COMPLETE OPUS 3 RECORDS AUDIOPHILE DISCOGRAPHY & COLLECTOR’S CATALOGUE 2026
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THE SOUND OF TAPE — WORLD COLLECTOR’S REFERENCE
Opus 3 Records Album Catalogue:
01. BENNY WATERS — LIVE AT THE PAWNSHOP
🎷 Artist: Benny Waters
💿 Album: Live at the Pawnshop
🏷 Label: Opus 3 Records
🔢 Catalogue No.: AM-19911 / SACD 19911
🇸🇪 Country: Sweden
🎼 Genre: Jazz • Swing Jazz
📍 Original Recording Venue: Stampen jazz club — “The Pawnshop”, Stockholm, Sweden
📅 Original Recording Date: April 1976
FORMAT & REEL-TAPE SPECIFICATIONS
Format: 3 × Reel-to-Reel Master Tape Copies
Number of Reels: 3
Tape Speed: 15 ips / 38 cm/s
Tape Width: ¼″
Track Configuration: 2-track / half-track stereo
Equalisation: IEC / CCIR, 35 μs
Reel: 10.5″ NAB-format aluminium/metal reel
Magnetic Tape: BASF PEM-468
Noise Reduction: None
Duplication: Individual one-to-one analogue dub
Country of Manufacture: Sweden
The Sound of Tape currently describes this edition as a 3-reel, 15 ips, ¼″, 2-track stereo release and lists it as in stock at £999.95. (The Sound Of Tape)
Opus 3’s master-tape programme specifies IEC/CCIR 35 μs, 2-track, ¼″ at 38 cm/s / 15 ips, while The Sound of Tape states that the copies are made directly from the original master tapes without an analogue sub-master. (opus3records.com)
ANALOGUE / AAA PROVENANCE
Original Recording Format: Analogue master tape
Provenance: AAA / all-analogue
Master-Tape Source: Original Opus 3 analogue master
Copy Generation: Direct one-to-one master-tape copy
Digital Conversion in Reel-Tape Chain: None stated
Analogue Sub-Master: None stated
Duplication Recorder: Telefunken M-28C / M-28 series
Duplication Tape Stock: BASF PEM-468
The Sound of Tape states that Opus 3’s reel copies are made directly from the original master tapes and that no analogue sub-master is placed between the original master and the customer copy. (The Sound Of Tape)
For this Benny Waters edition specifically, the product information identifies a Telefunken M-28C as the duplication machine and BASF PEM-468 as the tape stock. (The Sound Of Tape)
Collector provenance classification:
★★★★★ FULL ANALOGUE MASTER-TAPE PROVENANCE
RECORDING & MASTERING
Recording Philosophy: Natural acoustic recording with preservation of the venue ambience
Recording / Mastering Engineer: Jan-Eric Persson is closely associated with Opus 3’s engineering and mastering catalogue; an album-specific original 1976 engineering credit is not explicitly published on the current retailer page.
Master-Tape Duplication: Opus 3 Records, Sweden
Duplication System: Telefunken M-28-series analogue tape machine
Signal Path: Analogue
Opus 3 was founded around the recording work of Bo Hansson and Jan-Eric Persson, with an emphasis on natural acoustic environments and realistic reproduction of voices and instruments. (The Sound Of Tape)
MICROPHONES
Album-specific microphone models: Not publicly documented on the current product page.
Opus 3 describes its historical recording philosophy as using a Blumlein configuration employing two figure-of-eight microphones at 90 degrees. That is useful background, but without an album-specific session document it should not be represented as a verified microphone model/configuration for this particular 1976 concert. (The Sound Of Tape)
MUSICIANS
Benny Waters — alto/tenor saxophone, clarinet
Björn Milder — piano
The official Opus 3 catalogue specifically identifies Live at the Pawnshop as featuring Björn Milder and describes Waters’ April 1976 appearance at Stampen in Stockholm. (opus3records.com)
Additional session personnel: Not fully documented on the current Opus 3 / The Sound of Tape pages reviewed for this catalogue entry.
TRACK LIST
- Out of Nowhere — 4:17
- Some of These Days — 8:12
- Summertime — 6:44
- Ziggin’ and a Zaggin’ — 5:32
- Cherokee — 7:03
- Sophisticated Lady — 7:20
- Dark Eyes — 8:17
- I Can’t Get Started — 4:57
- Indiana — 9:11
- Blues Amore — 9:35
The running order is published by The Sound of Tape and is also supported by Opus 3’s official catalogue material. (The Sound Of Tape)
CD / SACD / LP / REEL DISCOGRAPHIC STATUS
Reel Tape: Yes — 3 × ¼″ master-tape copies
SACD: Yes — Opus 3 SACD 19911, Hybrid SACD
CD: Earlier digital edition documented by Opus 3
LP: No current LP edition verified during this catalogue check
Vinyl Weight / RPM: Not applicable to the reel-tape edition; no current LP specification verified.
Opus 3’s official catalogue lists SACD 19911 — Benny Waters, Live at the Pawnshop and marks the album as available in analogue master-tape form. (opus3records.com)
EDITION / COLLECTOR STATUS
🏆 Master-quality analogue reel-tape edition
🏆 Direct original-master provenance
🏆 One-to-one analogue duplication
🏆 15 ips / ¼″ / half-track stereo
🏆 Three-reel presentation
🏆 Historic 1976 Pawnshop performance
🏆 Made in Sweden
Edition status: Specialist limited-production/on-demand audiophile master-tape release.
The retailer currently displays the title as In Stock, while its descriptive copy also refers to master-tape copies being available on backorder/on-demand; availability should therefore be treated as live inventory status and checked when ordering. (The Sound Of Tape)
CURRENT AVAILABILITY — 13 AUGUST 2026
🟢 The Sound of Tape: Listed / In Stock
💷 Current Price: £999.95
📦 Format: 3 × Reel Tape
Current price and availability verified on 13 August 2026. (The Sound Of Tape)
★★★★★ THE SOUND OF TAPE COLLECTOR RATING
★★★★★ 5.0 / 5 — REFERENCE MASTER-TAPE RELEASE
Sound Quality: ★★★★★
Analogue Provenance: ★★★★★
Recording Quality: ★★★★★
Master-Tape Pedigree: ★★★★★
Musical Performance: ★★★★★
Historical Importance: ★★★★★
Rarity / Collector Appeal: ★★★★★
Master-Tape Suitability: ★★★★★
THE SOUND OF TAPE VERDICT
Benny Waters — Live at the Pawnshop is one of the standout historical jazz documents in the Opus 3 analogue archive.
Captured at Stockholm’s legendary Stampen/Pawnshop venue in April 1976, it combines an important live performance with the qualities collectors seek in a serious master-tape release: 15 ips, ¼″ half-track stereo, direct analogue provenance and one-to-one duplication from the original master source. (opus3records.com)
The three-reel format allows the programme to be presented without squeezing the recording into a compromised consumer format. For collectors whose priority is natural instrumental tone, realistic spatial information, dynamic freedom and a direct connection with an original analogue recording, this sits near the top of the Opus 3 reel catalogue.
🏆 THE SOUND OF TAPE — ESSENTIAL OPUS 3 MASTER TAPE
Collector Rating: ★★★★★ 5/5
Reference Status:
🥇 THE SOUND OF TAPE — WORLD-CLASS ANALOGUE JAZZ MASTER-TAPE REFERENCE
VERIFICATION KEY
✅ Verified: Published by Opus 3 Records and/or The Sound of Tape
🔎 Supplementary: Supported by official Opus 3 catalogue information
⚠️ Not Published: Detail not sufficiently documented to state as fact
