A red brick Georgian frontage on College Road gives little away, but the long illuminated sign above the window settles the question quickly: Better On Vinyl deals in records, and not much else. Framlingham is a small Suffolk market town better known for its castle than its record racks, which makes the density of what is packed inside this shop all the more surprising.
Background / History
Chris Edgcombe has been trading in records since 2005, beginning with Vinyl Revival, a pop-up shop on Aldeburgh High Street, before settling into the permanent Framlingham premises. Alongside the counter he built a substantial online catalogue running to tens of thousands of titles, with orders posted tracked and signed to collectors across the country. He also presents The Vinyl Rock Show, an internet radio programme drawn from his own collection and often joined by guest musicians. Buying matters as much as selling here: whole collections are regularly taken on, valuations can be given over the phone, and condition, inserts and pressing details all come into the reckoning.
What You’ll Find
The shelves are given over almost entirely to second-hand vinyl from the 1960s onwards, with original pressings favoured over modern reissues. Rock and pop from the sixties through to the late eighties form the backbone, supported by jazz, blues, soul, reggae, folk, metal, psych and hip hop, a notably deep classical section, and smaller runs of soundtracks and country. Records are graded to the Record Collector standard, so condition is described in terms collectors already trust, and first UK pressings in strong condition turn up often. Vintage hi-fi is the second string, with turntables, amplifiers and speakers bought and sold, much of it wired up and working rather than standing as decoration. Stock listed on the website is held separately and can be brought to the shop on request.
Experience / Atmosphere
Space is used right to the limit. Records are stacked high and wide, equipment fills whatever gaps are left, framed album artwork covers the walls and something is always playing. It is a one-man operation, so browsing tends to come with conversation, and questions about a pressing, a label or a piece of kit are answered by someone who has handled the stock himself. The shop opens Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9am to 4pm, and a quick call before travelling is sensible.
Why Visit
- Original pressings from the 1960s onwards rather than shelves of new reissues
- A deep classical section alongside rock, jazz, soul, reggae and folk
- Records graded to the Record Collector standard, so condition is clearly stated
- Vintage turntables, amplifiers and speakers bought, sold and set up working
- Collections and single records bought, with valuations offered before you commit
- A genuine specialist behind the counter rather than a passing shop assistant
Summary
Better On Vinyl rewards the sort of visitor who enjoys working through a rack slowly. It is small, tightly packed and run by one person with firm opinions about pressings and playback, which is exactly why collectors travel to it. Whether you are chasing an early UK pressing, weighing up a second-hand deck, or looking for somewhere to sell a collection that has outgrown the house, this corner of Framlingham is well worth the detour.
