Just arrived in the morning post. Poor old postman nearly had a hernia carrying it. It weighs a ton!

First flick thru shows a lot of new features. an LP section and pages of label scans. Original presses, bootleg  presses and a variety of collectors showing off their stuff.

Worth waiting for!

 

Edited November 1, 20169 yr by bobkayli

It's good to have a more up to date price guide as the last one was way out in some cases but I don't think the boot guide is as good as previous edition.

no doubt all the other dealers will be adjusting their prices now to the new guide prices

Is it worth the £££s then?

I suppose its worth depends where you approach it from.

Yes as a book it is expensive although it was a late birthday present for me so i didn't have to fork out for it myself.

as a guide to Northern Soul vinyl, it is as comprehensive as I've seen.

Certainly will help me to know better what I'm buying so will pay for itself quickly. 

I can imagine those who know the scene better than me will criticise it.

As for the prices, it is a guide so the prices are to be taken with a pinch of salt. Some look ludicrously low, there are a lot that seem very top heavy. In the end people will pay what they think something is worth to them. I find the main problem with the rarer stuff is just finding the record in the first place, as I'm not likely to see it again, the price tends to be what it is (within reason and a bit of good natured haggling)

I see lots of dealers price above Manship anyway.

It's a lovely book and worth having for reference and guidance. If you're looking at anything expensive there's always Popsike and of course SS to get a realistic check price. Helpful as a quick check to see what the original label is and other related label information. Not sure Manship prices are too low though, from my experience they are usually pretty high.

If you can afford it, I would say get it, it'll keep you busy for the next few years.

Not a lot of the prices have moved at all 

i agree that a lot of the prices are top heavy. A lot of the lower end records tend to be available much cheaper.

However the really rare stuff (i'd say £250 and upwards) comes up so occasionally, the price guide is not relevant. If you want the record, you have to pay for it. many times the seller talks even higher than Manship although also some talk less. That was the point i was trying clumsily to make.

As you say discogs and popsike can be useful but often the record has never been sold or not recently. I also have my doubts about some of popssike entries.

Just arrived and looks great, is a birthday present from my mum & dad which I had asked for, so definately worth the price. It will get hours of use so compared to some of the surprise presents I have had in the past that were of no use to me, then yes great value!

There are lovely scans, although I would prefer the scan of the boot next to the scan of the original not seperate sections. Also would be better if any other ways to identify the original from the boot was also in the same place. 

re; the prices (JM knows a lot more than i do) and they are a 'guide' based on a true M- with faultless labels etc... so really a 'top starting price' to be negotiated down for most records..  Having said that most records on his auction seem to go for more than the listed price...

Blimey, it's a whopper and a beauty. A remarkable achievement, well done Mr Manship.

is that £75 including postage? if not considering its so big how much is postage?

 

41 minutes ago, ric-tic said:

is that £75 including postage? if not considering its so big how much is postage?

 

£8

Personally I think this book is a total con,  £75 quid plus the post...  you all know whats coming, add a third plus change to what you see else where and you have it... why does every body buy a book that dictates prices from one source? I buy of John every now and again, but for stuff he doesn't charge silly money for, I certainly would not pay his silly prices ever... Prefer to spend 75 quid on a really great 45...

each to their own, but once you have it on your table at home, think to yourself, are the prices in this book actually reflective of the market as a whole... the answer would be no... so other than being a nice thing you can flick through, the books seem to me, pretty useless right?

I'm sure others will disagree, but that my view...

Malcolm

 

 

 

 

Totally agree there Mal, by the time it's compiled and send to the printers etc it's already out of date anyway plus plenty of places to get prices nowadays, the updated boot section appeals to my but at £75 would rather spend it on a tune (although if I got it as a present wouldn't complain) 

I did buy one i admit but not for,

Mantraps autograph. (blimey whats that about) or the prices coz to me they are pretty irrelevant unless dealing with some yank who thinks its a bible to quote from.

As a tabletop reference guide itll do a job for quite a while though.

Tricky 

 

It's a nice looking book with the hardback cover, the label artwork on the inside covers etc. I like the added LP guide and the DJ write ups at the back but having compared a few prices to my 5th edition there's a fair few that haven't budged. Now I know it's only a guide but baring in mind some records have been auctioned by JM and a few set sales on discogs and SS so you would think the price would reflect that but obviously not.

I have been after a copy of The Fi-Dels for a while and JM has a copy on the site with label water damage for £350 yet the book price is still £200 (no change) which is a bit fustrating. 

If this was the first price guide I had bought I think I'd be impressed (other than the cost) but my 5th edition has served me well and probably didn't really need updating. In my case I bought the new one as record prices seem to be at an all time high and as a younger soul collector who has only been collecting for a few years I was looking forward to a guide which was a true reflection of the prices of today's market. I know it's difficult to do, the first edition must have taken an age to put together. And the points about it being out of date as soon as it's printed and it being tough to put a book price on one off auctions I get. I just feel there's a fair few that have been completely overlooked.

Im glad I have a copy but overall it was a bit steep for what I needed/wanted and I think most of us use the likes of Discogs, Popsike, SS & FB to do our own research on record prices and it's only worth what you are willing to pay for it at the end of the day!

Just my opinion! 

 

75 quid !!!!!!!!!!! That's just ridiculous 

Does JM add J.T. Parker on Academy? I would really like to know his given value. Maybe someone of you can have a Look for me.

thx in adv 

On ‎07‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 13:14, mtay9778 said:

It's a nice looking book with the hardback cover, the label artwork on the inside covers etc. I like the added LP guide and the DJ write ups at the back but having compared a few prices to my 5th edition there's a fair few that haven't budged. Now I know it's only a guide but baring in mind some records have been auctioned by JM and a few set sales on discogs and SS so you would think the price would reflect that but obviously not.

I have been after a copy of The Fi-Dels for a while and JM has a copy on the site with label water damage for £350 yet the book price is still £200 (no change) which is a bit fustrating. 

If this was the first price guide I had bought I think I'd be impressed (other than the cost) but my 5th edition has served me well and probably didn't really need updating. In my case I bought the new one as record prices seem to be at an all time high and as a younger soul collector who has only been collecting for a few years I was looking forward to a guide which was a true reflection of the prices of today's market. I know it's difficult to do, the first edition must have taken an age to put together. And the points about it being out of date as soon as it's printed and it being tough to put a book price on one off auctions I get. I just feel there's a fair few that have been completely overlooked.

Im glad I have a copy but overall it was a bit steep for what I needed/wanted and I think most of us use the likes of Discogs, Popsike, SS & FB to do our own research on record prices and it's only worth what you are willing to pay for it at the end of the day!

Just my opinion! 

 

you will find over the complete set off guides a lot of records  havnt changed prices...which is a good thing imo as a lot of these

are what you should be looking for, as most copy/ies havnt surfaced for a while the ones listed £50-£75

also always worth a look on jms site if your after more obscure stuff recently brought a mint copy 45 banger of him which was the cheapest

and best conditioned I could find ....