But hey, if you're into collecting, they're kinda fun to chase. Or, like a few of mine, kind of a cool piece for being part of a project.

my thoughts exactly.

[circlingvultures]

any time a record is advertised or announced and there is a test pressing of more then 20 copies, I stop thinking of it as a test press and more as a regular edition. These things used to be impossible to get. maybe 3-5 test presses would get made for a record and if you ever found one you never let it go. Now people print them up like crazy. I will buy certain bands tests if I have the chance and if they are limited. Otherwise I don't care too much. They should be pressed for their purpose then distributed to label and band folk. Not pressed to sell.

[weck]

they are cool if you are really into the band and need to have everything by that band...otherwise its really just another record....

[j4m35]

any time a record is advertised or announced and there is a test pressing of more then 20 copies, I stop thinking of it as a test press and more as a regular edition. These things used to be impossible to get. maybe 3-5 test presses would get made for a record and if you ever found one you never let it go. Now people print them up like crazy. I will buy certain bands tests if I have the chance and if they are limited. Otherwise I don't care too much. They should be pressed for their purpose then distributed to label and band folk. Not pressed to sell.

i agree with this. i think a test pressings is the most personal manifestation of the music, as opposed to thousands of records on a billion colors being pressed for the public.

if i were in a band, and we had the fortunate opportunity to press a record, i would only request enough TPs for the band and maybe a couple other close friends.

[selfreliable]

Never cared about them. Never wanted to chase after one. The only way I would ever care is if what was on the test press was different than what came out, like the Velvet Underground one that did that and one of the Zeppelin ones.

[scarnage]

Never cared about them. Never wanted to chase after one. The only way I would ever care is if what was on the test press was different than what came out

[jhulud]

they are cool if you are really into the band and need to have everything by that band...

I have a few. Some with custom-made jackets done by the label or band. Some others with no jackets whatsoever or blank sleeves. Those without jackets, I have been making my own jackets for. It's fun and keeps me busy.

[travis]

I have a few of them. The only ones I really care about are the ones I have for the first 4 ETID LPs since I have a pretty much complete ETID collection and the Blink and Blink-related ones I got recently since they are one of my all time favorite bands and I had a part in making those pressings happen.

[tankerdesk]

Never cared about them. Never wanted to chase after one.

[daegor]

They should be pressed for their purpose then distributed to label and band folk. Not pressed to sell.

i agree with this. i think a test pressings is the most personal manifestation of the music, as opposed to thousands of records on a billion colors being pressed for the public.

if i were in a band, and we had the fortunate opportunity to press a record, i would only request enough TPs for the band and maybe a couple other close friends.

My thoughts exactly. I work very closely with a buddy's band, and when we get to the point of pressing something, we will only be getting enough pressed for the band and whoever the band members personally want to give copies to.

The only time that I would be interested in a test press from a band I am not involved/invested in would be when the pressing never makes it past the test pressing stage. Or as mentioned, if the test pressing was different than the regular pressing somehow.

[seafoamgreen]

I only have 3 tests and they're of three of my favorite records. More importantly, they're from a time when tests were actually tests, not the VC era of 20+ tests. That shit is just ridiculous and a total scam.

[bowserhound]

Sympathy used to do their test presses on colored vinyl if the release was black only. I have 2 and they are wicked cool.

[sharkie]

they're cool to have, but i'm not going to pay (a lot of money) for them.

i did win a less than jake test from punk news a couple of years ago

[seafoamgreen]

Sympathy used to do their test presses on colored vinyl if the release was black only. I have 2 and they are wicked cool.

For a time I was trying to collect the entire SFTRI catalog... then the White Stripes got huge. Is there a list of those test presses somewhere? I hope they made a neon green Atomic Garden test press! That etching would look sweet...

[circlingvultures]

I only have 3 tests and they're of three of my favorite records. More importantly, they're from a time when tests were actually tests, not the VC era of 20+ tests. That shit is just ridiculous and a total scam.

I don't think it's VC's doing so much as smaller labels trying to survive by gimmick pressings. I don't know the exact reason for it exactly but it started up before VC.

[seafoamgreen]

I only have 3 tests and they're of three of my favorite records. More importantly, they're from a time when tests were actually tests, not the VC era of 20+ tests. That shit is just ridiculous and a total scam.

I don't think it's VC's doing so much as smaller labels trying to survive by gimmick pressings. I don't know the exact reason for it exactly but it started up before VC.

Not meaning to call out VC exclusively. I'm referring to the "VC era" as the time period during which VC was at the height of its popularity and a lot of the gimmick TP stuff was going down. I'm fine with gimmick presses as long as there's some transparency and honesty about what those presses really are.

[jhulud]

I think in today's vinyl culture, there's a more intense "collector" mentality than say 10-15 years ago. This of course has led to more and more completist types to be into vinyl and therefore go hunt and must obtain all variants & pressings of a record including test pressings.

I can't and won't criticize b/c I am a completist asshole when it comes to certain bands and/or records.

[rockstar71888]

<3 $$$

seriously though, they are cool if you are a collector. i used to have a complete BTBAM collection, minus the Alaska test. was interesting to sift through peoples' tradelists hunting down what i needed

[betterdays]

I dig test presses. I have a couple that are pretty boring but just cool to have. The one record I have put out so far had an awesome Hatebreed rip off cover just for the tests.

[100resolutions]

Honestly, i don't care about test pressings. They are pricy and not that cool at my eyes.

[circlingvultures]

I think in today's vinyl culture, there's a more intense "collector" mentality than say 10-15 years ago. This of course has led to more and more completist types to be into vinyl and therefore go hunt and must obtain all variants & pressings of a record including test pressings.

I can't and won't criticize b/c I am a completist asshole when it comes to certain bands and/or records.

Even back 10-15 years ago people were like this. Granted there might have been less pressings of something initially but labels constantly repressed things it seemed like. Back 10 years ago I was a completeist about somethings but that wore off. I remember some crazy die hard nerds on Viva la vinyl back then. Certainly now that the technology is out for all kinds of cool shit to happen with vinyl more and more weird pressings are happening and its all in our face but the same thing will happen that always does. There is a huge amount of people collecting and then the numbers start to dwindle and those folks sell their collections and move on. happens every time. Not sure when it will really start again but all these variants that people are paying big money for will plummet in price and be readily available. Which is always fun.

[mclz]

I enjoy test pressings, but there is only a few bands I would go out of my way to pay a good amount of money for one.

[dethrock]

I would never pay for a test press I don't think. I got one with an order once though and that was kind of cool, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get my hands on one.