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Episode 146 of the Truth About Vintage Amps: Troubled drummers, bulk Gatorade, more typewriter and Rockford Files talk, and a bunch of amp questions. Reminder: Amplified Parts now has amp kits! Thanks, as always, for being a part of the world's finest call-in tube amp repair show. Want amp tech Skip Simmons' advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too. Some of the topics discussed this week: :43 The Ampeg book (Amazon link), George Barnes and 'Guitars Galore' 3:43 A 1982 black panel Fender Champ 4:43 A Super Reverb that sounds like a dying motorcycle 6:09 Jason goes to Peru, vicuñas, alpacas 10:23 Some TAVA announcements: Sam Plecker has a new album ('So True'); congrats to John Vanderslice; RIP to Michael Hurley; thanks to Tin Can Valley Letterpress printing (link) 14:37 Ep. 150 idea: Skip's amp guru on the podcast?; servicing a hybrid Standel 18:24 Our sponsors: Save $20 off Amplified Parts' new MOD vintage amp kits with the discount code TAVA20! (expires April 30, 2025); Grez Guitars; and Emerald City Guitars 25:40 Recommended pedal: The Catalinbread Topanga reverb pedal (note: Skip said "Tropicana," but it's the Topanga) 27:45 Replies to last week's Rockford Files Baffler; Jim Gordon, 'Drums & Demons' (Amazon link); Hal Blaine's 'Buh-doom!' comedy album (it's on Spotify) and other Hollywood gossip; more Rockford Files (and letterpress!) 35:46 Accidentally injecting positive feedback into a Precision single-ended amp; tools for measuring plate current 40:23 Cleaning motor oil off of tubes and a vintage microphone; Gatorade and Tang; running a Traynor off of a gas generator 47:37 A smoking 1980s Fender Super Champ and fried resistors 52:51 A 6-watt Princeton Reverb / Vibro-Champ clone in a custom beetle-kill pine tree cabinet 59:02 An amp cabinet with sympathetic strings (Reverb link), explained! Vulture Amplification video one and two; Treehaus field coil speakers (link) 1:05:08 Hooking something up: Experimenting with a speaker outside of a cabinet 1:06:29 Servicing an all-original Vibrolux Reverb to sell 1:09:58 Giving the gift of an El Pato Tone practice amp (order yours here); Typewriter Revolution; typewriter ribbons from Baco Ribbon & Supply Co. 1:18:52 Reverse audio taper potentiometers 1:22:37 Come get a free SVT speaker 1:23:13 Sacramento's Delta Breeze record store, redux; not all capacitors are created equal; always use a test speaker; Amplified Parts' Hammond enclosure for short reverb tanks 1:27:22 Recommended reading: Hampton Sides' 'The Wide Wide Sea' (Amazon link) 1:28:51 Homework: Check out the Maestro GA-2RT schematic Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Don't forget, we have a Patreon page. Support the show, get behind-the-scenes updates and get to the front of the line with your questions.
Episode 145 of the Truth About Vintage Amps: Kahlua brie, replicating Nirvana's In Utero sound, hissy reverb units and more! Thanks, as always, for being a part of the world's finest call-in tube amp repair show. Want amp tech Skip Simmons' advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too. Some of the topics discussed this week: 1:17 Skip makes even more stuff for John Vanderslice & Tiny Telephone; Skip's take on the MTI Tubes pedal 8:18 Skip's Premier 90-inspired reverb unit 15:20 Our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts! Get the Amplified Parts' Spring Reverb Kit here. 19:06 What's on your bench: A Fender Deluxe and Pro; how to work on old Tweeds; orange drop caps 26:20 The Joyo American Sound pedal, redux; SansAmp pedals; Kurt Cobain's 'In Utero' sound 27:27 Vintage amps and PAs at the 2025 Fretboard Summit (register here) 28:32 Adding a resistor to bump up the values when measuring on a Fluke multimeter? 31:49 Using a carb cleaning kit for octal sockets (Amazon link); working on Filmosound 385s 34:19 Skip's car restoration; the Swamp book (Amazon link); Benny Hill 40:20 No delete on typewriters; Mitch Hedberg and steamboats (YouTube link) 41:37 A 1965 Ampeg Reverberocket with a hiss 45:21 Skip made the ticking go away; a 5F2A build inspired me to buy a 1961 Fender 6G4-A Super; Kahlua brie with pecans 54:02 A noisy 1970s tube Fender Reverb unit, the magic of NOS pre-amp tubes in single-ended amps 59:02 To be continued: What's the deal with this amp cabinet on Reverb? (Reverb link) 1:01:00 The Garnet amp book (link), the Gibson Amp book on Blue Book's site (cheaper than Amazon!), Gibson Falcon talk, the doldrums of being a flight service specialist (or drawbridge operator) 1:10:21 Recommended reading (at least for the Canucks): Robert Dayton's 'Cold Glitter: The Untold Story of Canadian Glam' (Amazon link) 1:13:15 A Rockford Files baffler 1:14:12 Why do the English have all the better TV shows? 'Stath Lets Flats' 1:17:33 Sacramento's Delta Breeze Records; Skip has SF Fender Champs for sale Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Don't forget, we have a Patreon page. Support the show, get behind-the-scenes updates and get to the front of the line with your questions.
Episode 144 of the Truth About Vintage Amps: Flashing Flukes, reflections on NAMM, variable plate capacitors, hot buttered rum (and popcorn!), and more! Need some help with your tube amps? Be a part of our show by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Some of the topics discussed this week: 1:13 Jason goes to the NAMM Show, the Dumble relaunch (watch our Instagram video here); Grit Laskin's 'The Stradivari Formula' (link); Wood Wire & Volts (link) 11:49 What's on Skip's bench: A late 1940s Danelectro Vibrovox; Wandre Guitars 20:57 Our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts! 25:14 A confused Fluke 26 Series III meter trying to measure coils and output transformer windings 33:07 The parallel between an acoustic guitar's soundboard and an amp's speaker; recommended reading: And the Roots of Rhythm Remain by Joe Boyd (link) 39:17 A custom-made, single-ended 10-watt 800 JCM-style amp; variable voltage regulators vs. a variac 44:30 Keggers Got Talent: Walnut-maple cabinets from listener Niel F. (check our Instagram for pics) 47:42 Should I use the variable plate capacitors I pulled from a HAM radio? 51:25 Skip on the phone versus Skip on the mic 52:41 Breaking food news: Cuisinart Microwave Popcorn Maker (Amazon link) 57:19 Neko Case's new memoir, 'The Harder I Fight the More I Love You' (Amazon link) 59:18 A Garnet Lifco "stencil" amp, the Garnet amp book (order link) 1:03:07 Taming a reissue Princeton Reverb, redux; the Joyo American Sound pedal (link) 1:07:31 An idea for the "pedal" room at the 2025 Fretboard Summit: https://fretboardsummit.org 1:11:15 Want to attend a Bay Area amp workshop with Skip this Spring? Email us! 1:11:47 Accidentally creating an arc with the probe when checking plate voltages on power tubes, hot buttered rum 1:17:17 Recommended reading: Conquering the Electron (link); making a pre-amp out of a Silvertone Twin 12; Greenlee knockout punches 1:28:45 Who sent Skip a Skylark?; a Ampeg flip-top with a remote reverb speaker; Bustelo instant coffee; David Barrett's harmonica courses (link); John Vanderslice Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Don't forget, we have a Patreon page. Join us to get show updates and get to the front of the question line.
A throwback, lo-fi landline episode just for the purists! Caller waiting beeps, the state of the guitar show, an energized Skip, and more. Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com. Recorded on January 13, 2025. Some of the topics discussed this week: 1:31: The LA fires 3:34: A recap of the Bay Area Vintage Guitar Show; are guitar shows just for eating now? estuaries and prison proposals 34:00 Our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts! 36:56 The origins of goop; Standel amps and their little plastic boxes, Mark Sampson (aforementioned amp here) 43:24 Skip's death caps (not that kind) 44:56 The ideal workbench setup 50:36 Poetry corner: "The Girl Who Never Rained" by Cole Swensen 54:46 An all-original Setchel Carlson with Flechtheim 2uF British-made filter cap blocks, gas rectifiers 58:15 Can I use the second set of speaker lugs on this amp to use a test cabinet? 1:03:33 The "Larry Revival Process" and modding the standby switch on a Marshall JMP50 Plexi 1:07:52 Why is my 1971 Fender Champ making noise? 1:16:11 Randall Smith's YouTube channel (link); what happens when you pull the V1 12AX7 Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Don't forget, we have a Patreon page. Join us to get show updates and get to the front of the question line.
It's the 142nd episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! Join Skip and Jason as they field all of your pressing guitar amp questions. Plus...recipes, music and book recommendations and more! Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com. Some of the topics discussed this week: :00 Jingle Bell Rock and other Christmas classics 1:14 Our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts! 5:37 Supermarket Sweep; The Office 7:27 The Truth About Vintage Amps Patreon page; listener John's Angela parts list 8:27 Another Tweed Harvard by Skip? 9:33 Let's celebrate the TAVA makers; the TAVA Cookbook (Dropbox link) 11:09 A 1970 Davis PA Head with a "tube saver" switch; the Dixon Amp Company (link) 14:17 A Princeton Reverb-inspired amp with a foot switch that won't stop ticking; Vesper martinis; Body & Soul instruments (link); the $1000 tube lot 22:29 Should I be worried that one of my Silverface Champs draws more amps than the others? 26:27 Which diameter Kester solder? 28:39 Inflatable hot tubs; adding trem to a 5E3 kit; Rotel and cream cheese dip 33:48 Angela Super 6V6 Build tips 36:50 Tolex; Little Charlie's Rice redux; Jason on Guitar Magic (link) 40:02 Bomb cyclones, a Tweed Harvard serviced by Skip, homemade cranberry sauce, Weber speaker reconing (link) 45:06 Pique hot pepper sauce (link) 46:39 Bell 2325 hi-fi amp with cathode feedback; pepperoni rolls; Andy Williams 55:19 Charlie Hunter's hybrid guitars with two output jacks; Audio Guild Versatones 1:04:08 Using the reverb driver transformer as an output, Martinelli's sparkling apple cider, redux; making Mexican crema at home; taking the output of a reverb tank and using it in the normal channel for volume, treble and bass controls on the reverb 1:07:59 Two identical amps, but one sounds crappy 1:09:46 Holiday reading/watching recommendations: Joe Smith's Off the Record (link); Donald Brosnac's Guitar Electronics for Musicians (link); the Blue Nile's A Walk Across the Rooftops; Little Miss Sunshine; Master and Commander; Sampson Boat Company's Tally Ho restoration videos (link); The Only Girl in the Orchestra on Netflix; Tim Gautreaux's Same Place, Same Things (link) Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Don't forget, we have a Patreon page. Join us to get show updates and get to the front of the question line.
