Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II

I recently was given a bunch of vintage early 1970’s records from a friend that was downsizing and didn’t listen to vinyl anymore and knew I love records. Well when I saw a copy of “Led Zeppelin II” in this box of mostly VG+ condition albums I got excited! Same catalogue number, same textured cover, same exact inner sleeve of other Atlantic artists from 1969! Sadly, on close inspection I could not find any trace of the inscribed “RL” on either side. But I have discovered something a bit strange about my particular copy. At the bottom of the label by the matrix number there is CTH (Columbia Terre Haute) but the deadwax has the stampers used for the Santa Maria pressings:
Side 1 Matrix / Runout: S T A691671-1J \ Tx 5
Side 2 Matrix / Runout: o S T A691672-1H \ S A 5
My copy definitely does not have CTH stamped in the deadwax on either side so this is a bit confusing of what version this pressing is? Would it be reasonable to conclude that the wrong label was used for a Santa Maria stamper?
The vinyl is in VG+ shape but unfortunately it’s the subdued recut version with no “Oomph!”. I have an original Canadian Atlantic red label (stamped TG) that is pretty close to the Robert Ludwig hot stamper and is miles better than this neutered US recut. Damn, what a shame. So close to having the golden hot cut!

I wrote Robert Ludwig in the last week and he wrote me back. All the versions from sterling are the same hot mix. The subtle variances between them are all simply from the slight differences in making a hand-made analog lacquer disc, at least one of which was sent to all the pressing plants at the time. The CTH plant got a lacquer that was half RL and half LH (Lee Hulko, his partner) but was of the SAME MIX AND MASTER, based on RL's notes. THEY ARE ALL THE SAME, aside from subtle variances and should be valued the SAME no matter who's initials are in the dead wax. They are all the same master from STERLING SOUND! Here is my reply from Robert Ludwig. Let this be the final word in this debate. Thanks!
Hi Jim,
I'm surprised about Lee Hulko's initials being on some of the parts. In all these years I had never come across any copies with his initials before.
When there were big orders of certain titles and there wasn't physically enough time for one person to crank out the lacquers as fast as the record company wanted, sometimes we would help each other out.
For instance, my initials might appear on a Beatles record that Lee mastered.
In every case, compared to now, those titles were relatively easy to master. Once one of us mastered an album and it was approved, we made careful notes, either one of us could cut it and it should come out the same. Back then, Lee and I shared the one room and worked different hours so it is possible one of the plants blew a part and needed a replacement right then with no delay.
So after I mastered the album (which Eddie Kramer & Atlantic approved) it was shipped to all the radio stations and the initial pressing was all from me and Sterling Sound.
Amhet Ertegun at Atlantic heard the album (which Eddie demanded be as hot as possible) and apparently it skipped on his daughters little turntable. Instead of calling us at Sterling and asking us to lower the level a little and telling us where it skipped, they had the disk cutters at Atlantic use my EQ'd cassette file copy and they cut it WAY lower than my original cut plus, in my opinion, it sounded dull and generally not very good sounding in comparison.
So all the disks that were played at the radio stations and all the initial pressings world wide came from me (and apparently Lee cut a part or two) and that was what "sold" the record and made it a hit. A year later, whenever I visited someone I would look at their Zeppelin II album to see if it was my cut or Atlantic's cut. It was easy to see by eye, the Atlantic cut ended much farther from the label and the grooves to the naked eye looked very conservative.
I still got to Master "Houses of the Holy" later on, no skipping problems with that as far as I know!
I hope this clears this up for you.
All my best,
Bob Ludwig
Gateway Mastering Studios Inc
428 Cumberland Ave
Portland Maine 04101
207 828 9400
[email protected]

My runout matrices are different than what is listed above for this first edition "repress". Mine are:
Side 1- ST-A691671 - 1B CTH
Side 2 -ST-A691672 - 1C CTH
Also the listing says this is a Columbia Terre Haute (CTH) pressing that has ST-A-691671 CTH on the labels below the song titles. Mine does NOT have this, mine are :
Side 1 - ST-A-691671
Side 2 - ST-A-691672
Wonder why it has Columbia Pittman, NJ labels and Columbia Terre Haute, IN on the runout, anyone know ?

My copy has....
Matrix / Runout (Run-out area A-side): ST- A691671-1B CTH
Matrix / Runout (Run-out area B-side): ST-A691671-1B CTH
.....yep it has 69167(1) on both sides, it also has (1B) not 1D.