LED ZEPPELIN II TWO 2 RARE "RL SS" PRESS ROBERT 'BOB' LUDWIG WITHDRAWN "HOT MIX"

$

100

"Led Zeppelin II"

Rare Original WITHDRAWN Robert Ludwig "Hot Mix"*!

We all know the story - Bob Ludwig's original cut of the mighty Zep's sophomore release was so powerful (and befitting of the music it contained) that it caused turntables fitted with cheap ceramic cartridges to jump, disgruntled buyers to return their copies in droves, and Atlantic to pull the plug early in production, only to have a less-capable mastering engineer churn out a bland substitute that would track properly on lousy equipment but pale in comparison to Ludwig's original on any system!

ONLY THE EARLIEST 1969 US PRESSINGS FEATURE THIS ALTERNATIVE "HOT" MASTERING

Such pressings are identifiable by the following characteristics:

• "RL SS" (which stands for Robert Ludwig, obviously, and Sterling Sound, the studio at which the cut was made, respectively) appears in the run-outs on both sides**
• The run-outs on each side are far narrower than those on any later re-cut pressing. The run-out measures 9/16" wide on Side One and 1/4" wide on Side Two on "RL" pressings, which stands in contrast to the run-outs on "non-RL" pressings, which measure 11/16" and 3/4" wide, respectively.
• The catalog number is SD-8236 - this is not specific to these pressings, but no "RL" pressings were ever issued with any other number.
• The address of Atlantic Records as given on the label is '1841 Broadway, New York, N.Y.' - again, this trait isn't specific to these pressings, but a copy with Atlantic's 75 Rockefeller address is always a later, re-cut pressing.

CONDITION OF THE ALBUM:

We visually grade the disc as Good Plus (G+), BUT play-grade it as Very Good (VG).

Unfortunately, there are quite a few scratches on each side, although they are almost all very fine (no deep gouges whatsoever).

However, our play-test revealed this copy to sound much better than it looked! All nine tracks still sound both very powerful and incredibly detailed, with striking dynamics and vivid channel separation on display! Although crackle does run throughout the album, it is relegated almost entirely to the background, being that the album is mastered so loud! We can even say that the album's quieter moments were not too heavily affected by this background noise. And no, there were no skips or hangs. For information on our test-play process and policy, please scroll down to our blurb towards the bottom of the page.

Quite honestly, a great play-copy!

We grade the jacket as Good (G).

We have observed the following defects:

*A 9" split on the bottom seam.

*A 2.5" split inside the gatefold.

*Small initials on the front.

*Some discoloration/staining.

*Some ringwear.

Before you turn away, let us remind you that "RL pressings" did not come with their own distinct jackets, and that this jacket could be easily replaced with any other Led Zeppelin II matte-finish, gatefold jacket with the SD 8236 catalog number.

We encourage you to study all of our photos thoroughly for the best idea of the jacket’s condition.

The jacket will be placed in a new plastic outer sleeve.

The original Atlantic liner is included.

*(We will be the first the point out that "Hot Mix" is a misnomer. Rather it is the mastering - the process by which the mix is transferred to disc - which is "hot". However, good mastering is equally essential to high-quality audio playback as a good mix, and thus we are no way implying that this pressing is somehow less spectacular because it features alternative mastering rather than an alternative mix!)

**(It is worth noting that we have observed authentic, original pressings of the "Ludwig Hot Mix" which have the inscription "RL SS" in the Side 2 run-out only, while a lone "RL" (with no "SS") appears in the Side 1 run-out. While we do not know the reason for this variation, we guarantee that each is equally valid, being that both featured the same narrow run-outs that are exclusive to "RL" pressings [a consequence of wider, louder, bassier grooves]. This characteristic is, as far as we and the rest of the record-buying community are concerned, of consequence to completists only, and no indication of any difference in sound quality or degree of authenticity.)

. . .

Our grading system pretty much follows the Goldmine Magazine format, and is as follows:

Mint (M), Near Mint (NM), Excellent (EX), Very Good Plus (VG+), Very Good (VG), Good (G+), Good (G), Fair (F), and Poor (P).

Although thorough grade explanations are best left for specific item descriptions, we will endeavor to say that: M is pretty much left for the discs of sealed records (and SOMETIMES the jackets of sealed records); NM and EX are in the “Wow, what a beauty!/archive piece” range; VG+ and VG are in the “That’s pretty nice” range; G+ and G are in the “eh, it’s okay” range, and F and P are in the “trashed” range.

For test-plays, we use a Technics SL-QD3 turntable, with an Audio Technica AT-132EP cartridge and accompanying .4 x .7 mil elliptical diamond stylus tracking at 1.25g. While we strive to set our equipment to best reflect the performance of the average buyer's turntable, please understand that no two turntables track exactly alike. Thus, when we put up a disc for sale and provide a description of its playback performance, we are describing what we have observed on our equipment, we can't possibly predict how that disc will perform on all possible set-ups. Thus, if we were to say that an album skipped once during a test-play, there is a chance that it may skip, say, twice on a turntable observing considerably different technical specifications. At that rate, it may not even skip at all on a considerably different set-up. What we are essentially trying to say is that the purpose of our tests is to show buyers how a given disc performs on our equipment - which we feel performs nearly identically to the equipment owned by the average record collector - so as to help them get an idea of how it will perform on theirs, and that we make no guarantee of the same exact quality of playback on any set of equipment other than our own.

All records are shipped in genuine cardboard record mailers. The disc will be placed in a new liner and packaged outside the jacket (but within the plastic outer sleeve) so as to prevent splits. Original liners (if included) will be kept inside the jackets, as will any inserts. The album will be surrounded by three sheets of 12” by 12” bubble wrap (two sheets over the disc). Shipping info is always typed up and printed out – we don’t take chances with shoddy, hand-written addresses! The box will be sealed with and the address sheet will be affixed by lots of Scotch Heavy Duty Shipping Tape.

All payments must be made by PayPal. You may pay by debit, credit, or e-check, but must use the PayPal website to do so.

Payment must be made within 48 hours of purchase/auction’s end.

Our shipping schedule is as follows:

• Orders made on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and/or Friday will be shipped on Saturday.
• Orders made on Saturday and/or Sunday will be shipped on Monday.

We will occasionally make Friday shipments. However, this is the exception, not the norm.

Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying. These charges are normally collected by the delivering freight (shipping) company or when you pick the item up. Do not confuse them for additional shipping charges.

If you have any further questions, feel free to ask!