Custom Fidelity Records
Label from Pasadena, California (USA), founded in 1958 by Dave Berkus. Also appears as just "Custom Fidelity", but do not confuse with associated recording/pressing facility Custom Fidelity.
The label mostly released works by local artists recorded on location or in-house. Pressing runs were usually small (as low as 50) and produced immediately after recording. The records were intended for sale and distribution by the artists themselves.
The catalogue numbers start with the prefix CF (for mono recordings) or CFS (for stereo recordings), followed by a 3-digit number (for 7"s) or 4-digit number (for LPs).
The label matrices have the date encoded: the first number stands for the month, with 1 = January to 12 = December; and the subsequent letter for the year, with D = 1961 to S = 1974. (There are no I or O to avoid confusion with 1 and 0, so J = 1966 and P = 1971.) The last number after the side designation is the production number of the record. So e.g.
1962 with matrix A4EA158 was the 158th record produced and released April 1962;
Spring Concert 1966 with matrix A5JA475 was the 475th record produced and released May 1966;
Of Sun And Rain with matrix A12LA983 was the 983th record produced and released December 1968;
Dorsey High Music 1974 with matrix A5SA3780 was the 3780th record produced and released May 1974.
This system appears to have been abandoned by 1975.
Contact:The label mostly released works by local artists recorded on location or in-house. Pressing runs were usually small (as low as 50) and produced immediately after recording. The records were intended for sale and distribution by the artists themselves.
The catalogue numbers start with the prefix CF (for mono recordings) or CFS (for stereo recordings), followed by a 3-digit number (for 7"s) or 4-digit number (for LPs).
The label matrices have the date encoded: the first number stands for the month, with 1 = January to 12 = December; and the subsequent letter for the year, with D = 1961 to S = 1974. (There are no I or O to avoid confusion with 1 and 0, so J = 1966 and P = 1971.) The last number after the side designation is the production number of the record. So e.g.
1962 with matrix A4EA158 was the 158th record produced and released April 1962;
Spring Concert 1966 with matrix A5JA475 was the 475th record produced and released May 1966;
Of Sun And Rain with matrix A12LA983 was the 983th record produced and released December 1968;
Dorsey High Music 1974 with matrix A5SA3780 was the 3780th record produced and released May 1974.
This system appears to have been abandoned by 1975.
136 Annandale
Pasadena, California
[obsolete]