The Wax Museum's Gift Guide for Music Lovers
20 unique gift ideas for yourself or the vinyl collector in your life.
Hello and welcome back to The Wax Museum, the vinyl and vibes curation newsletter, where we dig up grooves from the past, present, and future.
As the holiday season approaches, finding the right gift for the music enthusiasts in your life can be a challenge. Gifting is an art form, akin to creating the perfect playlist. But don't worry, we've got you covered.
Enjoy this handpicked collection of the best music-related gifts out there. So whether you're shopping for a seasoned vinyl aficionado or a casual listener, you've come to the right place.
U-Turn Custom Turntable
U-Turn Audio, starting at $249
First things first, the vinyl collector in your life needs a turntable. Now you may be saying, no doy. But a recent study revealed that half of the 3,900 consumers surveyed who’d purchased a vinyl record last year didn’t own a record player.
The U-Turn is my go-to recommendation for those starting out. Go the custom route and pick your color, platter, cartridge, and whether you need a preamp or not. Speaking of..
Andover Audio Spinbase Speaker
Amazon, $299
The Spinbase connects to any turntable whether it has a preamp or not, because it has its own built-in preamp (as well as Bluetooth capability). Normally placing your turntable on top of a speaker is a huge no-no because of acoustic feedback. However the Spinbase’s proprietary IsoGroove Technology prevents all audio-disruptive noise, no matter how loud you crank the tunes. Combine this with the U-Turn and you have everything you need for quality vinyl sound for under $550.
Ortofon 2M Blue Cartridge
Amazon, $189
The Ortofon 2M Blue, compatible with most turntables, boasts a nude elliptical diamond stylus, enhancing both the dynamics and resolution of your music. As an upgrade from the entry-level 2M Red, the Blue model extracts finer details from the grooves, revealing a level of audio quality that’ll make you rediscover your vinyl collection in a whole new light.
Record Store Candle
DW Home, $16
This scent evokes the experience of exploring a quaint record store. No, not the smell of decaying cardboard and collector perspiration, but the inviting aromas of warm woods and sweet blossoms. The candle's design is enhanced by a unique vinyl record detail on the lid, and it offers a long-lasting burn time of 40 hours.
Mondo Exclusive Home Alone Soundtrack Vinyl
Mondo, $35
Perhaps the best Christmas soundtrack, the highly sought-after Mondo exclusive of the Home Alone vinyl is back in stock on festival red and green colored wax for a limited time! The beautiful inside gatefold shows the McCallister house all rigged up with traps for the Wet Bandits.
Song Map
Dorothy, £30
Take the Boulevard of Broken Dreams to Electric Avenue with this beautiful street map made up of over 500 song titles. It even comes with a companion Spotify playlist.
Nancy Sinatra Fan Club Fleece Pullover
Nancys Bootique, $45
If you wear this out and about, you will get compliments, that’s the Wax Museum guarantee.
Subway Token 45 Adaptor
Turntable Lab, $15.95
Turntable Lab, in partnership with Love & Victory in Brooklyn, has designed a nostalgic brass adaptor for 7-inch 45rpm records that will add purpose and style to your record player.
Light Up Now Spinning Vinyl Stand
Amazon, $29.99
This “Now Spinning” vinyl record stand lights up, because your taste in music is just too good to stay in the dark. It’s also perfect for finding your way to the turntable after one too many.
WRWTFWW Records’ Jazz Corduroy Hat
Bis Aufs Messer Records, $40
The Jazz-centric label We Release Whatever The Fuck We Want does occasional hat drops throughout the year with record stores; yesterday they joined forces with Germany’s Bis Aufs Messer Records for their JAZZ corduroy hat, available in black, navy blue, olive green, and caramel beige.
Spin-Clean Record Washer, Beatles Edition
$69.99, Amazon
The iconic Spin-Clean record washer brings life to dusty ass records and also cleans new ones that may sound too funky on first listen. For 2023, The Beatles dropped a red and blue collection of their greatest hits and Spin-Clean followed suit with their own collectible Beatles colorways.
Vinyl Record Shaped Bottle Opener
Amazon, $14.69
Poppin’ bottles with vinyl, what a time to be alive.
Turntable Lab Selects The Hits Of The 21st Century
Turntable Lab, $119.95
Turntable Lab and Stones Throw Records teamed up earlier this year for an exclusive 8 LP colored vinyl boxset, limited to /1500 and featuring four classic bangers:
Jaylib, Champion Sound (2003) on champion gold color 2LP
Madvillain, Madvillainy (2004) on meat grinder red color 2LP
J Dilla, Donuts (2006) on gobstopper blue color 2LP
NxWorries, Yes Lawd! (2016) on crystal clear color 2LP
Fluance HiFi Vinyl Weight Stabilizer
Amazon, $49.99
A vinyl clamp reduces unwanted vibrations, keeps your records flat, achieves a more consistent platter speed, and looks cool as hell. This Fluance stabilizer is available in silver and black.
Turntable Charcuterie Board
Uncommon Goods, $78
Designed to look like a record player, this turntable charcuterie board is actually a slate platter for your meats and cheeses. Lift the needle and you'll find a hidden cheese slicer.
Vylümi Vinyl Display
Vylümi, $69.99
Now here’s an interesting product: an interactive vinyl display system. The Vylümi transforms your records into a colorful, multimedia experience with precise light effects. The USB powered device comes with a remote control, thousands of colors, four music syncs, and 30+ preset modes.
Steely Dan Hey 19 Tie-Dye Shirt
Steely Dan Shop, $50
No quicker way to an audiophile’s heart than some Steely Dan merch. This “Hey Nineteen” shirsey will be a hit with everyone except the ghost of Aretha Franklin (who hated being name-dropped in the song and wanted to sue the duo).
MoFi Inner and Outer Sleeves
Amazon, $27.99 for inner, $25.92 for outer
Inner and outer sleeves are essential to every collectors collection for vinyl protection. Most agree MoFi is the best.
Vintage Vinyl Pocket Journal
Vintage Vinyl Design, $19
This pocket journal, sporting an authentic vinyl record on the cover, is perfect for jotting down your deepest thoughts, like “are birds the original composers” and “what's the name of that one song with the thing?”
Vinyl Me, Please Membership
VMP, $36/month
Perhaps the best monthly vinyl subscription going is still Vinyl Me, Please, who’ve been delivering quality, one-of-a-kind vinyl for over a decade now. Each month, choose between five or so vinyl (separated by genre), pick one or swap for store credit, and you can cancel anytime.
Receive $80 off a one year membership using The Wax Museum link. And if you buy a membership before the end of the year, you’ll get to pick eight additional records for free that will all arrive the following month.
Hey thanks for reading. Before you go, I’d like to let you know about one more gift idea, and that’s my upcoming book!
Tunes & Turntables: The 100 Best Records of 2023 will hopefully be out next week (sorry for the delays!). It’ll include all the stuff we do around here: album lists, music discovery, vinyl spotlight, and all sorts of random rabbit holes.
Paid subs will receive this as a membership perk. If you like vinyl and new music, you won't want to miss it!
Thanks for the ideas!