Missing your rambling relatives this holiday season? You're in luck! Tune in to Jason and Skip as they ramble through weather reports, amp fixes, book recommendations, reflective impedance, reverb-driven line-out and more on our 141st episode! Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com. Some of the topics discussed this week: :48 Weather report: Rain in the West, bomb cyclones in the PNW 4:32 A 1968 Heathkit catalog with DIY Harmony Guitar kits 6:35 Thanksgiving at the Simmons house 7:09 A noisy Alamo; Pathfinder, the band (link); bands named after amplifiers 8:49 Our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts (Jensen speakers are currently on sale!) 10:58 Deluxe Amplication's red can El Pato Practice amp! (link, I said green on the podcast...my bad) 11:50 Pre-order William J. Simmons' new book, 'Love and Degradation: Excessive Desires in Queer-Feminist Art' (pre-order link) 12:51 Recommended reading: 'The Golden Ocean' by Patrick O'Brian 14:33 What's on Skip's bench? The secret solid state guru in Sacramento, not to be confused with the washing machine guru 18:54 The Truth About Vintage Amps Patreon page; guided tours of the Skip universe? 20:50 Jason interviews a yogi on the Fretboard Journal podcast (link) 22:35 Adding a half-power switch to a push-pull amp?, tortilla chips 29:48 Would a variac set to 110v help new amps? 31:49 Mullard 10M tubes; going back to school; Skip has all the NOS Amperex 12AX7s 37:58 A Denver TAVA meetup?; one filter cap or two in a Gibson GA-25? Replacing non-polarized electrolytic caps by twisting two regular negative caps together 41:03 More on Skip's new (old) Fender Duo Sonic 48:26 Using your Fender's reverb circuit to drive a speaker; Sherlock Holmes' lazy brother 52:36 Skip is going to make an outboard tremolo pedal 53:09 Why do some reverb tanks have bags? 52:22 A non-alcoholic cocktail featuring ginger ale and cranberry juice 56:02 "I smile at pretty solder joints;" Riddim Restoration of Bellingham, Washington (link) 1:00:45 An early 60's Geloso 215AN, a diode bridge and a choke to create negative voltage; and Denver chocolate pudding cake 1:07:14 Reusing old blown transformers 1:09:00 KVMR Community Radio (link) 1:10:05 A mid-‘50s theremin schematic; the Theremin documentary Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Don't forget, we have a Patreon page. Join us to get show updates and get to the front of the question line.
It's the 140th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons eventually fields your questions on all-things-tube amps! As always, use all advice at your own risk. Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com. Some of the topics discussed this week: 2:35 What's on Skip's Bench: A modified ES-150 Charlie Christian amp with a non-field coil speaker 4:22 Smilin' Skip's: Stuff for Sale 5:15 Loma Rica's Aztec Recording Studio; the Ralph Shine Blues Band; Skip's new guitar; Sylvia Massy (Sylvia's shop); Weed, California; the Fretboard Summit 2025 (register here) 18:01 Our sponsors (and baby goats): Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts (Jensen speakers are currently on sale!) 23:42: Alamo and other budget amplifiers; the COVID gear boost has deflated 25:35 Amp bargains (look for two transformers); a black panel Super Reverb; Silvertone Twin-Twelve and optocouplers 28:53 The Alembic Pre-Amp in a pedal (or two): Frog Pedals (link); Sushi Box FX (link); Mexican Pizza with Boboli pizza crust; starved plate loads 35:41 PSA: You can buy WD-40 by the gallon 38:22 Should I put the original transformer back in my 1966 Fender Princeton? 44:07 Preferred replacement 12AT7 reverb driver tubes 47:26 Two-prong shock in the studio 50:35 A converted Stromberg-Carlson; speaker-driven effects channel? Rudy Van Gelder; the usable range of a bright cap 57:55 A Plush 3000G tubes and tremolo with a mystery rectifier tube 1:03:08 What's with the lettering on my 1950s Rauland Lyric transformer 1:06:47 Putting a JBL in an Ampeg Rocket 2; a Traynor Studio Mate Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Don't forget, we have a Patreon page. Join us to get show updates and get to the front of the question line.
It's the 139th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amps! Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com. Some of the topics discussed this week: :48 On the bench: A 1974 Alembic pre-amp, a Showman head in disguise 3:58 Webb's Music and a hang gliding pioneer 6:08 Our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts; the Wood Wire & Volts Show in Anaheim (link); Bruce Harvie of Orcas Island Tonewoods 11:10 Skip has a warning for the TAVA Kegger Facebook group...and others 14:38 A luthiers' pet peeve 16:55 Bias modulating tremolo, intensity pots 20:45 Skip works on a Dan Torres-modded amp 21:35 Jason screens his Ben Harper Dumble film in Seattle; Ben Harper on TAVA (ep. 118) 25:34 When does Skip use his tube tester? 28:17 Should I turn this jukebox amp into a guitar amp? 30:52 A monitor out a la GA17RVT; Quilter amps; full-fat Greek yogurt 36:24 When do we get a Marshall/Vox expert on the show? 37:58 A Kroker Triple Toad amp 40:13 Warming up a Nat Daniel-designed amp; separately mounted pre-amp tubes 42:17 Late '60s Fender biasing (AC568) 43:54 Skip's new guitar: A 1966 Fender Duo-Sonic 49:51 The Fender Files on YouTube (thanks, Larry Chung) 52:17 Using 5V4 rectifier tubes in a Matchless DC-30; Nduja mayonnaise (link) 1:00:17 Recommended reading: "There Are No Electrons: Electronics for Earthlings" (Amazon link); subbing a 6SL7 for a 6SN7 in a Gibson BR9 1:02:42 Transformer Corner: Using US amps overseas 1:11:07 Recommended music: Henry Kaiser & David Lindley's "Sweet Sunny North;" Steve Melkisethian remembered 1:13:01 A cheap and easy output transformer dynamic test; rebuilding reverb tanks 1:19:54 Skip's map collection Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Don't forget, we have a Patreon page. Join us to get show updates and get to the front of the question line.
It's the 138th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amps! This week, we pay tribute to Angela Instruments founder and former guest Steve Melkisethian (1950-2024); talk resistors and transformers; catch up on the 2024 Fretboard Summit; and much more. Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com. Don't forget, we have a Patreon page. Join us to get show updates and get to the front of the question line. Some of the topics discussed this time around: :58 R.I.P. Nick Gravenites (Electric Flag, Mike Bloomfield) 3:08 Our sponsors: Amplified Parts, Emerald City Guitars, and Grez Guitars. (Watch Emerald City Guitars' Fretboard Summit video here.) 5:32 The 2024 Fretboard Summit in a nutshell 10:29 R.I.P Steve Melkisethian (Angela Instrument); read our tribute here 18:42 R.I.P. Stephen Fitzstephens, member of our Kegger Facebook group 19:18 What was Skip listening to as a kid? 22:08 Skip's Music vintage gear headed to auction 24:42 When to use old, mismatched resistors? 26:39 The 2003 interview in Vacuum Tube Valley with Steve Carr (PDF link) 27:41 Removing surface rust from transformers 30:27 A 1964 Ampeg Reverberocket that pops when you turn it off 31:10 You all need a Variac 33:03 A pig farm mini-baffler; Papa Murphy's in a Weber grill 36:56 Dropping the B+ with a solid state rectifier 39:47 Flattening a Fender eyelet board, redux; how to flatten a ‘70s Fender grill cloth frame? 42:52 Aux phono input on a tube amp; replacing plastic knobs; movie recommendation: 'As It Is In Heaven' 46:48 An original 1963 Fender Vibroverb in the UK with a switchable voltage panel; John Kelly amps; Rainer Ptacek 52:33 How to select an output transformer for an amp when you don't know its specs 1:00:55 The wrong tube in Danelectro amplifiers (12AU6 vs 12AV6) 1:04:02 What's on Skip's bench? An Alamo amp; kudos to Larry Chung 1:05:43 Recommended reading: 'The Feather Thief' (Amazon link); TAVA listener and winemaker William Downie (link) 1:10:36 Using Meguiar's Convertible Top Cleaner to clean up a Premier amp 1:11:35 A Pepco Riviera 725; Frazey Ford 1:14:04 Posters by Serifs & Whiskey (link) 1:15:10 Blossom Valley Foods' Pepper Plant sauce (link) 1:15:37 Fixing a reverb tank by changing the transducer; Fender's specific use of European tubes Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.
It's the 137th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amps! This week, we talk to special guest, Steve Carr of Carr Amplifiers! Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com. Our sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, StewMac, and Grez Guitars. Don't forget, we have a Patreon page. And come to the 2024 Fretboard Summit. Some of the topics discussed this time around: 2:22 Steve Carr (Carr Amplifiers) joins us for an enlightening talk about prototyping, speaker cabs, Solen caps, tone controls, and so much more. He even fields a few of your questions! 1:14:17 Big M speaker cabinets 1:16:08 Red Norvo "In a Mist" 1:17:49 Did a rubber tube amp mount just fix my microphonic amp? Easy Brussels sprouts 1:21:45 On the bench: An Epiphone Electar Zephyr 1:23:16 Pre-amps in front of amps that already have pre-amps; the WEM amps used at Live at Pompeii (link); Selmer reverb tanks; was this Philco amp made by Bogen?; pizza stones 1:31:55 Out-of-range potentiometers 1:35:05 Ballast resistors in field coil amps Plus Hurdy gurdys and more.
It's the 136th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amps! Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com. Our sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, StewMac, and Grez Guitars. Don't forget, we have a Patreon page. Some of the topics discussed this time around: 1:11 A Big Boy locomotive chugs through CA 3:42 What's on Skip's Bench: A Valco/National/Airline amp-in-case; a single-ended Soundmaster PA; a Premier Twin 8 10:55 Another round of TAVA shirts? (coming soon) 13:06 Milkman to produce a JBL K120 replica speaker (link); re-coning by Hempopotamus (and Weber) 16:56 The 2024 Fretboard Summit, featuring Blake Mills, Josh Scott (JHS), Colin Hay and so much more https://fretboardsummit.org (Aug 23-25, 2024 in Chicago) 20:29 The Davis Guitar Scene 20:51 Is there a new speaker comparable to the JBL D130F? Artie Shaw 22:43 VHT amps, redux; homemade cheese 28:05 Why did Leo use RCA plugs for his speaker jacks? 32:20 I miss lo-fi Skip; help me isolate the hum on my Magnatone 410 39:45 Favorite solder; avocado toast 43:26 Recommended movie: 'All That Is Sacred' featuring Tom McGuane, Jim Harrison, Jimmy Buffett, and vintage Key West (link) 44:58 Help me ground my Pepco Riviera 725 48:15 Does the phase inverter tube contribute gain? 49:47 AIMS amplifiers, redux; Don Randall 53:59 Skip (almost) fixes a church organ 1:00:03 Should I wax pot these old output transformers? 1:04:55 Why is there chicken wire in my amplifier? finding the outside foil on a cap Recorded July 25, 2024.
It's the 135th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amps. Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com. Some of the topics discussed this time around: 1:24 Another hopeful story; Winters, California 7:44 The fifth-ever Fretboard Summit: Blake Mills, Adam Levy, vintage amps, new amps, 80 luthiers, JHS and so much more. www.fretboardsummit.org 13:25 One of the greatest boxes of all time: thanks, Ben from Chattanooga! 15:01 Lynn Wheelwright reaches out to Skip 16:33 The very first Standel amp; Tacoma, Washington's Guitar Maniacs 18:53 Our sponsors: Emerald City Guitars (watch the Dumble video here), Amplified Parts, StewMac, and Grez Guitars. 22:10 Thank you, John Ross 23:41 Gibson's GA-45 "Velvet Touch"; Terry Dobbs (Mr. Valco) https://valcoamp.com 27:32 The answer to Ep. 134's Baffler: A Tweed Vibrolux 31:44 A Body & Soul El Pato fuzz giveaway? https://www.instagram.com/bsinstruments/ 34:00 The last remaining Big Boy locomotive is moving through California; Skip's hobo days https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm 37:26 How to satisfy your customer when only one power tube needs to be replaced? CE Distribution; pimento cheese 47:04 A 5E3 build with too much Fender "bacon;" Ken Fischer 49:51 A Rickenbacker M11 with a 60 cycle hum out of V1 57:22 VHT Special Six, redux 1:03:51 A simple cocktail: A Boyhattan; bitters 1:05:15 The history of AIMS amps; 5 ohm amps; The Mosquito Supper Club's boiled shrimp (link) 1:13:34 The pronunciation police; modding a Silver Panel Fender Champ with a Magnatone 213 tone control 1:17:11 Elemental knowledge; California-built Vox amps; Clarkson's Farm 1:25:00 Is variable input impedance worth experimenting with? Bogen guitar amps 1:29:41 Is the two-prong hat offensive? Are fixed-bias amps more touch-sensitive? the phono input in old PAs; GM/IP on tubes 1:33:15 Recommended reading: The All-Music Guide Recorded June 21, 2024.
