almost 50 yrs old here and I knew what it was right away.
Now why wondering why they were even necessary. Why did 45’s have the big hole and the 33’s had little holes?
{I am sure there is a obscene punchline to that question}
I freely confess that the last time I owned one of those doo-dads it was to play my 45 of “Take My Breath Away” swoooooon, and yes I was 12!
In my defense, I also owned “Eye of the Tiger” on 45.
:smack:
I’m 51 and not only know what they are, but used them on a regular basis as a tweener, and when I saw the picture, at first I thought it was one of those stupid gimmicky sock pairing doohickies! (come to think of it, those were from not too much after the 45 doohickie) 
I misread the OP title to be “Will my 17 year old know what his doodad is?”
I thought – well, we have a really prudish parent who can’t use common anatomical words, so maybe the kid got no sex education at all, and… well, no, I’m sure the kid has found at least one use for it. Besides taking a leak, of course. 
Let’s see, that’s thing there in the OP is the basis for the cover art on Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden, no?
This 65-year-old still has a few of them (though I haven’t used one in several decades).
I’m 44 and I remember those things pretty well, but if I saw one out of context like that, away from a turntable, I might be befuddled by it. I doubt a 17 year old would know.
43 y/o. I knew what it was almost immediately, but I’ve not seen one in quite some time.
I’m 32 and I know what it is, but not from actually using them myself. The shape is used as a logo I’ve seen often on shirts and necklaces, usually related to the live DJ scene. I don’t know where or when I finally found out what it actually was, but I do now, somehow.
The Turtles Records in Athens, Georgia, had a rack of reissued 45s for sale in the mid-80s. (Mostly 60s rock and soul hits.) Also, a lot of indie bands (including R.E.M., for example) were still putting out singles on 45s at that time, and all the indie record shops had boxes and boxes of 45s. Any hipster worth his paisley had to have some of these adapters, because the turntables being produced in the 80s did not come equipped for 45s.
In fact, the type of adapters shown in the OP were so iconic with 80s hipsters that they were, for a while, popular tattoos. A tattoo of a 45 adapter was like a secret hipster handshake.
The point is, these adapters are not just relics of the 60s and 70s. They had an 80s renaissance. Still too long ago for anyone under, say, 35, to remember them I imagine.
I knew what it was right away from the file name. I still have a box of 45s along with several adapters, but haven’t played any of them in years.
It’s interesting as hell to me that younger people don’t know stuff that to older people are common knowledge. That’s not an insult, just an observation. Then I think that the same thing’s going to happen to today’s young people…in 20, 30, 40 years their kids and grandkids will be asking what a smart phone was, or any number of seemingly normal and ubiquitous things around today, and then I’ll get my revenge! But I’ll likely be dead, so I won’t be enjoying it very much.
39 y/o. Knew what it was instantly, probably have some on the Prince 45s somewhere in a box. Talk about a collection unlikely to appreciate in value, sadly 
@Prelude: agreed. I think kids will know what a smartphone is, because it’ll be the only type of ‘phone’ there is, although telephony as we conceive it might not be its primary function. But a ‘phone’ without apps? What did you do with it? Just “call” people? Wha?
Ask a 7 year old how to dial a rotary-dial phone. Heck, try asking a 15 year old!
There was a BBC special (I think it was the one called ‘upgrade me’ or similar) where the narrator went to a public school class of 12yo’s I believe, and gave them an old-fashioned “luggable” record player, the heavy-duty school kind that sold of folded up into a protective piece of luggage almost. They had no idea what it was until it was opened, and then some realized it was for playing music, but they had no idea it was called a ‘record player’ or ‘turnable’ and it was really painful watching them attempt to play a Madonna album he gave them. Aside from that they barely recognized Madonna. :headsmack:
I’m 53 and I remember those. Never used one, because all of the turntables I used came with an adapter you could slip over the spindle so you could play the 45s and 33s on the same turntable. But I remember seeing them in the record stores, so I knew what they were for.
Another data point: I’m 50, grew up in the US, had record players in the house from the time I can remember till CDs became the new gold standard, and wouldn’t have had a clue about what this was. Even knowing the answer now I still say, Huh?? Can’t recall ever having seen one, let alone used it.
But maybe I just didn’t pay much attention–
I don’t remember ever seeing those in Europe. I do remember that the record player we had came with a plastic adapter that you would use when playing an American-style 45" album with a big hole in the middle (we had a few Disney books on record that we would play.)
Does anyone remember mini CDs (“CD singles”), that couldn’t play in lots of CD players without putting a plastic adapter around the outside to make them the size of a regular CD? I think I have 4 or 5 of those at home.
IF it helps any, I can show him my LaserDisc collection. (and my dual sided LaserDisc player!)
Some of them are even dual mode CLV + CAV disks, so you can freeze frame the last side and the pause is PERFECT! Unlike those busted-ass VHS cassettes!
(CLV = Constant Linear Velocity = more data, but crappy pause…CAV = Constant Angular Velocity)
So, did you ask him? I had absolutely no idea and I’m 30. I saw a record player once, but it wasn’t on, and I’ve a vague idea different rotations per minute imply different lengths of time, but that’s about it.
I mean, I assume it depends whether you had a record player at home. But current seventeen year olds probably started really paying attention to politics and technology <i>after 2000</i>. If it happened in the twentieth century, they’ve probably never heard of it. This is a slight exaggeration, but I think it gets the point through to myself. People find email charmingly formal. People treat CDs as disposable packaging. People who’ve almost never seen a landline phone, let alone a a rotary dial. Obviously many people will, as their parents will still have one, but many people won’t.
I’m 18 and have no idea.
I’m 27 and had no idea. I would’ve thought it’s something from Naruto.
I had a few of those. My original CD player was a Sony, and it had a special divot in the CD tray for the mini CDs (IIRC, Sony had created the smaller format).
I still have a ton of those little yellow 45 adapters somewhere…