Mastering and plant · Blue Note
Blue Note RVG and ear markings.
What the mark really means.
Two tiny marks carry different jobs on a classic Blue Note. RVG—or the later VAN GELDER stamp—belongs to Rudy Van Gelder's lacquer. The curled P collectors call the ear belongs to Plastylite, the pressing plant. Because one entered the metal chain at mastering and the other at pressing, later records can carry Van Gelder metal without a Plastylite ear.
01
The quick decode
RVGMasteringThe lacquer was mastered by Rudy Van Gelder.
Where: Hand-etched on earlier examples and machine-stamped on later runouts.
Do not assume: The exact form is title-dependent; an RVG stamp can also survive on later pressings using older metal.
VAN GELDERMasteringA later-form stamp identifying Rudy Van Gelder's mastering work.
Where: Machine-stamped in the runout, replacing earlier RVG forms around the early 1960s.
Do not assume: It identifies the metal's mastering lineage, not necessarily a Blue Note-owned-era pressing.
P / earPressing plantThe record was pressed by Plastylite in New Jersey.
Where: A small raised or impressed cursive-P-like mark in the runout, often resembling an ear.
Do not assume: Some title-specific exceptions exist, and post-sale first issues can legitimately lack the ear.
02
How to read it in the full runout
- Identify the mastering mark first: hand-etched RVG, stamped RVG, or VAN GELDER.
- Search separately for the smaller curled P or ear that identifies Plastylite pressing.
- Check both sides; the marks and their form must match the chronology of that specific title.
- Then compare label and cover addresses, deep groove, and edge construction.
03
What this mark does not prove
A runout clue answers one manufacturing question. A pressing identity comes from several clues agreeing with one another.
- Treating RVG and the ear as two names for the same mark.
- Calling every VAN GELDER-stamped Liberty pressing an original Blue Note-owned-era copy.
- Using deep groove as a universal requirement after Blue Note's pressing dies began changing.
04
Check your copy in four passes
- Photograph both runouts and distinguish the mastering stamp from the Plastylite symbol.
- Match the RVG form—etched, stamped, or VAN GELDER—to the title's known chronology.
- Check both label addresses and the back-cover address for the same release window.
- Use an album-specific checklist because Blue Note transitions and exceptions are title-dependent.
05
Put the mark back on the record
- Blue Note first-press guide
Use the runout marks with label address, deep groove, cover, and matrix.
- Speak No Evil value guide
Apply Blue Note's title-specific label and runout clues to Wayne Shorter's LP.
Sources
Reference trail
Runout conventions are label- and era-specific. These references support the decoding above; title-level identification still requires the complete copy.
Keep checking the shelf
Decode another part of the runout.
A single dead-wax string can contain a master, engineer, lacquer, and plant.
Pressing plant · Atlantic family
Atlantic pressing-plant codes
Decode Atlantic label and runout suffixes including PR, MO, SP, and RI, then separate the pressing plant from the lacquer-cutting engineer.
Check this pressing
Pressing plant · Capitol Records
Capitol pressing-plant symbols
Identify Capitol records pressed in Scranton, Los Angeles, Jacksonville, or Winchester from the IAM triangle, star, zero, and rifle-like runout symbols.
Check this pressing
Mastering studio · Sterling Sound
STERLING stamp
Learn what a STERLING runout stamp identifies, how engineer initials beside it change the meaning, and why the stamp alone does not prove a first pressing.
Check this pressingA few questions
The ones that come up.
RVG identifies mastering work by Rudy Van Gelder. Earlier examples may be hand-etched and later ones stamped. The correct form depends on the title and date.
The ear is collectors' name for Plastylite's cursive P-like pressing-plant mark. It is separate from Van Gelder's mastering mark and was added later in the manufacturing chain.
Yes. Later plants could press records from metal descended from a Van Gelder lacquer, preserving his stamp without receiving Plastylite's ear. Some first issues prepared around the 1966 sale also lack the ear.
Free to startNo adsPrivate by defaultCloud syncBuilt for iOS