It's the 134th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amp. This week, we're joined by jazz guitarist Jonathan Stout where we talk EH-150s, field coil speakers and more! Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com. Some of the topics discussed this time around: 1:23 Triple E jerky and freeze-dried ice cream (link) 2:36 Our sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, StewMac, and Grez Guitars. 6:06 What's on Skip's bench: An Electar Model M with 6N6 power tubes; a National Dobro amp with 2A3 power tubes 13:06 Skip has a Falcon for sale; Mumbo Gumbo 13:58 I put the electrolytic capacitor in backward on a 5F2A build; how coupling caps work; what to do with this Gregory Mark 1? 19:16 Natural year-round lemonade 20:21 How to fix the broken reverb on a vintage Gibson Falcon; open secondaries, someone needs to make a replacement Falcon transformer 22:20 What do you do if you need to replace a capacitor and its original part is different from the schematic? Steve Albini's Gear Dork Videos (Garnet, Samamp) 28:58 Special guest: Jonathan Stout (link)! Field coil speakers; traffic sounds; Gibson EH-150/185 amps; Vintage 47 amps (link); Combs Guitars JJ-150 pedal (link); Quilter 101 heads; the evolution of amplifiers; Junior Barnard; the Echo Speaker jack on a Gibson EH-150, Knott's Berry Farm, Fender Tweed Pros; Marie Sharp's hot sauce; pizza stones; pizza tips 1:03:38 David Lindley; Jackson Browne; Greg Leisz on the FJ's Steel Podcast (link) 1:04:11 Revisiting the Ice Cube 1:06:39 Non-reverb Princeton love; the Brown Box voltage attenuator 1:08:21 This week's Baffler: What amazingly killer amp can you turn a non-reverb Princeton into? 1:08:49 Waiting for a ferry in Snowdonia; early mountain biking 1:14:46 A VHT Special 6 with a useless tone knob 1:18:45 6L6s in a Fender Deluxe Reverb; acceptable idle current range; Revere Ware; Cameo Copper Cleaner; Chuck roast instead of brisket; spicy Italian sausage in pasta sauce; Brussels sprouts; beer Special thanks to Tim Le Blanc for his help mixing this episode. Recorded May 24, 2024. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Want to support our show? Join our Patreon!
It's the 133rd episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amp! Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com. Some of the topics discussed: 1:14 Skip's 1950 Ferguson tractor, the Truth About Lawn Mowers 7:28 A zebra on the loose in Washington State 9:30: This week's sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, StewMac, and Grez Guitars. 12:28 Grez Guitars sends Skip Quique Gomez & Little Charles Baty's Cookin' At Greaseland 16:51 What's on Skip's bench? A 1953 Fender Tweed Pro that needed nearly a complete rebuild 24:14 One solution for the multiple Pignose-amp quandary from ep. 132: Radial Engineering's Shotgun 4-Channel Amp Driver (Amazon link); 100 Vintage Hawaiian Songs (Spotify link) 30:35 Tom Gunterman's lithium battery pack picks from ep. 132, prunes 33:51 RIP Gerald Weber (Kendrick Amplifiers) 35:56 Book recommendation: 'The Birth of Loud' (Amazon link) 37:39 Jason has a jdflyback handblown tube amp! (YouTube link) 40:19 A Fender Vibrochamp that doesn't like my Les Paul, volume-dropping 45:11 Anything worth rescuing from old tube car radios? 48:55 A 1569 Altec power amplifier for guitars? Grange Hall and self-published cookbooks 53:30 A Music Man 115RP with a broken reverb 59:17 An update on last episode's 1972 Fender Princeton Reverb, a homemade signal tracer (based on this Kley De Jong video); 'Designing Tube Preamps for Guitar and Bass' by Merlin Blencowe (Amazon link); tahini; 'Servicing by Signal Tracing' by John F. Rider 1:04:24 Why can't I pry this tone pot off of my Harmony H-200? 1:07:10 What does using a tube pre-amp unit in front of your guitar amp actually do? Tube swapping a 6V6 or 6L6 (note: we'll get back to this next week) 1:14:09 Skip's handiwork on the new Taylor Swift album? (Instagram link) 1:17:24 Making a closed cabinet for my Fender Princeton 1:21:19 Are amp techs divas? Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Want to support our show? Join our Patreon!
No guests or special theme this week...just an all-new, old-school episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amp. Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com. Some of the topics discussed: 1:31 What's on Skip's workbench: Valco amps with a resistor and a normal speaker instead of a field coil 3:46 This week's sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, Stringjoy, StewMac, Izotope, and Grez Guitars. 5:04 Thrift store: Revere Ware 8:01 What's the deal with this Leslie Model 18 circuit 15:41 Daisy chaining four Pignose amps to a backpack, tuna salad 20:46 What to do with these orange capacitors? Vacuum Tube Valley, Mexican Martinis 25:38 Skip has a nice mono hi-fi speaker cabinet for sale 27:07 Do speakers ever go out phase on their own? 28:32 Fender Princeton Reverb vs. Tremolux gain stages 31:22 The truth about vintage Sano amps (gumbo recipe found here) 35:47 Seventh-grade Skip; the glider that never touched down 40:11 A source for El Pato in Australia (link: productdistribution.com.au) 41:16 Ampeg Jets and Rockets "with the knobs that point straight up" 43:04 Spotlight on Paradise, California 48:32 Powered vintage speakers, El Pato chili 53:05 Film cap orientation hack and the EH Hum Eliminator/Debugger 58:35 Spotlight on glue 1:03:04 The joys of using lithium-ion batteries onstage to power your tube amps 1:09:43 A 1972 Princeton Reverb that doesn't like a wireless transmitter; a simple fish recipe 1:16:11 How do the dual rectifiers work in the Angela Super Single Ended amp 1:19:17 Rainier beer 1:21:21 Claude Thornhill Orchestra Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Want to support our show? Join our Patreon!
Illustrator/musician/underground comix legend Robert Armstrong (Mickey Rat, Couch Potato, the Cheap Suit Serenaders!) joins Skip and Jason this week for a very special installment of the Truth About Vintage Amps. Want to support our show? Join our Patreon! Some of the topics discussed: 1:38 NOS military-grade green pilot light jewels from Gary Economy (Instagram); leave us an Apple Podcasts review and take a screenshot to enter to win one!; 5879 tubes 3:03 Where is George? (Danger UXB on eBay) 4:48 Rick Estrin and Dennis Gruenling's harmonica workshop, March 16 (link) 6:43 This week's sponsors: Emerald City Guitars; Amplified Parts; Izotope; Stringjoy Strings; and Grez Guitars. Ordering from StewMac? Use this affiliate link to help us out! 11:26 The 2024 Fretboard Summit, August 23-25 (link) 11:49 What's on Skip's bench: A PA head; blown power transformers 13:44 A discount on Eric Daw's amazing Solid Sound guitar wiring book (use TAVA when you check out): https://www.solidsoundbook.com/ 16:19 Taming the bass frequency on your amplifier 23:15 Resistors: What does Skip use? 27:27 Special guest: Illustrator/musician/friend/Mickey Rat & Couch Potato-inventor/record collector Robert Armstong (link)! Early Hawaiian guitar recordings; growing up in Fender country but gravitating towards the banjo; Coulter guitars; Hugo Ernst guitars; John DeLapp guitars; playing saw on the 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' soundtrack; animator Ward Kimball; 'Man in Space' (YouTube link); not working at Disneyland; seeing David Lindley at the Topanga Banjo & Fiddle contest; coining the term "Couch Potato;" Bob's tweed Fender Deluxe; Supro Dual Tones; Pee Wee's Playhouse; playing with Sourdough Slim; sheepherder conventions; touring Japan; Ben Pollack's "Two Tickets to Georgia" (YouTube link); playing 78 records today; Al Dodge 1:38:10 John Sebastian gets his dad's PA head back; a Disneyland tube PA
It's a very special, all-Canadian episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amp repair! This week, we have special guests Calvin McCormick (Hiwatt) and Mike Watson of The 6L6s along for the ride. Reminder: You should join our Patreon. Some of the topics discussed: 1:06 Jason heads to the Phoenix MIM Museum (link); the National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota (link); the American Banjo Museum (link) 3:20 This week's sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, Izotope, Stringjoy Strings, and Grez Guitars. 6:05 Canadian amp builders worth following: Gary Economy (Instagram) & Lo-Fi Electronic Instruments (Instagram); Stromberg-Carlson 207; Pepco Riviera 725; Lifco Cobra Mark 2; how to make an amp less bass-y; Frazey Ford's "U Kin B the Sun" (YouTube) 13:10 The Velvet Touch 14:31 Our Facebook group (link); how did Skip first notice Johnson and Soundmaster amps? 20:18 Garnet quirks: What's up with the tone stack on this Garnet Revolution II? 23:22 Ted Weber speakers, field coil reconing 23:51 Niagra Falls 25:01 All things poutine; Suuns (link) 30:25 Special guest: Calvin McCormick of Hiwatt! (link) 53:01 Regional Canadian foods: Ketchup chips, coffee crisp, beaver tales, peameal bacon on a kaiser, Newfoundland Screech; the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist 58:23 Outside foil cap orientation on Soundmasters; DC leakage in grid leak bias input caps 1:03:10 The Kahayan 8x4 Selector (link) 1:05:30 What's the deal with this Soundmaster 086 schematic? 1:11:31 Slowing down the trem on a Traynor Custom Reverb YSR-1; Kevin O'Connor's books; Pepco amps 1:17:51 Reducing the noise on the Fretboard Summit Microtone pre-amp; Traynor YGM-3; El Pato chicken 1:23:07 Special guest: Mike Watson of the 6L6s; Lifco amps; Keil Amps; the Velvetone amp; Turner amps; Swampdonkey amps; amps with 6Y6 power tubes; Acrosound 1:43:23 Jimi Hendrix on a Marshall amp Love the show? We have a Patreon where you can support us, get to the front of the line with questions, and get exclusive bonus content and surprises: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps
Drummer, Drum designer/builder and restorationist (and guitar builder); Dan Ford talks about the origins of the company that orginated with wood working, the experience of working through the stave-shell approach as opposed steam-bent ply/shells, the back story(s) on how some of his reclaimed redwood pieces were sourced, getting into the world of building guitars with Grez Guitars, getting into the world of drum-restoration, living an adventurous life , taking the new kit on it's maiden voyage and much more!!https://danforddrums.com/https://www.grezguitars.com/
Welcome to ep. 129 of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amp repair. This week, it's an (almost) all-Fender episode! Reminder: You should join our Patreon. Some of the topics discussed: :44 Jason goes to the NAMM Show 4:20 Skip is fixing his 1961 Comet 9:04 What's on Skip's bench: Three Fender Concerts; 5C1 Fender Champ circuits; a 5-watt Oahu with a 40-watt transformer; a silver panel Fender Champ for sale at Skip's 14:27 This week's sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, Izotope, and Grez Guitars. 20:36 Ceriatone amps; Divided by Thirteen Amplification gets acquired by Two-Rock 25:20 The art of drawing your own schematic; Robert Kidney's 'Jackleg' 29:56 Increasing gain on a Fender Princeton AA964 33:02 Isolated input/output jacks 35:45 A 1979 Fender Vibrolux with warped MDF baffle board, baffle replacement; good goo wood hardener 42:53 Should I recone the CTS alnico speakers on my rusty Fender Super Reverb or get new speakers? Slovakian Bwoop; Solfood's hot pepper sauce (link) 51:37 Why do my tubes have this crusty stuff around the base? Don Pepino pizza sauce; The Mob Run Pizzerias of NYC, N-Men: The Untold Story (link); Lake Berryessa's glory hole; Ben Harper (redux) 59:07 Help me understand why a tube amplifier needs a load? 1:03:11 The all-Fender episode 1:05:09 What's a good cheap alternative to the Fender Musicmaster I am looking at? Ampegs 1:09:20 Tweed Princeton kit woes … new Champ speaker Love the show? We have a Patreon where you can support us, get to the front of the line with questions, and get exclusive bonus content and surprises: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps
Welcome to episode 128 of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amp repair. The first hour of this show probably belongs on our Patreon, but I'm feeling generous and sharing it with everyone. Reminder: You should join our Patreon. (The amp questions kick in around 49 minutes.) 2:10 Skip goes to the Bay Area Guitar Show: Fancy Gibson ukes, a Martin 00-28, lots of amps, a shopworn Grez, Jimboys Tacos, the bar on San Clemente Island (Yelp), pupusas 33:46 Gibson reissues the Falcon (link) 40:03 Skip fixes a refrigerator 43:51 Skip loses his dentist and finds Trader Joe's; musician/illustrator Robert Armstrong (link) 48:52 A 1961 Harmony H322 bass amp that isn't loud enough 53:38 A vintage Gibson Falcon with a flickering pilot light; D-cell batteries 56:18 Using a thermistor to slowly ramp up voltage on old amps, the new Toyota Landcruiser 59:17 Do you want to be an old car guy? Skip's 1961 Mercury Comet; Jason needs a body shop 1:04:17 My house's dimmer switches are driving me nuts 1:07:47 Why did Fender change the plate resistors on the Bassman? 1:11:44 Using the signal from just before the phase inverter on a push-pull amp to drive another amp 1:15:31 Skip sees a bobcat 1:15:58 Draw differences between matched pairs of the same tubes 1:20:41 Distortion on the Normal channel vs Vibrato channel on vintage Fender amps 1:23:51 How to expand the volume range on a Masco PA; the Necromancer cocktail recipe; Groove Tube tube adapters 1:31:22 A low-watt amp for bedroom playing; power-adjusting amps; music recommendation: Issa Juma And Super Wanyika's 'World Defeats the Grandfathers' 1:36:39 A push-pull output transformer in a single-ended amp Our sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, Stringjoy Strings, Izotope, and Grez Guitars. Love the show? We have a Patreon where you can support us, get to the front of the line with questions, and get exclusive bonus content and surprises: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps
