Know what
you’ve got.
Independent vinyl-record research to help you understand your records and collection.
Deep Groove Research
Independent. Curious. Evidence-focused.
Every record has a story.
The evidence helps us find it.
About DGR
Less guesswork.
More understanding.
Deep Groove Research is an independent vinyl-record and collector research service built around one simple idea: know what you’ve got.
We help collectors, families, sellers, and people who may know very little about records understand what is actually in front of them. From an entire collection to one unusual pressing, we start with what can be seen and follow the clues.
Photographs, labels, catalog numbers, deadwax markings, manufacturing details, and reliable reference sources inform our research. Market evidence is included where supportable. When we need more evidence, we ask. When a definite conclusion is not supported, we say so.
We research records. We don’t buy collections.
Meet the owner
Tom McKinlay.
Founder. Collector. Curious by nature.
A collector’s curiosity.
A researcher’s discipline.
Tom is a longtime record collector whose curiosity has a habit of turning simple questions into research projects. DGR grew out of identifying pressings, reading deadwax, tracking manufacturing clues, and comparing conflicting information to understand why one copy differs from another.
His approach is straightforward: start with what can actually be seen, follow the evidence, ask for more when it is needed, and never turn an assumption into a fact just to provide an answer.
Deep Groove Research makes that kind of investigation available to collectors, families, and anyone who has looked at a record or an entire collection and wondered, “What exactly do I have?”
Follow the evidence as far as it goes. Clearly identify inference. Never manufacture the missing piece.
Physical evidence first.
Labels, deadwax, and manufacturing clues.
Our services
A closer look.
At every level.
Whether you are sorting a collection or investigating one puzzling record, choose a starting point that fits your question.
Basic Collection Review
The big picture
A practical first look at a record or collection. We identify routine items, records worth noting, and priority copies that may deserve closer research.
- Basic identification
- Collection screening
- Research priorities
Detailed Research
Look beyond the label
Focused investigation of a specific record, pressing, or edition. Labels, catalog numbers, deadwax, and manufacturing clues help establish what your copy actually is.
- Pressing and variant identification
- Deadwax and matrix evidence
- Sources and confidence
Custom Research
Follow the unusual
Undocumented variants, local and private pressings, possible counterfeits, manufacturing mysteries, memorabilia, and provenance questions. Discussed and scoped before research begins.
- Open-ended collector questions
- Unusual or undocumented copies
- Agreed project scope
Step 01
Tell us what you know.
Step 02
Show us what you have.
Step 03
We’ll figure out the rest.
Pricing
Clear scope.
Straightforward pricing.
All prices are in Canadian dollars. Final pricing depends on the scope and complexity of your research.
Basic Collection Review
From
$15CAD
Screening organized into Routine, Worth Noting, and Priority. A practical collection review, not a certified appraisal.
Start Your ResearchDetailed Research
From
$25CAD
Focused research on a specific record, pressing, or edition, with clear findings and the confidence behind them.
Start Your ResearchCustom Research
Scope-based
Let’s talk
Unusual questions and open-ended projects. Scope and pricing are discussed before research begins.
Discuss your projectLarge collections and special projects.
More than 250 records? Contact DGR to discuss scope and pricing.
Evidence comes before an answer.
If more information is needed, research pauses while we wait for the requested evidence.
Sample Reports
The findings.
Not just an answer.
Understand the depth of each service and what its finished report covers. Request an available sample directly from DGR before deciding.
An evidence-led investigation
A focused report explaining what the physical and reference evidence establishes, what remains uncertain, and the confidence behind the findings.
Request a sample
Evidence, documented.
Findings you can read and keep.
Identification and physical observations
Label, catalog, and runout evidence
Reference sources and comparisons
Findings, uncertainty, and confidence
What the report includes
- Pressing and variant identification
- Deadwax and matrix readings where visible
- Reference sources used and compared
- Findings separated from inference
Best for
One record, pressing, or edition.
Evidence
Labels, catalog numbers, deadwax, manufacturing clues.
Confidence
Stated alongside the sources behind it.
Service outline only. No customer findings or private information are shown.
Start your research
Let’s follow
the evidence.
Tell us what you know. Show us what you have. We’ll figure out the rest. Start with a few details about your record, collection, or question.
Service area
Worldwide. No borders required.
Deadwax doesn’t have borders.