I have begun casting about on the 'net for Ampico rolls and roll repair
supplies.  It appears that many of the companies recutting Ampico rolls
are either gone or comatose.  Does anyone have current listings, web
sites, email addresses, etc.?  Clearly, the folks who once had the
entire library of masters would be extremely interesting folks to know!
The collection that came with my newly acquired piano contains quite
a number of recuts.  Several brands had correctly reproduced boxes and
labels.  Where can these be found?  [see *1 below]

My collection of rolls, not solely Ampico, is in dire need of ordinary
boxes, leaders, tabs, and flanges.  Where can these be found?  I see
occasional listings for QRS products but these folks seem not very
interested in paper, and to compensate for their interest level, charge
remarkably high prices with high minimum orders.  Are they the best
that can be done?  [*2]

I have bought art supply house (Blick) archival tape for mending rolls.
This stuff is equipped with a peel layer and the resulting exposed tape
is remarkably unwilling to be controlled.  At least the stuff seems to
have fiber reinforcement, unlike Magic tape.  What's best? [*3]

Given Ampico's habit of belt and suspenders with respect to sustain pedal
and punching long notes, several rolls have great long tears.  How are
these repaired?  I suppose one might simply shorten the offending note
but on at least one roll, the sustain pedal is opened and closed which
would stop the repaired note's sustain.

Most of my 88-note roll collection dates from my high school days and
I used to repair rolls with the tape at hand as well as with rubber
cement.  The paper tape is often rock hard, the Scotch tape usually
drops off, and the cemented joints drop apart; all this after only
45 or 50 years!  I suppose that favorite rolls might be re-repaired
by dissolving and cleaning the glues and re-splicing and re-taping.
What works?

One does have to remember as the hours go by, that the entire
collection and more could no-doubt be recorded on a thumb drive. [*4]

Doug Heckrotte
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

 [ 1. Keystone Music Rolls possesses some master rolls produced after
 [ Ampico merged with Aeolian.  Those are the only surviving pre-WW2
 [ production masters.  Firms offering new and recut Ampico rolls are
 [ listed at http://www.mmdigest.com/Links/salesmusicrolls#selected_table 
 [
 [ 2. Replacement boxes and labels are offered by Rich Ingram and others,
 [ see http://www.mmdigest.com/Links/Misc 
 [
 [ 3. Articles about archival repair tape for roll repairs are indexed
 [ at http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/KWIC/T/tape.html 
 [
 [ 4. See MIDI articles at http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/KWIC/M.html 
 [
 [ -- Editor (Robbie)