Transformer talk, spaghetti carbonara, goat horn jazz, and more transformer talk...it's the 126th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! Want to be a part of our show? Submit your question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com. Some of the topics discussed this week: :48 Skip types out a tube chart 3:16 This week's sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, Stringjoy Strings, and Grez Guitars; the art of bargaining at a guitar show; the Bay Area Vintage Guitar Show; Premier and Alamo amps 7:43 A Marshall Major PA-200 head at Emerald City (link) 11:48 What's on Skip's bench: an RCA PA head; Bill Krinard's return to the podcast? 15:08 RIP Earl Yarrow & Shep the dog 18:26 Junior Bonner 21:40 More Earl Yarrow 23:50 Brandy and soda 24:30 What to use in my Princeton Reverb clone: A Soursound 12-watt transformer or a Hammond 14-watt? 28:01 What to do with one single can of El Pato; avant-garde guitarist Havard Skaset; Los Pericos Quadradas chips (link); Norwegian goat horn player Karl Seglem's "Mytevegar" (Bandcamp) 33:23 Help my humming Vintage 47 Mini 37:52 What to do with a 1964 Magnatone 401, one-to-three input transformer, how to not get shocked 42:43 Should we be burning-in our amps after repairs? 46:21 Converting a Bogen MO30 to a Fender Pro circuit 51:44 Recording a tube amp at low volume by pulling the phase inverter 53:21 1952/1953 Fender Tweed Deluxes with low gain instrument jacks, input impedance 55:44 Armadillo Amp Works cabinets 56:20 Is this serviced 1970 Fender Bassman head still a Fender Bassman? gifting a tweed Bassman to your nephew 1:01:25 Thanks for the TAVA show notes; what's the deal with my one-knob, early 1960s Gibson Skylark GA-5? 1:06:50 What output transformer to use on my Trainwreck clone? Dynaco transformers 1:09:03 Heritage Auctions' typewriter sale (link) 1:10:49 Spaghetti carbonara; gutting a Peavey VTX Heritage 130 to build a bass amp with an ultra-linear transformer; Sunn amps 1:14:40 The magic of Soundmasters; Sacramento ska band Filibuster; how a family of amps can basically have the same pre-amp circuitry; 807s vs. 6L6s or EL34s 1:24:43 Thoughts on the 2024 Vintage Guitar Price Guide 1:27:57 What could cause DC voltage to build up on the grid of a power tube aside from leaky coupling caps 1:35:10 Shoutout to the Fender greats: Richard Smith, Bruce Zinky, Lynn Wheelwright, Terry Foster; a circuit baffler of sorts! 1:37:47 Spaghetti carbonara & Los Pericos Quadradas redux Love the show? We have a Patreon where you can support it and get exclusive bonus content and surprises: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps
Barry is back on the podcast! Barry builds some of my favorite guitars ever, but he isn't just an expert luthier. Barry is an real deal acoustician by trade and has a vast array of experience managing, creating, and controlling sound in almost any environment imaginable. On this episode we talk about his transition to building guitars full time, and some of his more challenging builds as an acoustical consultant. We also talk about what is "wrong" with guitar products, and why do we like them like that. There is a lot of info on this episode, you are going to love it! Check out Barry's work on his website HERE: https://www.grezguitars.com/ Here is the link for Tim Christ's GoFundMe and email proof of your $25 to NewHeartForTim@gmail.com The Text Chat is back!Hit me up at (503) 751-8577 You can also help out with your gear buying habits by purchasing stuff from Tonemob.com/reverb Tonemob.com/sweetwater or grabbing your guitar/bass strings from Tonemob.com/stringjoy Release your music via DistroKid and save 30% by going to Tonemob.com/distrokid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It's the 125th installment of the Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons! Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com. Some of the topics discussed this week: :51 Skip works on a Jim Kelley Amp, built-in attenuators, the magnetic field caused by a Tweed Bassman speaker 3:30 Skip needs an RCA MI-12155 schematic 3:56 Making stuff for the Bay Area Guitar Show 6:51 Our sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, Stringjoy Strings, and Grez Guitars. 8:12 Our 2023 Voltic DTF pedal Dad joke winner: Keith F with "Why did Skip have to marry Mrs. Simmons? From the day he solder, he couldn't resistor." 9:34 A basic servicing check-list of what to do when you get a vintage amp 15:36 An early 1960s Tweed Princeton branded Harvard, tensioning the input jack 22:22 Modar-branded guitar amps; tube lineup of EF86, 6BQ5, EZ81 23:51 Trainwreck amplifiers; the tone difference between a single 8 ohm secondary winding vs four separate 1 ohm coils wired at 8 ohms 25:47 Should I buy this Peavey Triumph 120 combo?; five-pin footswitch replacement 28:15 Dummy load vs speaker when working on amps 30:55 How to replace the battery circuit on a Bogen E66 portable PA, ice cream truck-specific amps, the Fretboard Brewery 35:45 5Y3 rectifiers, demystified 39:00 Rancho Gordo beans, redux 39:46 An inspiring 1966 Champ and a vegan pumpkin pie 45:24 A hi-fi Eico ST-84/Dynaco ST-70 with the balance way off, RIP Earl Yarrow 55:22 Servicing a Carr Mercury; 12AT7 versus 12ZX7 pre-amp tubes 1:01:04 What to do with a 1980s Fender 30 with a weak second channel? a rare Ampeg B-15N Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Happy holidays, everyone! Love the show? We have a Patreon where you can support it and get exclusive bonus content and surprises: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps
It's the 124th installment of the Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons: Conductive paints, speaker impedance mismatches, pizza hacks and lots of dad jokes! Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com. Our sponsors are Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, Stringjoy Strings, and Grez Guitars. Some of the topics discussed this week: :57 Skip works on a Jim Kelley Amp 6:30 Rancho Gordo beans, redux 7:49 Converting a SF Champ to the Princeton schematic and recommended plate voltages; Skip makes a tweed Harvard out of a Champ; pilot light washers from Daniel Petrzelka (Instagram: @dpetrzelka) 13:39 The 1970s Whole Earth Catalogs are now online (link) 15:21 What makes a great A/B box? 17:24 A '55 Tweed Bassman with a replaced output transformer and 7025s; Skip finishes the Tweed Deluxe overhaul 25:41 Impedance mismatches in 1950s Fender amps, using the external speaker output 31:26 Did David Lindley play on the Rockford Files theme song? Toots Thielemans 33:43 Eminence, Kentucky and Colonel Sanders 35:07 Can anything other than tubes be microphonic; the one-wire mod to have the reverb and tremolo on both channels on a Fender 37:12 Fuse-eating rectifier tubes on a Victoria Bandmaster clone; 5U4 vs GZ34 tubes 39:38 Converting a '50s Philco record player console for guitar use; Commander Cody; the Louvin Brothers' 'Satan Is Real' 43:26 Bringing up an old amp on a Variac 48:49 Experiments with conductive paints 52:36 Very loud noise floor in a low-wattage amp 56:21 A tube amp setup to compliment the Fender Tonemaster Pro 1:00:00 Biasing an old record player amp 1:05:22 Homemade pizza hacks, pizza stones, buying dough, Don Pepino, Rainier beer Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Love the show? We have a Patreon where you can support it and get exclusive bonus content and surprises: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps
Today, we celebrate the millionth download of our podcast with one of our favorite conversations to date: Longtime TAVA contributor Larry Chung joins Skip and Jason to talk about the zen and art of early tube amp restoration and so much more. We also tackle a bunch of questions from our listeners about PAs, field coil speakers, guitar amp finds, and other surprises. Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com. Our sponsors are Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, and Grez Guitars. Some of the topics discussed this week: 1:43 Thanks to you all, our Truth About Vintage Amps just hit a million downloads! 2:21 Our millionth download giveaway: Voltic Electronic Devices DTF fuzz (Instagram). Enter by November 1, 2023! 4:17 Special guest Larry Chung: Getting electrocuted on his first amp repair; Skip's OG appearance on Fretboard Journal Podcast #224 (link); a love for '30s and '40s PAs and amplifiers; the intrinsic joy of working on amplifiers; 'How to Repair Small Appliances' by Jack Darr; 6N6/6B5 tubes 29:43 Radio's Master and the hidden value of old catalogs 33:12 Why was the dark art of speaker reconing never documented? 35:20 Larry's unique approach to components when it comes to antique amplifiers; not rushing amp restorations 40:54 A not-so-stock blonde Tremolux; a White amplifier found at the dump; Soursound transformers (link) 48:08 The tone circuit in Gibson EH-150s with the high/low settings, collecting amps as a reference library 51:03 The sound of a field coil speaker vs. a standard speaker with the same amp 53:17 Do field coil speakers need maintenance beyond the actual speaker? the upper response of field coil speakers 57:58 Field coil into ground amplifiers 59:07 A Skip-serviced Masco Audiosphere 10 for sale in Amsterdam 1:00:15 How to dry out an amp that's been soaked by a storm; Kenny Vaughan's "Mysterium" (YouTube) 1:04:23 A Precision Electronics PE-25 PA head that sounds terrible 1:15:04 What is this Marshall 100-watt head? 1:19:17 Do I need to replace all the resistors on my 1940s Masco MA-25; SF's Kilowatt Bar (link) 1:24:45 Baking butternut squash as per the 'Joy of Cooking' 1:25:54 The magic of vintage pots, Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series; the Bros. Landreth 'Let It Lie' 1:32:31 Adam Levy's 'Spry' (link) 1:35:28 Troubleshooting a Masco MA-25/ME-27 with a loud hiss 1:44:13 Larry's book recommendation: Norman Maclean's 'Young Men and Fire' (Amazon link) Recorded October 9, 2023. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Love the show? We have a Patreon where you can support it and get exclusive bonus content and surprises: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps
Barry Grzebik is making some mighty fine guitars at Grez Guitars in Petaluma, CA. They are beautiful instruments, with tops made from salvaged redwood. The example Barry was kind enough to send us was a Mendocino baritone, with a top made of redwood from an old municipal water tower in Lake Tahoe. The body is hollow, and it plays like an acoustic. We had a blast talking to Barry. To see more of his work, check out his website: https://www.grezguitars.com/ Like the show? Follow us at these fine establishments: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thehighgain Instagram @thehighgain Web https://www.thehighgain.com
** Note to the Amp Purists: There is virtually NO amp talk on this episode. If that's what you're seeking, stay tuned for TAVA episode 123, out tomorrow, where we'll have two hours of deep amp knowledge with special guest Larry Chung. Everyone else: Enjoy a very special TAVA featuring Skip's son, Will!** What's it like to have amp tech Skip Simmons as your dad? We find out on the 122nd episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps featuring special guest Will Simmons! Will shares tales of growing up alongside a bunch of amps; Skip's parenting style; Will's love for art; and his his current work as an art critic. Also discussed: Drawbridge tales; photographer Laurie Simmons (Wikipedia link); Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture (Wikipedia link); Wynton Marsalis' "Blood on the Fields" (YouTube link); Brice Martin; Lo Moon (link); "Are You Awake?" by Lauren Mayberry (YouTube link); Wood Belly (link); Dean & Britta; Lady Gaga vs. Lana Del Rey; and so much more. All-told, it's a very sweet father & son (& podcast cohost) chat. Plus: Jason learns about diet pills! Amp related topics: 1:19:27 Soursound transformers 1:20:09 Are there any classic Fender amps that Skip hates? 1:21:51 Congratulations, John Vanderslice! 1:22:34 MTI Tubes effects unit, redux 1:26:55 A Peavey Mace 2x12, what are matched tubes? 1:32:31 Recommended: Replica tweed cabinets by Armadillo As always, keep the amplifier questions and voice memos coming to podcast@fretboardjournal.com and thanks to everyone who listens to our show. If you love it, leave us a five-star review over on Apple Podcasts. Join our Facebook group, 'A Rustic Kegger in the Woods': https://www.facebook.com/groups/164889374531738 Join the TAVA Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps Our sponsors are Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, and Grez Guitars. Recorded October 6, 2023. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.
