From an Editor’s Notebook: the Ryan Tinsel LP Rack Stack

Ye Olde Editor with an exceptional La Flor Dominicana Andalusian Bull (portrait by John Robinson)

Oregon and trees…they go together. The forests of the Pacific Northwest are a joy to the soul and a medicine for melancholy, and are not to be misused or simply "consumed" to make "wood products." The back of my hand to the bloody timber corporations and their clear-cutting ways.

But artistic creations made of beautiful, classic woods are something else again. Wood and wood artisans go together like cigars and Port, or wine and cheese. And high-end audio relies on fine woods for a number of its designs. Among these are racks and storage systems.

Back in early 2018, Scott Dorsey published an article in PF Issue 96 about a Rack-It-compatible LP rack system that was being made right here in the Portland area. In fact, right down the road from PF Central. Not being one to let the grass grow under hindmost parts, I got in touch with the artisan that Scott had mentioned, Ryan Tinsel.

Ryan Tinsel: a portrait, 2018. (Photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson)

It turned out that Ryan is really a likeable guy, with a fine eye for woods and an excellent feel for what can be done with them. His craftsmanship as a woodworker is clearly evident in the photograph above. On the right are a couple of his LP storage racks, stacked using dowels built into the frame, allowing them to be placed one on top of the other securely. On the left is one of his beautiful custom tables, which was irresistible to me. (Yes, it's in our front entryway now.)

Ryan Tinsel LP racks, in a triple-wide side-by-side configuration in mahogany, with underlying footer and a top cover shelf (image courtesy of Ryan Tinsel)

Ryan's solid wood audiophile racks include LP storage, SACD/CD drawer storage, and DVD/Blu Ray holders, as you'll see on his Etsy site right HERE.

Back in 2018, I made arrangements to get several of Ryan's storage units into place here, to help me wrangle our burgeoning media archives.

The Ryan Tinsel storage units are modular, stack security via their wooden doweling, and can handle some impressive loads. Ours are in solid oak. This photograph is from 2018.

In another image from 2018, you can see the utility of the Ryan Tinsel storage drawers, here being used for SACDs. There are four drawers in these two stacked modules, two per unit. LPs are aloft and aloo.

Our new Ryan Tinsel LP Rack Stack, Jack! (Photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson)

Earlier this week, Ryan delivered an additional set of four of his LP storage racks in solid oak, this time, with one of his wheeled bases, and a top oak shelf cover. (More of the wheel and top units are to come.) This is the first time that I've been able to go four high with the Tinsel LP racks, maintain mobility, and have some additional space on the top.

Ryan Tinsel LP Rack Stack, right oblique view (photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson)

Lord knows that this Tinsel Rack Stack arrived just in time. Our LP library here continues to grow apace, and like all LP lovers, we wrestle to find enough space to accommodate our 12" (etc.) treasures. Being able to move LPs or SACDs about from room to room is very helpful…easy on the back, too.

The Tinsel Rack Stack wheels look quite sturdy, and roll well on wood floors and tight carpets (photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson)

There's no reason to go on and on. What I have found over the past two years is that Ryan Tinsel's line of audiophile storage solutions are high quality, beautifully made, and fairly priced. They are nicely modular, so that they can be stacked together, or arranged as you see fit. (Check with Ryan about custom configurations.) I've not had a problem with any of them, regardless of how I load them up.

Very highly recommended, and cruising for another Brutus Award at the end of 2020!

By the way, Ryan was good enough to send along his price list for PF readers. If you are interested in further information, or purchasing, you can email him at [email protected].

Ryan Tinsel Audio Storage Component Price List (prices do not include shipping)

Per Madsen's Original Size Units (18" wide x 13 ¾" deep)

LP Record Rack Oak: