[ARSCLIST] SSS Agfa [WAS: Ampex 456 and Shamrock 041 Manufacturing Specs?]

[Tommy Sjöberg <tommy.sjoberg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,

I worked on a digitizing project for Universal 
music some years ago, doing several thousand 
tapes. I totally agree about Ampex 456 - the few 
we didn't bake sure smelled like they would need 
baking, but weren't shedding, just yet.

We never encountered a Basf tape that needed 
baking, and the same for Agfa with one, big 
exception and that is PEM 469, until they changed 
the formulation sometime around 1990. All earlier 
469's were baked. A few 468's were also a bit 
sticky and were baked and then played fine, but 
if that was SSS I don't know.

Regards,

Tommy Sjöberg
Folkmusikens hus
Rättvik, Sweden



> Date:    Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:06:06 -0000
> From:    "Prentice, Will" <Will.Prentice@xxxxx>
> Subject: SSS Agfa [WAS: Ampex 456 and Shamrock 041 Manufacturing Specs?]
>
> Hi Goran
>
> Thanks for the info. Re. Agfa, we've had several examples of PE 49
> (double play, 7") which have proven sticky. According to the numbers in
> the green leader tape there were two manufactured bad batches at least,
> both seemingly bought by us at the same time, circa mid-1988. The
> numbers to beware of are 01041 and 15383. All other PE 49 batches thus
> far have been fine.
>
> Regards
>
> Will
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
> [mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Goran Finnberg
> Sent: 25 February 2009 12:38
> To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Ampex 456 and Shamrock 041 Manufacturing Specs?
>
> Will Prentice:
>
>  > Responding to Richard's comment that "all tape
>  > manufacturers seemed to have created batches of
>  > tape which suffered from this [i.e., SSS]"
>
> I have never ever seen any BASF tape ever go sticky shed.
>
> BASF is one of the worlds biggest chemical companies.
>
> They have always claimed that they had all the knowldedge in house
> together with making all the ingredients in house.
>
> So their position is that due to the above none of their tapes will
> exhibit sticky shed as they knew how to avoid it.
>
> AGFA, it is the same except for some batches of Agfa 468 during half a
> year or so.
>
> I have only seen one real of 468 go sticky despite having transferred
> several hundred such reals over the years.
>
> In contrast it is almost a given that any reel of Ampex 456 will go
> sticky for sure.
>
> And that is true over here since so far they all need baking.
>
>
> --
> Best,
>
> Goran Finnberg
> The Mastering Room AB
> Goteborg
> Sweden
>
> E-mail: mastering@xxxxxxxxx
>
> Learn from the mistakes of others, you can never live long enough to
> make them all yourself.    -   John Luther