It's the 121st episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amp. This week: Special guest Jim Kelley joins us (around the 28-minute mark)! Want to be a part of the show? Keep the amp questions for Skip coming to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Voice memos or emails are welcome. Don't forget we now have a Patreon if you'd like to support the show featuring weekly installments of what's on Skip's bench, random eBay finds, and surprise content: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps Some of the topics discussed in this episode: 5:31 What's on Skip's bench: A Bogen mixer from the 1940s 6:35 What to do with a vintage MTI Tubes overdrive preamp stompbox 10:02 What's the deal with Fender Ultra Linear amps? 14:33 Australia's National Vintage Guitar Show (link, October 7-9, 2023); the Amigo Bay Area Guitar Show in January (link; Skip will be there!) 17:26 Repurposing old power transformers 22:16 Jazz guitarist Peter Bernstein; Russell Malone; Adam Levy; RIP Sammy Ash 23:17 A "brown" Deluxe that needed repair from San Quentin State Prison! 25:56 What to do with a 1973 Fender Princeton Reverb ground switch? 28:39 Special guest: Jim Kelley! 4x6V6s, plate voltages, Fortune Amps, Line, using a great reference speaker; Dumble; the Kelley prototype head at Emerald City Guitars; Jim's preferred parts; Vince Gill 1:26:00 Tubes for a Marathon amp clone 1:27:50 Building a point-to-point wired amp inside of a PCB Vox AC15VR chassis Our sponsors are Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, and Grez Guitars. Recorded September 20, 2023. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.
It's the 120th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amp. This week in a nutshell: Is this the Fender Yale?; lots of Fretboard Summit love; Skip sneaks a mower across the border; magnifiers; tomato gravy; and rumblings of a possible Oregon Truth About Vintage Amps meetup! Special Note: Our friends at Amplified Parts are having a Labor Day Sale right now. Use the code LABOR10 to save 10% off your order, but act fast. https://www.amplifiedparts.com/ Want to be a part of the show? Keep the amp questions for Skip coming to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Voice memos or emails are welcome. Don't forget we now have a Patreon if you'd like to support the show featuring weekly installments of what's on Skip's bench, random eBay finds, and surprise content: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps Some of the topics discussed in this episode: :00 Fretboard Summit recap (thanks, Kevin!); a gift of Del Cabo mangos; Rob Abernathy's robots (https://rodabernethy.com/); our sponsors (Emerald City Guitars, Stringjoy Strings (use the code FRETBOARD to save 10% off your first string order), Amplified Parts, and Grez Guitars. 10:30 Donny Hathaway plays "The Ghetto" (YouTube link); Skip brings a Tweed Deluxe back from the dead (and possibly a Princeton Reverb), lousy amp repair people 16:22 A Fretboard Summit recap; a transitional Gibson Falcon find 21:40 An Ampeg SVT CL that sounds sort of like the opening to the Beastie Boys' "Intergalactic" when you turn it on 24:46 Offshoot amp brands we can spot in the wild 26:43 Magnifiers, redux! Recommended: YOCTOSUN Head Mount Magnifier on Amazon (link, on sale for just 16 bucks right now); LED garage lighting (Costco link) 29:55 How do self-split output stages work? Kalamazoo KEA amps 32:30 Help me make sense of this Bell PM33 Pacemaker schematic 37:53 Speaker-driven line out and reverb, together; a Seattle TAVA meetup?; an Oregon Coast TAVA meetup at Pelican Brewing? 41:01 Skip's contraband riding lawn mower 49:01 Is this the Fender Yale? John Peden's Sidetrack Liner Notes podcast (Apple Podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sidetrack-liner-notes/id1162344630) 53:05 Kate Wolf; Eminem 56:25 Transformer windings and tomato gravy 1:02:12 The Silvertone 1484 TwinTwelve input section; Fender Musicmaster Bass amp mods 1:06:17 The Gibson tone-sucking circuit in the GA19RVT Falcon (Instagram link) Recorded August 31, 2023. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to the Fretboard Journal (link). Digital subscriptions start at just $30. Submit your amp questions, recipes, and life hacks to podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.
It's the 119th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amp. Want to be a part of the show? Keep the amp questions for Skip coming to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Voice memos or emails are welcome. Don't forget we now have a Patreon if you'd like to support the show featuring weekly installments of what's on Skip's bench, random eBay finds, and surprise content. Some of the topics discussed in this episode: 2:32: This week's sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Stringjoy Strings (use the code FRETBOARD to save 10% off your first string order), Amplified Parts, and Grez Guitars. 4:27 Special call-in guest: TAVA listener Brian McAllister (vintagetubeamplifiers.com, @vintagetubeamplifiers): Finding TAVA while hospitalized; amps on Brian's bench; tips on making a pre-amp out of a Conn Strobotuner (or a Bogen PH10); Skip is building a tube pre-amp for the Chicago Fretboard Summit!; what's the most improper fuse you've seen in an amp? 29:00 Using magnifiers / magnifying glasses while working on amps 33:19 Installing a fuse in a 1973 Fender Musicmaster Bass amp; preventative maintenance on replacing electrolytic caps that work?; using an audio transformer as a phase inverter instead of a tube; Datsun pickups; what happened to the Ford Aerostar? 46:51 Are all Selenium rectifiers bad? 50:34 Hand-painting the value onto Domino Mica caps 55:43 Best way to test speakers on a Gibson GA8 and RB17T Scout 58:06 Handling unused taps on a power transformer 59:38 An all-tube tremolo circuit: the Tone God's Bullit (link); removing the skin on salmon 1:01:18 How do I reduce the B+ on my Dynaco ST-35 clone project? 1:05:27 An Amaro cocktail for the TAVA set 1:08:46 Recommended viewing: The Pharmacist, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed; Hidden; The Art of the Steal Recorded August 4, 2023. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to the Fretboard Journal (link). Digital subscriptions start at just $30. Submit your amp questions, recipes, and life hacks to podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.
It's the 117th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where legendary amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on guitar amps and their repair! Want to be a part of the show? Keep the amp questions for Skip coming to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Voice memos or emails are welcome. And don't forget we now have a Patreon. This week's sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Stringjoy Strings (use the code FRETBOARD to save off your first string order), Amplified Parts, and Grez Guitars. This week's topics: 1:18 Jason goes to NYC (and Montana) 4:43 Special thanks: Listener Doug, QSL cards, Micah 9:18 Skip's movie, music and book picks of the week: 'Little Miss Sunshine,' an Arhoolie Records box set (link), "A Hero's Death" by Fontaines D.C., "Cleanin' Out My Closet" by Eminem; 'Fire in Sierra Nevada Forests' by George E. Gruell 16:34 The amps Skip has seen the most often and why 21:51 When to NOT just service it first, should I gut this Stromberg Carlson AU-42? Daniel Romano; Premier Amps 29:45 Can I actually use the AC outlet on the back of my vintage Fender? 32:43 Extending the leads on a Mojotone Tweed Princeton kit, what are turret boards made of? 38:08 Do I need to replace all the resistors on my 1953 Gibson GA-20? 42:52 Coupling cap orientation, redux 44:30 Sourcing a parts kit for vintage amp servicing 51:17 John Vanderslice visits Skip, Gibson resistors again 54:02 Using the vintage speakers found in the walls of my midcentury modern home's intercom system 59:06 Hope for the Fender Musicmaster bass amp, GSS Speaker Repair Services in Los Angeles 1:05:50 Plate voltage versus screen voltage on a power tube; @thevalvinist on Instagram; a Hohner / Sano combo amp for sale; the 2023 Fretboard Summit (link) 1:14:14 Modding the tone control on a Silvertone 1482, using a tip ring sleeve jack to bypass a cap 1:22:40 Fat Tire Amber beer Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to the Fretboard Journal (link). Digital subscriptions start at just $30. Submit your amp questions, recipes, and life hacks to podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.
