You should get to an IKEA and grab some of their Expedit shelving units. I picked up two of them and put them together over the weekend and filed everything away. They hold a ton, are cheaper than most DIY shelves (at least cheaper than it cost to buy the materials I used the last time I built shelves) and look quite nice in a variety of finishes. Just thought I'd mention it because I am pretty damn happy to finally have all my records shelved and not lying haphazardly in boxes and various locations as they have been for about the last year until now.

I just picked up tp storage bins from the Container Store.
My LP collection is still relatively small and doesn't need something of that size as of yet...

how much are they gonna set ol toots back

yeah i've been using the 2x4 expedit for a couple years, works well. one thing though is that it isn't very easy to actually browse your collection, especially if like me you have a lot of used things where the edges might be torn scuffed a bit so that the names aren't perfectly clear.

search craigslist too, you can often get them half off

if they made these for cd's I'd buy a few

haven't been to an IKEA in over 5 years

The 5 cubes by 5 cubes size is $200, 4x4 only like $130. They've also got various smaller sizes.

Check 'em out:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categ ... ies/09064/

Only real problem is if you don't live near an IKEA, the shipping is actually much more expensive than the shelves themselves. I had to wait to get some until someone I knew with a vehicle big enough to cart them back down was going up to Chicago.

i'll vouch for the expedit shelves. i am right on the verge of filling a 4x4 shelf. i may need to rearrange my office/music room if i have to get even a 2x4 shelf for more. they're really sturdy and feel much better-built than some other ikea items.

also of note, the 4x4 is easy to move. it'll fit through standard doorways and in most stairwells/elevators. the 5x5 usually needs to be taken apart first, though.

I recently got two 4x2's that I really like- sturdy, look decent, etc. Wish I had room for one more, but there's just no way. Those big bastards kind of scare me. I've seen pics of loaded units that just racked over. Not saying there weren't other contributing factors other than loading, but I'd be damned unhappy if I came home and found a mess like that.

Yeah, they seem sturdy, but I did use brackets to anchor them to the walls and have been considering adding some additional bracing across the backs just in case. They seem fine and I'm not sure they need it, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I would add that I have seen online pics of units that collapsed and all the ones I saw were actually set up wrong. They were placed sideways. Even though size wise they are symmetrical, the orientation matters for the strength.

Currently my LPs and 7"s are on the same shelf as my stereo and it's all very convenient and space efficient. If I had the room though and the money, I'd love to get one of those and fill it up.

Do you shop for vinyl at Euclid in St. Louis, Nobody?

I got a bunch of their short (36" tall) $20 media shelves for my cd's. They also are big enough to hold dvd's so you can mix in concert dvds. Quality isn't the best, but they look impressive. I just wish they were taller so I could fit more discs per floor space.

Yeah, there and Vintage Vinyl. I think Euclid's the better of the two and has an absolutely amazing jazz selection. Vintage Vinyl has increased the amount of actual vinyl they sell lately though and is probably comparable as far as rock goes and is better with reggae and electronic stuff. Euclid's also pretty crappy when it comes to hip hop and that sort of thing. I also buy a lot at the every other month record conventions where I tend to stock up on stuff since as long as you're not grabbing collectible stuff you can get a bunch of stuff cheap there. People rent tables and while some tables have high priced stuff, lots of them are just boxes of records for a buck or two each and if you don't mind flipping through them for a while you can walk out of there with a fat stack of good stuff for not much cash.

I admit these days I do tend to do more record shopping online just because the selection is better for new releases, especially if you have more specific tastes, and I can find something used that I want anytime instead of making many trips out and maybe they have it maybe they don't. I occasionally do like to browse and get out record shopping then. But, if I'm gonna pay full value like at Euclid or Vintage, I can more easily get what I want online so those trips are less often all the time. I still go to one of them to pick up more commonplace new releases.

I asked because they opened a location here. I've been a couple of times and was fairly impressed with the store.

Yeah, I saw they were doing that. I was curious how the locations would compare. The one here is decent with rock and stuff like that but their real claim to fame is their jazz selection. Saw John Waters browsing around in there when he was in town. Also, they make a lot of their money selling high priced jazz collectibles to the Asian market. Top notch shop.

For my CD collection, I've registered for this at Target Club Wedd

Wait, did I miss that you tricked someone into believing you'd make a suitable life partner? Congrats !!!!

Future Mrs. Discostu is a cool chick.

yeah ill vouch for ikea in general and expedit in particular, perfect size and shape for vinyl

yeah, i have always liked to believe that they designed those specifically with records in mind. when i last moved, the movers commented that they see expedits all the time and it's extremely rare to not see records shelved on them. (then again, the movers' clientele is mostly people into music because the guys are in bands.)

Has anybody had expedit shelves for long? Do they warp over time?

Ideally I'd like something where I can flip forward, since many of my older, used records are pretty beat up and hard to read the side labels.

how long is long? i've had mine for six years and it's in perfect condition.

i think boltz (or a similar company) used to make a wall unit with shelves that could be pulled out for flipping, but i only ever saw it online and can't seem to find it now.

Six years is long enough to know if it'll bow. I have cd shelves newer than than that have started to warp from the weight.

i have one of the 5X5 ones with books, kids toys, etc. on it for going on 5 years. its so sturdy that i cant imagine it bowing with less than 60 pounds on each shelf. even then i doubt it would. one problem is how heavy the thing is though, i think if i ever moved id have to donate it to the new owner or hack it into pieces to move it out.