Ampico issued their first Ampico Jumbo (100000) series rolls in 1929,
when the advent of the electric roll drive made long playing rolls
quite practical.  The selections on these rolls was usually available
as a single; however, a few selections were only available on the long
play jumbo recordings.  According to Ampicos numerical listing, Ampico
only made 106 long playing jumbo rolls, beginning with roll number
100005 and ending with 101065.

Klavier Music Rolls (Harold Powell) only made copies of original Ampico
rolls.  As far as I know they did not patch a random selection of rolls
together, or patch together an original Ampico three or four part set.
They used the original long playing roll to copy, in which Ampico
carefully made tempo adjustments to compensate for the extra length and
roll buildup on the take-up spool.

Perhaps another manufacturer of that era made a copying attempt, for I
have seen a few strange composite rolls of questionable quality, and no
regard for tempo adjustment.

Other early examples of "modern tinkering" not only disregarded tempo,
but produced rolls on paper which later was found to expand under humid
conditions and not track properly.  Some early re-cuts had very narrow
perforations which I feel did not allow enough air to enter the tracker
bar, and a very short staccato note might be missed completely,
especially on soft passages, or if the roll had expanded or contracted.

The roll numbers on the boxes of some of these vintage composites, do
not correspond to those originally produced by Ampico, unless they are
an exact copy.  Some are good, some not so good.  Some selections do
not fit well together.  In some I find the tempo to be inaccurate.

Tempo must be considered when splicing rolls together.  The tempo
increases as the paper builds on the take up spool.  For example, if
one were to splice several rolls together, the first selection might be
Tempo 60.  (That Tempo is kept set for the entire duration of the roll
being played.)

By the end of the roll which started out at 60 the diameter of the take
up spool has increased, the next roll would be playing at a faster
tempo, and should be selected accordingly.  Perhaps 70 for the second
roll, and 80 for the third roll, and 90 for the fourth roll, even
though the Tempo pointer is set at 60.  I never figured this out
mathematically, as one would have to calculate the length of each roll
to be spliced before one could be very accurate.

Other examples of roll splicing seem to have been done without regard
for tempo at all! In many cases I have to re-adjust the Tempo for
different selections.

I advise those who attempt roll cutting projects to check out the Tempo
carefully.  It is easy to do.  Place pencil marks in one foot segments,
beginning with a start mark, and a mark at 1 ft., 2 ft., 3 ft., 4 ft
and continue to 12 ft.  Time the marks on a stop watch or timer.  Tempo
70 = 7 feet in sixty seconds, Tempo 80 is 8 feet in sixty seconds,
90 = 9 feet, and so on.

Trying to fit a very long play roll on a smaller spool, and utilize an
air motor to drive it, is not very successful.  The air motor barely
makes it.  The take up spool of a model A Ampico is not designed to
accept the extra paper of a very long playing roll, yet does quite well
with shorter composite rolls of two or three selections, providing the
tempo is carefully taken into consideration in their composition.

In spite of the technology Ampico put into the model B, the very long
Jumbo (original) Ampico rolls still are prone to pause a bit, as the
paper catches up on the take-up spool, no matter how precisely the
units are adjusted.  Newer slick paper compounds the matter, but it
does not bother me.  The model B brake system (keeping an even tension
on the roll during play) was a help, yet it did not solve the problem
completely.

The model B intermittent braking system (designed to tighten the roll
upon rewind) may have been a good idea when rolls were new, the paper
was strong, and rolls were considered replaceable.  This braking device
is responsible for more torn rolls than I care to think about.  I would
advise all Ampico model B owners to disconnect this device to save
their rolls from total destruction.  Yes, the rolls are very loose upon
rewinding but I would rather tighten them a bit by hand than have the
edges of the roll destroyed (while rewinding) by the automatic
tightening device.

This is true on all players:  Keep the take-up spool free of a
mechanical brake, and the bearings well lubricated, and it will
save wear and tear on rolls immensely.)

What is known about Duo-Art Program rolls?  Were there others?

Bruce Clark