The Knobs welcome Barry Grzebik founder of Grez Guitars to the show. Barry has created unique offerings for the guitar world through is handcrafted models featuring reclaimed Redwood from the Pacific Northwest. His original designs have an incredible resonance and tone. Aside from being impeccably well crafted, the thing that grabbed our attention when we met him at NAMM 2023 was how impossibly light they were. Enjoy the show! Hosted by Todd Novak with Tony Dudzik, and Billy Spitfire #guitarpodcast #electricguitar #pedaleffects #pedalfx #theguitarknobs #guitarknobs #guitarinterview #guitaramplifier #guitarpickups #guitarsetup #fuzz #overdrive #reverb #distortion #guitartips Visit us at theguitarknobs.com Support our show on Patreon.com/theguitarknobs
Hello dear listener,Matt and I are back for another episode of The Guitar Nerds Podcast. This week Barry Grzebik from Grez Guitars has challenged Matt and I to design our dream Grez Bass VI! We're talking all about our favourite elements of existing Bass VI's and baritones, and working out what we think would make the ultimate incarnation of such an instrument.We're also taking a listen to the new Beta V Bass preamp from Solid Gold FX, and my goodness, does it sound wonderful! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's the 112th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, where legendary amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on guitar amps and their repair. Want to be a part of the show? Keep the amp questions for Skip coming to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Voice memos or emails are welcome. Some of the topics discussed this week: 7:42 David Lindely on Dumble: Audio interview on our Patreon (link) 8:07 Shoutout to August from Otis Amps 8:46 Rancho Gordo Beans, redux (link), Herdez Salsa Casera, Juantonio's chips 11:42 What's on Skip's workbench: A Stromberg PA head; a 1910 Hammond Multiplex typewriter 16:39 More on David Lindley 19:31 A muted Tweed Bassman with a hiss in V2, testing test equipment; a brownface Deluxe at the flea market 27:15 What's the difference between silverface '60s Fender Pro Reverbs (drip-edge or not); the Cars; is the Pro Reverb the beginning of "logging truck" status 33:53 Amps that use 2A3/6A3 triodes as power tubes 40:01 ChatGPT wrote a poem about TAVA 43:11 Rob Robinette's recommendation to put a 1N4007 diode in series after the Secondary AC High voltage and the plate of the rectifier tube; 'Junior Bonner' with Steve McQueen; Better Call Saul; Hollywood gossip 47:49 Lighting your workbench, a dedicated filter circuit for testing amps? 50:39 Waking up amps that have not been used in a long while; using multimeters for the first time; inconsistencies in the volt readout on a variac 56:12 Does a variac provide the same shock protection as an isolation transformer?, the Silvertone 1485 circuit, the Hillbilly Rueben recipe 1:02:52 Hearing Skip's voice in your head while you're at your day job; a 1940s Navy soundsystem with a dynamotor 1:06:15 Fixing the crack in a 1972 Fender Deluxe Reverb cabinet, troubleshooting amps that have been dropped, index pins 1:13:13 The sound of octal tubes; the Baxandall EQ circuit explained; why did my Ampeg start smoking with an acrid smell when turned on? 1:17:38 A Fender Hotrod Blues Deluxe that is muted until it has warmed up for 30 seconds, input jacks 1:22 Kenny Burrell's ‘Soulero', a 2006 Fender Tweed Twin (no reverb) with an intermittent volume drop 1:28:46 Balancing family life with amp projects, redux Recorded March 15, 2023. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. This week's episode is sponsored by Stringjoy Strings, Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to the Fretboard Journal (link). Digital subscriptions start at just $30. Want to register for our Fretboard Summit? Here's a link. Submit your amp questions, recipes, and life hacks to podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.
We're back and episode 111 has it all: Deep thoughts, a tornado, fried eggs, and power tubes gone bad. Keep the questions coming to podcast@fretboardjournal.com and enjoy! Some of the topics discussed this week: 1:59 The TAVA Big Index page (link) 3:26 A pro chef hack, Rancho Gordo beans redux (link to the beans) 4:34 A '64 Princeton Reverb clone with a switch that can convert it to a stock Princeton, redux (thanks Emcee Amps of Montreal); the Tweed Vibrolux tone control 7:44 What's on Skip's bench: A Stromberg-Carlson PA head 9:52 What did today's vintage amps sound like new? Pizza with an egg 19:00 A tornado-damaged 1967 Deluxe Reverb with a loose reverb wire 23:38 A 6G3 with a glowing power tube, when good power tubes go bad 28:41 Why does my hand-wired Vox AC4 hum more than my PCB version of the exact same amp? 32:18 Making a '63 Vibroverb reissue quieter; the Crazy Tube Circuit's White Whale reverb pedal (link) 42:13 Baffler: The usefulness of a 6AT6 preamp tube in old radios 46:16 What Skip's reading: Garrett Hongo's 'The Perfect Sound: A Memoir in Stereo' (Amazon link), a 12-volt powered dynamotor 51:57 A psychologist chimes in; B+ voltage Recorded Feb. 14, 2023. This week's episode is sponsored by Stringjoy Strings, Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to the Fretboard Journal (link). Digital subscriptions start at just $30. Want to register for our Fretboard Summit? Here's a link. Submit your amp questions, recipes, and life hacks to podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.
An episode that almost went off the rails (a missing special guest, talk of tragic balloon heroes, street tacos) but somehow gets back to amp basics. Some of the topics discussed this week: 3:56 Skip's decision to quit being a drawbridge operator, Skip visits Eminence 8:58 Austin Ribbon Mics, the Hot Holder Pro (link); book recommendation: 'How to Read Schematic Diagrams' by Donald Herrington 11:36 The Man in the Flying Lawn Chair, by George Plimpton (New Yorker link) 12:22 Roqsolid amp covers (link); Vengeance 13:52 New to our Patreon: Listener Nick reads the Jack Darr (link) 15:30 The use of ferrite beads, redux; inductors versus capacitors 18:20 A love for logging trucks; the Gretsch Fury, a not-quite-stereo-amplifier 24:00 The amp-related plotline on the fourth episode of Poker Face on Peacock 25:10 Polarized electrolytic caps; using a dual-shaft concentric pot on a '65 Gibson Scout GA-17RVT to avoid drilling a new hole; musician Seth Walker 30:21 Installing a switch to bypass the whole reverb circuit on a clone 1965 Princeton Reverb clone 34:12 Ampeg VT-40 60 cycle hum, even in standby 39:40 Skip's steak street tacos; Tortillaland tortillas; Rancho Gordo beans (link) 46:19 SOLVED: James' 1967 Twin Reverb with diminished volume, could this mistake be a desired mod? 53:38 Whacking a transformer with a hammer 55:40 Could you build an extension cab with a field coil speaker that has its own power supply so you can use it with any amp? 1:01:31 Seeking a budget hi-fi rig for classic country; Mezzetta garlic-stuffed olives; cream cheese-filled eggrolls, Granzella's Restaurant in California 1:08:08 Dutch kale in heavy cream; using a thermal camera to diagnose faulty amp parts, puppies as relationship testers; thermometer guns This week's episode is sponsored by Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to the Fretboard Journal (link). Digital subscriptions start at just $30. Want to register for our Fretboard Summit? Here's a link. There's a giant index page with nearly all the former topics we've discussed in our first 100+ episodes found here. Submit your amp questions, recipes, and life hacks to podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.
Episode 109: A long build-up to the amp troubleshooting, but plenty to discuss, including a new puppy, the realities of vintage guitar shows, grandmothers getting run over by reindeer, and ferrite beads. Some of the topics discussed this week: :34 Meet Junior 5:59 Skip's report from the 2023 Bay Area Amigos Guitar Show; Dr. Elmo buys a Grez (Wikipedia link); the dangers of parking at a produce stand 23:26 This week's sponsors: Grez Guitars; Amplified Parts (Hammond products are currently on sale!); Iztotope (use Fret10 as your discount code); and our Patreon patrons. 24:38 Listener Nate sends Skip an autographed copy of the Jack Darr book 26:01 Why do we twist lead wires?, a 5U4 rectifier in a 1965 Deluxe Reverb, 'Heartworn Highways' 35:02 Fixing a broken, grounded plug 37:49 Seamless Joe from Italy, "Nature Boy" (Wikipedia link) 44:39 A Super Reverb with dying tremolo 48:20 5G cell tower interference and ferrite beads 52:14 Getting the sticker back on a vintage Fender footswitch 53:51 Improving the tone stack on a Harmony 420 59:42 Transformers for a 5C1 Champ build; to choke or not to choke 1:06:53 An EL84 Filmosound with a buzzing transformer 1:09:08 Junior has an accident 1:09:45 Why doesn't my Knight 93-320 PA head have a fuse? 1:11:32 Actual logging truck tales on 'Odd Lots' (Apple Podcasts link) 1:12:06 A Teisco/Checkmate/Northland Baffin III 1:15:35 Why is there an angry crackle on my Magnasync Moviola 1800 whenever I touch my guitar? 1:18:29 Toots & the Maytals cover "Country Roads Take Me Home" (YouTube link) 1:20:06 Why is my Bassman's plate voltage so high with this GZ34 tube? 1:22:33 Dolly Sinatra's pasta sauce (Edit: Duquesne is a town in PA, not a PA...stupid autocorrect!) Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to the Fretboard Journal (link). Digital subscriptions start at just $30. There's a giant index page with nearly all the former topics we've discussed in our first 108 episodes found here. Submit your amp questions, recipes, and life hacks to podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.
Episode 108: It's like a best-of episode, but totally new! Pre-amps, typewriters, too many kitchen hacks, transformer talk, Jason reads the tubes wrong, and we even get a little artsy! Some of the topics discussed this week: 2:53 Does Skip want to see your amps right now? See Skip at the January 14-15, 2023 Amigo Bay Area Guitar Show 4:59 A Tweed Pro with a variable inverse feedback control knob 5:45 Lee Jeffriess in the Fretboard Journal's 51st issue (link); check out Jeffriess and John Munnerlyn performing "Blues for Earl" 11:22 The December 31 TAVA Seattle meetup (thanks for organizing, @liquidnyo); YouTube's jgflyback shows off his tube-powered clock (shaky Instagram Live footage) 13:50 This week's sponsors: Grez Guitars has a new long-scale bass!; Amplified Parts (Hammond products are currently on sale!); Iztotope (use Fret10!); AND Stringjoy Strings. Plus...Josh Scott (JHS) is coming to TAVA, the TAVA El Pato-Tone Practice amp (Reverb link), and our Patreon page 20:56 The resonance of a fully loaded turret board; mounting components in a head vs. combo; goop 28:25 Microphonics in a tube amp (the good kind); David Lindley (support him via t-shirt sales here) 30:04 Why were so many power transformers changed in the '70s and '80s?; Spokane, Washington; Jason's favorite noodle place in Spokane, Washington (link); a very-modified Gibson Les Paul Junior with a cooling fan 36:03 Typewriter keyboards; '80s Scottish cop show, 'Taggart' 39:58 Should I change the transformer on my Bruce Zinky Fender Prosonic head? the effect of an output transformer on tone 45:46 What's the deal with the Fender Bantam bass amp?; the oven instead of the range; ham and bacon end pieces 50:39 Reincarnating a dead Peavey Deuce II; putting a Vox-style preamp circuit on an amp with 6L6s; cheese quesadilla hacks 54:06 Fixing the uneven distortion on my Dad's Gibson GA-9 56:53 Why isn't my 1967 Fender Twin Reverb as loud as my other Twin Reverb? 1:00:05 Arts & Humanities corner: The Albert Barnes collection of post-modern art, 'Art of the Steal,' (link); Skip goes to Harvard, again; RIP poet Charles Simic (read "Stub of a Red Pencil" here) 1:04:06 Chopped onion, chickpeas, and black beans sauteed in a pan 1:06:18 What would you do with my Bogen CHA-33 PA head? coffee-roasted carrots (link) 1:12:13 Changing the pre-amp tube (and speaker) in an Epiphone Model 101 1:19:47 What to do with this 1953 Revere T-100 reel-to-reel? 1:31:48 Skip likes the new Fretboard Journal (issue 51, link) Recorded January 10, 2023. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to the Fretboard Journal (link). Digital subscriptions start at just $30. There's a giant index page with nearly all the former topics we've discussed in our first 107 episodes found here. Submit your amp questions, recipes and life hacks to the podcast via podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.
