I have a few Jamaican Stateside tracks, which have little dips in the vinyl or rough edges or that look NM but play nowhere near it. Is it me that’s unlucky with the records I’m buying or are Jamaican pressings not as good US & European pressings. If so are there any specific reasons why & are there any other countries to avoid?

 

No it's not just you.

Take a look at this, that vinyl doesn't look too clean, often recycled.

A nice clip of The Gladiators "Hearsay" then shows some records getting pressed.

 

 

42 minutes ago, Alan T said:

then shows some records getting pressed.

Quality control doesn’t look to be high on the agenda

Many things do come into the game here. The American anti-Soviet embargo when Jamaica looked East back in the seventies forced alternatives like gathering all previously unsold record stocks to melt them down and print "new" releases or re-releases. Poor recycled vinyl full of paper bits can't be prone for a silent groove. That's one reason.

The fact that by the seventies they recorded, mastered and pressed more than ever before their records with old, worn and dated gear on tinyer and tighter budget got them to be like used to it. Like a trade mark almost. Then herb, rastafarism and other disturbing perception factors might have got the best of their discerning abilities (LOL).

Finally play them records with the right gear to get the best out of their groove since not all groove are alike and not all genres of music benefits from the same amplification stage. Jamaican ska, rock-steady or reggae even more will benefit from heavy bass. Then those "rough" MONO Jamaican groove shall benefit from a large conical stylus.

29 minutes ago, Tlscapital said:

in the seventies forced alternatives like gathering all previously unsold record stocks to melt them down and print "new" releases or re-releases. Poor recycled vinyl full of paper bits can't be prone for a silent groove.

That makes sense because the 60’s Ska I have seems to play closer to grade 

Did a bit of digging in central America, most of the 70's vinyl seemed okay but the few 60's records I found were of dubious quality. High Humidity can't help the survival of vacation vinyl or styrene. 

Whilst generally ja presses are not the best quality I've had some stunning ones overs the years..some studio ones that were really crisp and clean..maybe first off the stampers & decent vinyl..some thin as rizla others almost like 2/3 times thicker than normal..some labels are worse than others..nineys observer & phil pratts sunspot always seemed to hiss ..not sure how many diff pressing plants there were back then