He's burned an album of the Ted Heath Orchestra nine times for a customer who keeps giving it away to people who hear it coming from the stereo in his car.
Purists have said for a quarter-century that vinyl produces a better overall experience for those who love to listen and groove - and because of that, any new technology would never be able to kill LPs forever.
Many of us were easily converted to the new technology in the 1980s. With Thriller in CD form, you could play it in your car; you could listen while walking down the street. Compact discs took up less space. So millions of Americans jettisoned the albums they had since high school.
And we dropped off our record players at Goodwill. We couldn't play an LP now even if we walked into Mr. Gebler's shop and something caught our eye, like that Joan Jett & the Blackhearts I Love Rock N' Roll album (also circa 1982) I found there Monday night, or the new vinyl releases - that's right, new - from Green Day and Elvis Costello.
For people in this miserable state, Mr. Gebler is now selling, for $130, a portable, battery-powered turntable with a built-in speaker, the Numark PT-01. "Show up at a party with that and spin some discs," Mr. Gebler says, "and you're totally cool."
Dan Rodricks' column appears Wednesdays and Sundays. He is host of the Midday talk show on WYPR-FM.