Episode 107: The genius of Garnet founder "Gar Gillies," Fender reverb controls, fixing Magnatones, and more. **Want to meet Skip? He'll be at the January 14-15, 2023 Amigo Bay Area Guitar Show with stuff to sell (and also picking up amps that need to be serviced).** Some of the topics discussed this week: 3:00 Deluxe Amplification's El Pato Tone Amp (Reverb link) 7:19 El Pato, cottage cheese with salsa, Sacramento's music instrument lending library "MusicLandria" (link) 11:09 Silverface Champs: Change just the tone stock or also increase the value of the plate resistors, the Garnet book (link) 17:23 Speaker load revisited 21:25 A 12AU7 instead of a 12AT7 in a Princeton Reverb; gochujang Korean pepper paste, kimchi 26:45 Fender reverb unit controls, explained; hybrid Vox 7-series amps; the Aclam Dr. Robert pedal (link); impedance redux; the life of a vacuum tube 34:45 What's oozing out of Magnatone M-9's wires? 42:29 Why does my Pepco (Garnet! Canada!) amp use two 6AV6 tubes and only half a 12AX7, instead of a whole 12AX7 and a 6AV6? 46:18 Vintage bass amps for actual bass players? 56:01 16 or 18-gauge zip cord for speaker wire? heat shrink for splicing This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to the Fretboard Journal (link). Digital subscriptions start at just $30. There's a giant index page for nearly all the former topics we've discussed in our first 100 episodes found here. Submit your amp questions, recipes and life hacks to the podcast via podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.
Episode 106: No special guests, but plenty of amp questions answered and some recipes! Some of the topics discussed: 1:01 It's good to be anxious 3:59 Our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps 4:18 Any interest in a Seattle amp swap meet / hang on December 31? Message me at podcast@fretboardjournal.com. 4:49 Deluxe's TAVA-tribute El Pato-Tone 9-volt practice amp: Now available in the green El Pato can! (Reverb link) 7:51 Music recommendation: Thee Sinseers (NPR Tiny Desk concert link); The "5" Royales (YouTube link) 9:23 How is amp output affected by adding speakers? 12:39 Impedance vs resistance, revisited; phaser analysis; chicken curry 17:27 The Soursound transformers episode (link); when does the speaker deep dive happen?; amps with hybrid circuits; harpist Emily Hopkins (YouTube link), 8417 tubes 27:38 Netflix's new documentary, 'Travelin' Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall' 30:45 Harp player Paul Oscher; Jontavious Willis' interview with Oscher on the Diddie Wah Diddie podcast (link) 33:34 Tips on extending wiring; a Western Electric Slice 37:06 Safe long-term storage of vintage amps; a Falcon discovered in the trunk of a car 40:23 What's the simplest tube reverb circuit? the Boss FRV-1 '63 Fender Reverb pedal, vintage Premier 90 Reverb tanks 45:38 'The How & Why of Guitar Tube Amps' by Gar Gillies (order: http://www.garnetamps.com/order_b.htm) 50:57 Now you have a third salad dressing 51:31 Is the speaker switch I made safe to use? Grits with smoked gouda 1:00:07 Buying a second-hand Mesa Boogie amp 1:04:02 What's the CSA Thermal Protector on a Fender Musicmaster Bass amp? 1:06:52 An Australian Philips PA conversion that won't stop popping and crackling; cathode resistors and plate load resistors 1:09:17 Three Marshall Super Lead heads, one that has ghosting; filter capacitance 1:18:35 Soup with kale and white beans 1:21:01 Yank magazine; a fancy tube tester (and a Heathkit signal generator) still available at Skip's; Rabbit Hole bourbon (link); Sherwood (British TV show); see Skip at the Marin Guitar Show (January 2023, link) This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to the Fretboard Journal (link). Digital subscriptions start at just $30. There's a giant index page for nearly all the former topics we've discussed in our first 100 episodes found here. Submit your amp questions, recipes and life hacks to the podcast via podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.
** We are doing another run of Truth About Vintage Amps t-shirts. Pre-order your shirt now by clicking here: https://silkshopstores.com/tavamerch/shop/home ** Just in time for the holidays: A bonus Truth About Vintage Amps episode! This week, no listener-submitted questions. Instead, we introduce you to Joshua Dejaen, a.k.a. jdflyback on YouTube. This young, Pacific Northwest-based electrical engineer has taken YouTube by storm with a viral video where he not only built a tube amp from scratch, he even built the tubes! Watch Joshua's video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UEfqAWb3fE&t=439s During our chat, we hear how Joshua got his start building vacuum tubes at home, learn about some of the grassroots tube builders / electrical engineers who have inspired him along the way, and hear about Joshua's build process. We also learn about the perils of microwave oven transformers and so much more. Joshua has included a schematic for the spot welder he used in his tube-making video. See the show notes on fretboardjournal.com or check our Instagram/Patreon pages. Other references mentioned by Joshua: 'Saga of the Vacuum Tube,' by Gerald F.J. Tyne (Amplified Parts order link) https://simplifier.neocities.org https://www.youtube.com/@glasslinger/ 'Materials Technology for Electron Tubes' by Walter H. Kohl (Tubebooks.org link) This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to the Fretboard Journal (link). Digital subscriptions start at just $30. In early December, we'll celebrate the third anniversary of TAVA with Ep. 106. Submit your amp questions, recipes and life hacks to the show via podcast@fretboardjournal.com, and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media. The Truth About Vintage Amps is hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons. Co-hosted and produced by the Fretboard Journal‘s Jason Verlinde.
Episode 104: No special guests, but plenty of amp questions answered, plus lots of schematic talk, A/B/Y boxes, a recipe or two, and a parenting tip! Some of the topics discussed: 1:03 A 1954 Fender extension cabinet (tweed, but spray painted black); Fender Amps: The First 50 Years (Amazon link); asbestos in amps 7:04 Why are the PA amps I'm restoring so noisy? Masco MA-25; Stromberg-Carlson AU42 12:49 Resistance versus impedance; the functions of a choke in an amp 18:37 What happened to the quick & easy recipes? Canned soup hacks; replacing a broken terminal strip 23:13 Putting a three-prong plug on an old Variac; movie recommendation: Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World (link) 27:08 A one-tube reverb circuit (link); Kodak projectors; a voltage doubler 30:15 Getting your kids interested in electronics; paper airplanes; candle powered boats (Amazon link) Amplified Parts pedal kits (link) 35:21 Working on early Carvin tube amplifiers 39:09 Jack's Darr's Fender schematics 40:48 A 6G3 clone with a tube rattle; tube rings; goats 46:59 A Vega Commander Fidelity Amp Model No. 51; 1273 tubes 52:57 A "pop" whenever you turn your pedal on 57:15 Why don't more players use an A/B/Y and play multiple amps at once? 1:00:02 The bass control on a Gibson EH-185 schematic, amps that don't use the Baxandall tone control 1:03:03 What is the amp that came with my lap steel, what's with the 80 tube, how do I find a schematic for it, and what do I do with it? 1:09:20 Metal tubes versus glass tubes 1:11:50 The history of Rogers hi-fi's; beer bread pizza 1:14:58 Recommended: The Computer Clinic of Chico, California This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to the Fretboard Journal (link). Digital subscriptions start at just $30. Submit your amp questions, recipes and life hacks to the podcast via podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.
The 103rd Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast. Special guest Mason Stoops (Jackson Browne, Marcus Mumford) walks us through his crazy Marcus Mumford live rig! Plus: Dutch potatoes, shorting jacks, vintage road cases, and more. **Get a glimpse of what Mason is talking about by watching this video: https://youtu.be/TH-bixpr-EQ and then listen to his explanation on our show (starts at 1:03:28).** :47 What's on Skip's bench: a Mesa Boogie Mark I 2:21 Kevin in Ohio has joined the Rustic Kegger in the Woods (Facebook link), nasty old pine trees 7:53 Eric Daw's Solid Sound book (order link); Daniel Petrzelka's replacement pilot light washers for SF Fenders (contact him via Instagram) 18:42 Easiest way to date a Fender amp; Portland, Oregon's Cast Iron Revival (Instagram link) 22:55 Music recommendation: Sonny Burgess 27:22 A Blonde Fender Bandmaster with failing volume; Nic Grabien 31:09 Gain vs volume, redux; Hotchpotch / hutspot potatoes with kale 38:14 Alternatives to a Fender Champ 12 42:39 Shorting jacks to reduce hum in amps? Mexican gumbo soup 50:32 A 1968 Fender Bassman head with two chokes and a non-original power transformer 54:25 A 1959 Gibson GA-9 with an erratic distortion once the volume is turned up 57:00 Taming the boost on 1979 Fender Princeton Reverb with the pull-boost; original Fender-branded tubes 1:01:34 Alternatives to a Music Man RD-50? 1:03:28 Special guest: Mason Stoops! Stoops' live rig touring with Marcus Mumford, Austen Hooks-modified Filmosounds + "Space Heater" amps, Kalamazoo Model 2s, a Peavey Studio Chorus, LED lights, playing with Jackson Browne, and so much more. Watch our video here to see what Mason is talking about (and his guitar and pedal setup): https://youtu.be/TH-bixpr-EQ (Thanks, Duncan!) This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to the Fretboard Journal (link). Digital subscriptions start at just $30. Submit your amp questions, recipes and life hacks to the podcast via podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.
Special guest Bryan Sours (Soursound transformers) joins us for an epic talk all about transformers! Note: This is the longest episode of TAVA to date, and one of the most information-rich. I didn't attempt to make complete show notes for all the topics Bryan covered as it would be impossibly long. For our listeners who like to get into the weeds, this episode is for you. Dive in. **Also, for a limited time, Bryan Sours is offering TAVA listeners a special discount: Use the code SKIPSENTME when you check out at https://soursound.com. ** This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to Jason's magazine, the Fretboard Journal (link). Some of the topics discussed this week: :00 Skip has COVID 4:49 Temple Grandin in the Wall Street Journal (link) 7:18 The top boost circuit in a Vox AC30 from a Gibson GA-70? (link) 8:40 What's the deal with all these PA head and Filmosound conversions? 13:39 Special guest: Bryan Sours of Soursound: Making transformers, working with Benson amplifiers, rewinding transformers, custom transformers, and a lot more. There's a steak recipe toward the end, too. Submit your amp questions, recipes and life hacks to the podcast via podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.
Episode 101 of TAVA: Gain, flux, gochujang and more! This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to Jason's magazine, the Fretboard Journal (link). Some of the topics discussed this week: 12:00 Building a 5F1, Little Charlie's Spanish Rice and the impact of TAVA 14:13 Listener Mitch's landline USB phone!; weirdest thing found in amps; frozen kale crumbles; Angela caps; gochujang spice 21:00 Do EL84s sound different after being on for a half hour? 23:27 What's the difference between volume and gain? 25:47 The Trainwreck Type-3 master volume, redux 27:34 Tad's Bell & Howell amp; maple syrup from New Hampshire 28:24 Clean flux or leave it on? 29:55 An Australian barn find: A 1960 Moody 17/12 amp; fixing silkscreening on a control panel; a 9-pin triode pentode (6BL8); Dynaco ST-70 amps; adding avocado to vegemite toast 35:56 A barn find Filmosound; what to do when starting up a long-dormant amp, checking capacitors for ECR 47:22 Electrolytic bypass caps on preamp tubes 51:50 Frozen fruit instead of ice cubes in cocktails 52:33 A silverface Fender amp with a conductive part board; moisture in a part board? 58:57 Does anyone like amps with combination fixed and cathode bias? 1:01:56 Buying a 1960s Gretsch 6152 as your first vintage amp 1:05:54 What's the difference between all the input jacks on a 6G2 Princeton vs a 5F11 Vibrolux 1:07:04 Book recommendation: Please Kill Me: The Uncensored History of Punk (Amazon link); music recommendation: 'Balsams' by Chuck Johnson (Bandcamp link); the trem circuit in a Victoria Victorilux 1:13:05 Yank, the Army Weekly magazine 1:15:11 Bill Orcutt's Music for Four Guitars (Bandcamp, FJ Podcast appearance) 1:16:12 Rust on transformers and how it affects performance, eddy currents, Plush amps, Metal Rescue 1:20:17 A Stromberg Signet 22 PA head converted into a two-EL84 Matchless DC-30 that makes lightsaber sounds 1:26:54 The typewriters of the Beat poets; the Beat Museum in SF (link) 1:30:12 An Eico 950 Capacitor Tester 1:35:44 Brew 102 beer Submit your amp questions, recipes and life hacks to the podcast via podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.
