Vinyl:  VG++ Play Graded.  Sounds Great!  Has some marks that don't affect the sound quality.  Takoma-Briar Custom Photo Labels are Clean and Bright.  This is the Original 1975 Takoma-Briar BT 7202 1ST PRESSING!  This band is highly regarded as one of the best Bluegrass Bands that ever lived!!!  No less a fan than Jerry Garcia is heard introducing them on side 1!  Clarence White, guitarist, went on to become one of the most highly regarded country rock innovators ever, and was on a few seminal middle period Byrds albums, including (Untitled) and Byrdmaniax...Crucial Bluegrass.  Killer tunes played with verve and elan!  allmusic gives it 4 stars!!!
In the Dead Wax:  Matrices, etched, on both sides.  Also, side 1:  BEST DAMN BLUEGRASS BAND IN THE WORLD
Side 2:  COLONELS LIVE FOREVER   Complete Dead Wax information cheerfully provided upon request.
See Review Below!
Cover: VG++ (see photos)   Original textured cover. Front and back of cover artwork and text are rich, clear and bright, with minimal shelf wear and price sticker residue. Seams and spine are solid and clean, with some wear.  No splits. There's a small arrow written next to one of the song titles on the back cover.
Goldmine Standards.   I play grade every record that I sell on eBay as I have found you can't rate an LP accurately by just visually inspecting an album.  I wipe the dust off of every cover with clean, unscented baby wipes.  I professionally clean the vinyl.  (I also operate a Vinyl Record Cleaning business for your dusty/dirty records--if interested, send me a message).
U.S. Shipping:  $4.99 Media Mail.  Tracking included.   50 cents additional shipping per additional item, when the shipment is combined.   If you wish to take advantage of my COMBINED SHIPPING deal, simply select your items by clicking on "ADD TO CART" on the main listing page.  Do this for all of your selections and then go to your cart to checkout. Your combined shipping discount will be computed automatically.  Free domestic shipping if you spend $100 or more! 
All records are packaged securely with the vinyl outside the jacket (to avoid seam split in transit). The vinyl and jacket are sandwiched between two cardboard stiffeners and shipped in a custom cardboard record mailer box. 
INTERNATIONAL BUYERS!  EBAY'S PLATFORM DOESN'T ACCOMMODATE FOR COMBINED SHIPPING FOR INTERNATIONAL BUYERS---BUT DON'T LET THAT STOP YOU!!!---I CAN COMBINE SHIP FOR YOU AND MINIMIZE SHIPPING COSTS!!!  TELL ME WHICH ITEMS YOU WANT TO BUY, AND I WILL WEIGH THEM AND THE SHIPPING BOX TOGETHER AND THEN I WILL CREATE A "LOT OF 2..." OR "LOT OF 3...", OR "LOT OF 4...", ETC WITH THE ITEMS YOU WANT, AND CREATE A LISTING WITH THE EXACT WEIGHT OF YOUR LOT.   THIS WILL SAVE YOU A LOT OF MONEY!!!  IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS, SEND ME A MESSAGE TELLING ME WHICH ITEMS YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AND WE'LL GO FROM THERE.  OR, FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS.
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Why buy a first or early pressing and not a re-issue or a ‘re-mastered’ vinyl album? 
First and early pressings are pressed from the first generation lacquers and stampers. They usually sound vastly superior to later issues/re-issues (which, in recent times, are often pressed from whatever 'best' tapes or digital sources are currently available) - many so-called 'audiophile' new 180g pressings are cut from hi-res digital sources…essentially an expensive CD pressed on vinyl.  Why  experience the worse elements of both formats?  These are just High Maintenance CDs, with mid-ranges so cloaked with a veil as to sound smeared.  They are nearly always compressed with murky transients and a general lifelessness in the overall sound.  There are exceptions where re-masters/re-presses outshine the original issues, but they are exceptions and not the norm. 

First or early pressings nearly always have more immediacy, presence and dynamics. The sound staging is wider.  Subtle instrument nuances are better placed with more spacious textures. Balances are firmer in the bottom end with a far-tighter bass. Upper-mid ranges shine without harshness, and the overall depth is more immersive.  Inner details are  clearer.  

 On first and early pressings, the music tends to sound more ‘alive’ and vibrant.  The physics of sound energy is hard to clarify and write about from a listening perspective, but the best we can describe it is to say that you can 'hear' what the mixing and mastering engineers wanted you to hear when they first recorded the music.

Livin' In The Past: Legendary Live Recordings Review

by Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.

only played together for a short period of time, but the legacy of , and even more so of guitarist , has kept the band's name alive. But the White brothers are only two of the many reasons to appreciate this band. For starters, there is the instrumental dexterity of fiddler , banjoist , and bassist . One should also mention that the group is a vocal powerhouse. There are 25 tracks on , taken from a number of performances during the early- to mid-'60s, and clocking in at over 73 minutes. The material ranges from the four-part gospel singing of "Get on Your Knees and Pray" to wonderful instrumentals like "Julius Finkbine's Rag." On this latter piece, transforms "Beaumont Rag" into a guitar standard, filled with phenomenal flatpicking. On "I Am a Pilgrim," his guitar playing -- as the saying goes -- will knock your hat in the creek. shows that he's no slouch with some speedy mandolin picking on "Barefoot Nellie," while 's fiddle shines on "If You're Ever Gonna Love Me." The Whites turn in a great brother duet on "Dark Hollow," and add for a nice trio on "Ocean of Diamonds." This album provides a nice snapshot of the Kentucky Colonels at the height of their powers, and provides a fuller picture of the band's talents than because of the inclusion of vocals. For bluegrass fans who enjoy traditional singing and progressive playing, should prove more than satisfactory.