-----Original Message-----
>From phillip holmes: "...if the deadwax info is the same on a supposed test pressing as a WLP or first issue, it probably isn't a test pressing? ..."
I've never encountered the term deadwax before.
A test pressing would be identical to the first issue (assuming the press run had been approved!) except for what was typically a reversed scrap label which sometimes had ID information written on it. (I've occasionally seen a plant use a special test pressing label but usually not.)
When they start a pressing run the first few will often be bad because the press temperature hasn't stabilized. For this reason they might press ten, throw out the first three because of non-fill, check one out with a microscope, play it, put a couple on file and send the remaining four or five to the client. If a client was smart, they'd file away at least one to prove what they'd signed off on had been ok in the event of a bad pressing run.
The rest would be passed on for the producer and engineers to check. I would be very surprised to see test pressings that weren't actually promo copies turning up very often among collectors.
Bob Olhsson Audio Mastery, Nashville TN Mastering, Audio for Picture, Mix Evaluation and Quality Control Over 40 years making people sound better than they ever imagined! 615.385.8051 http://www.hyperback.com