The vinyl trend is back, stronger than ever and it here to stay. Those who are new to this music format have most likely purchased new or used record players, and once they get it home, they end up wondering “Now where am I going to put it?”.
If collecting records is nothing new to you, you might be dusting off old turntables but the stand that was used to showcase it might be too dated to fit in the current modern decor or broken.
Either way, whether you are new to vinyl or a veteran, you will need to have a decent record player stand to store your music devices and hopefully your records as well. At the same time, this piece of furniture should not look out of place in the decor of a room.
So if you’re in the market for a new vinyl storage item it boils down to two options: buy new or DIY (make one yourself with old materials or even revamping an old furniture piece). Below is a look at the pros and cons of both buying a new record player stand and making one yourself.
Find out about the best music podcast and worst bands of all time.
Pros of Buying a New Record Player Stand
Saves Time
One of the main advantages of purchasing a new turntable stand like one of these, is that you save a lot of time because a new piece always comes ready and does not need modifications (most of the time).
Very Reliable
When you purchase a new record stand the materials used a brand new and made by a business that deals with these products.
As such, most of these companies have perfected a lot of the features and manufacture them with sturdy materials thereby making them completely reliable. Most of the time record furniture products contain warranties which further supports this point.
Fully Functional
New stands are typically made or designed with the latest features and sizes of record players in mind.
Therefore, they can accommodate most type of players available today with adequate spacing and well-placed allowances for cables to pass through. Most of the time they include vinyl record storage options as well.
P.S you might be interested in these related articles
Cons of Buying a New Record Player Stand
Pricey
The main disadvantage of purchasing a new record player stand is that it won’t be cheap. While you can certainly acquire one that is well within your budget range, even the cheapest ones will still feel more expensive than DIY or second-hand stands. These pieces of music furniture cost typically between $80 – $500 depending on the storage size and functionality.
No Personalization
A new record player stand usually is constructed with no room for any personal modifications. You can make some small changes to match the decor of a place, but it’s difficult to do any significant modifications. You can’t add new paint or remove any legs as this may void any manufacturer warranty.
Pros of DIY Storage & Getting Your Hands Dirty
Can Be Personalized
When you are designing a new record player stand, you can personalize it to your style to make it fit the decor of a room and your storage needs. If you have an amplifier, speakers and tons of records to store you can quickly add more room.
Fun and hands-on
Making or designing your turntable stand is fun and educative. It feels very much like the process of listening to vinyl, which is a much more hands-on approach to music than listening to digital tracks.
Saves Money
When you make or design a record furniture by yourself, chances are you’ll be using materials you already own or old materials that were discarded by other people during the process. This makes the entire project affordable as you’ll only spend money on easily accessible materials such as paint and maybe a vintage piece of furniture.
Cons of DIY Storage & Getting Your Hands Dirty
Time Consuming
Making your record stand could end up taking days or even weeks depending on how you want it to look, the state of the original piece, and your level of expertise. You can enlist the help of a friends or relatives to help you with the project, but processes such as letting paint dry require time.
Not Completely Reliable
Let’s face it when you are making or designing a stand or any other project that you don’t have much experience on, you won’t be able to perfect the design on the same level as a company or manufacturer that focuses on such products.
There is a good chance that you may end up making a mistake somewhere or the original material that you used for the project may not be sturdy enough to be used for a lot of time. As such, you may be forced to re-do some aspects of the stand every few months or may even end up getting a whole new item altogether.
Conclusion
You can see that both DIY and new record player stands have their pros and cons. There is no clear winner between this battle of modern or DIY vinyl record furniture. It’s all about personal preference.
If you don’t have the time to build a piece and wouldn’t mind spending extra, then your best choice would be purchasing a new furniture item. There are lots of companies that make good quality stands that can be bought from online stores such as eBay or Amazon, and lots of information can be found on sites like Premier Records.
If you prefer to save money and also personalize your stand, then making a record player stand is the best option. There are lots of tutorials available online on how to build furniture, and you can purchase cheap pieces from companies like IKEA to use as a base.
Alternatively, you can also buy a used item at via local classifieds or a thrift store as a middle ground between buying a new one and making one yourself.
And if you’re looking for a new record player, I have the Pro-Ject Elemental.