Our 100th episode! To help us celebrate this milestone, Skip and Jason are joined this week by friends of the show Nels Cline (Wilco), Barry Grzebik (Grez Guitars), Jesse Quitslund (Acme), Steve Melkisethian (Angela Instruments), and Colleen Fazio (Fazio Electric). We tackle a few amp questions, get the first-ever ambient remix of our podcast, catch up, and announce the winners of our 100th episode giveaways. This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise. Some of the topics discussed this week: 4:48 'California Burning' book (Amazon link) 7:05 Special guest: Nels Cline: Daybreak Seaweed Flakes (link) 8:26 Our TAVA 100 Giveaways: A Grez Mendocino Junior; a Skip-modded SF Fender champ; a Madsen Amplification GE Boost (use the discount code TAVA 20 at madsenamps.com); a FirstCoast Amplification-modified Masco-turned-5F2A Princeton (FirstCoast's Reverb store); Eric Daw's new book 'Solid Sound: 23 Schematics for Wiring Vintage and Modern Single-Coil, Solid-Body Guitars' (order link) 11:01 Special guest: Barry from Grez Guitars 11:23 Special guest: Jesse Quitslund (Acmeverb.com) 17:55 Special guest: Steve Melkisethian (Angela Instruments), a rough tomato season, the Angela SSE amp project 21:52 Special guest: Colleen Fazio (fazioelectric.com) 26:35 Marty from the Oregon Coast 28:05 Carlsbro amps, haunted amps 33:38 What does a wattage rating really mean? 38:29 Derek the Cruise Ship Guy's ambient TAVA remix; increasing the tremolo on old Fender amps, pulling the tremolo pre-amp tube to increase gain, McGohan PA amps 48:14 Building the Angela SSE amp (link to the catalog/schematic) 53:35 Favorite speakers for black panel Fenders, Colleen's test cabinet 56:26 A philosophical question: What if the modded vintage amp you bought was modded by a genius?; homemade hot sauce, mica caps, replacement Fender Silverface pilot light washers 1:07:19 The amp that Barry at Grez puts all his guitars through 1:09:06 Was the Vox AC-30 circuit inspired by a Gibson design? EL34s in early AC-30s 1:12:19 Music recommendation: Billy Jack Wills' Crazy Man Crazy (YouTube link), Bob Wills' 1941 Martin D-45 (catch Jason in this Emerald City Guitars' YouTube video) 1:13:54 How to tell a tube's origin from its appearance? 1:18:06 Thoughts on putting a vintage transformer in a Champ kit; single-ended Hammond output transformers (125 BSE, ESE, etc); 5932 tubes 1:33:52 TAVA's most boring or brilliant moments; laptop-to-tube-amp connections (speaker-driven line out from a headphone jack?) 1:36:22 The differences found in top boost and bright switches 1:39:22 The Coriolis effect on electrons in a pre-amp tube in the Southern hemisphere, the Goldentone amp book (link) 1:40:51 Grid leak bias amps and giving an amp more headroom 1:46:57 Barry describes the Grez Mendocino Junior that we're giving away 1:48:08 Special guest Nels Cline joins us, again! Nels' touring amp with Wilco, eating on the road, Standels, hot sauce, and more 2:00:39 Homemade coconut rice; Hank Mobley's 'Roll Call' or 'Soul Station;' Dexter Gordon; Wynton Kelly's Piano with Kenny Burrell; the best progression for a Champ clone to a Filmosound; 'Norman Blake/Tut Taylor/Sam Bush/Butch Robins/Vassar Clements/David Holland/Jethro Burns'; Fripp & Eno; Bill Evans' 'Live at the Village Vanguard' 2:08:23 More advice for those wanting to build a Champ 2:10:15 Adding a speaker jack to a Tweed Champ; balanced power? homemade hot sauce 2:13:53 One last "giveaway" Submit your amp questions, recipes and life hacks to the podcast via podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.
Episode 99 of our podcast and Skip has one more surprise in store... yet another giveaway prize for our 100th episode! This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise. One of our patrons will win a Hello Sailor Fuzz Face this month! Some of the topics discussed this week: :23 The Fretboard Summit Chicago: Come see Jason, Larry Chung, Grez Guitars, and more August 25-27 at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music (link) 7:02 One more prize for our 100th episode giveaway: A 1971 Skip-modded SF Champ 10:30 Skip is headed to a guitar show... in January (link) 12:55 A 1928 National Squareneck Tricone Style 1 for sale; a Recording King amp 17:56 One thing we've learned about vintage amps over the course of this podcast, a 1960 Fender Super in factory white (Instagram link) 23:55 Choosing the ultimate pickup-testing amp 28:13 Isaiah Mitchell; bias or no bias 32:54 A twin Reverb with a dying sound on the vibrato channel 38:50 Goat judging, redux (Instagram link) 44:39 Reverb without transformers, ie the Ampeg GU-12 46:34 A Traynor YGM-3 with an overly metallic reverb 48:38 Is an amp a signal pusher or a signal sucker? 51:03 Music Man amps, keeping a 12AX7 from failing, 6CA7 tubes, Johnny Winter's burning Music Man (YouTube link) 53:43 Could Gibson successfully reissue a Crestline-era style amp? schematicheaven.net 58:54 How important is an original output transformer? 1:01:18 The high-pitched ringing of a V2 (12AX7) on a 5F4 clone 1:03:23 A 1968 Fender Bronco vs. a '75 Vibro Champ 1:05:55 The Gibson GA-50, thoughts and maintenance; another way to ground your amp (non-three prong plug) 1:11:00 Giving yourself more spacing in an amp build to accommodate bigger hands 1:13:26 B+/power transformer questions on a 1977 Vibrolux Reverb 1:18:30 Peavey Encore 65 footswitch, redux Submit your amp questions, recipes and life hacks to the podcast via podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.
With Skip's internet down, we recorded our 98th episode the old-fashioned way. Once you get past the distorted land line telephone, you'll hear about how you can win some truly amazing gear on our 100th episode (including a new Grez Mendocino Junior guitar!), plus what inspires Skip, screen resistors on power tubes, center taps on resistors, and one heck of a goat story. This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise. One of our patrons will win a Hello Sailor Fuzz Face this month! Some of the topics discussed this week: :54 The Fretboard Journal 50 (link) ...and issue 1; NAMM Shows 6:15 Our 100th episode giveaways: Win a Grez Guitars Mendocino Junior; a Madsen Electronics GE Fuzz; or a First Coast Amplification Masco - 5F2A Princeton conversion... plus, Josephine Baker was a spy 11:57 What exactly does a Variac do on a dormant amp? 15:43 A super microphonic Deluxe Reverb 17:33 Screen resistors on power tubes: 1-watt resistors vs 3-watt resistors 22:10 Center taps on power transformers: Grounded, tapped-off, or artificial? 26:29 Replacing the rotary off-on switches on Gibsons; Carling rotary switches (link) 29:45 What inspires Skip 35:23 Skip and the Reserve Champion goat 47:09 How important is the orientation of film capacitors? 53:20 A 1974 Fender Pro Reverb with a hissing problem that goes away with the vibrato; rosemary seasoned foil-wrapped corn on the cob 59:08 Voltage on the chassis of a two-pronged Harmony H-195 1:03:50 Replica cabinets from Lightning Music in Marengo, Ohio; Electro-Harmonix Hum-Debugger pedals, Bruce Forman, James "Blood" Ulmer, the Westerlies 1:07:48 The Fretboard Summit at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music, August 25-27, 2022 (www.fretboardsummit.org) 1:09:18 Ananyo Bhattacharya's 'The Man From the Future: The Visionary Life of John Von Neuman' (Amazon link), vacuum tubes for computer memory, Nixie tubes, Fender Dimension IV Sound Exploder / Tel-Ray goo 1:12:26 The tone of Orange Drop capacitors: polyester versus polypropylene; spaghetti bolognese with a slug of El Pato 1:19:25 A Carl's Custom Amps Octal Princeton that can use either a 6L6, EL34, KT77, or 6CA7... and the difference in wattage 1:23:24 Musical instrument insurance; Heritage Insurance (link) 1:26:25 Do you need an insulator board on a turret board amp build? How to find time to work on amps when you have a busy life and family and other parenting tips. 1:36:22 Homework: How to add a tone control to a Gibson GA17-RVT? Submit your amp questions, recipes and life hacks to the podcast via podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.
Are we really running out of vacuum tubes? This week, special guest Thomas Cravener of Amplified Parts joins us to talk about the 2022 new tube shortage, plus a lot more. Reserve a new TAVA t-shirt here. This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise. One of our patrons will win a Hello Sailor Fuzz Face this month! Some of the topics discussed this week: :27 A cool guy's Traynor and tube stuff from the Forest Service in Chester, California 1:47 A '60s Heathkit IG-5237 still sealed in the box (stereo FM signal generator) 4:07 The Fretboard Journal's 50th issue, the Fretboard Summit in Chicago, the legacy of Dumble 10:08 This week's sponsors: Amplified Parts, Calton Cases, and Jupiter Condenser Co. 11:12 This month's Patreon giveaway: A Fuzz Face from Hello Sailor! Effects 13:17 Fire season in Northern California 14:53 An Ampeg B-12XY with an internal 5-watt amp for speaker-driven reverb, Guild Thunderbird amps 18:26 Reserve your new TAVA t-shirt (link) 19:26 Tube naming, revisited 20:41 Last episode's smoking Earthsound Research G-2000... fixed?; more fuse talk 23:34 Skip explains his WD-40 stance; Red Green 27:53 Kevin from Ohio, eBay score Patreon perks, EIA codes 32:49 Special guest: Thomas Cravener, V.P. Sales and Marketing at Amplified Parts: Russian/Chinese tube supply; Amplified Parts is still buying/selling NOS tubes; Psvane tubes; building Mallory Capacitors (YouTube link) 56:59 Gibson GA-8; do I need a matched set of 6V6s in a parallel single-ended amp? 1:02:34 Using alcohol in cooking; kale as shoe repair 1:05:57 Building a Masco Audiosphere A-8 off the schematic (6V6 or 6L6) 1:10:15 Jupiter caps at Amplified Parts; the low acceptable DC voltage on leaky coupling caps 1:12:57 A Flot-A-Tone with a howling problem 1:15:36 A Masco head from the 50/50 Club gets reunited with its cab 1:18:00 Trying to match the dynamics and distortion of an Ampeg B-25 and a Marshall Plexi clone; post-power inverter master volume mods, buying pedals off Amazon 1:23:51 What would Skip buy: A silver-paneled Princeton Reverb, a high-quality clone, or a new hand-wired one from Fender? 1:27:20 Howling Flot-A-Tone revisited, 6SC7 tubes 1:27:10 1966 Fender Pro Reverb with a big increase in plate voltage right after using the standby switch; standby switch 101; GZ34 vs 5U4 rectifier tubes; roasted potatoes 1:37:29 Taming the treble on a Marshall Mercury (we'll attach the schematic to the fretboardjournal.com show notes page so you can see what we're discussing) 1:42:16 Skip's learning curve: Did he work on ultra-collectible amps when he was still starting out? a '53 Tweed Deluxe with no original parts; William Penn and His Pals' "Swami" (YouTube link) Submit your amp questions, recipes and life hacks to the podcast via podcast@fretboardjournal.com and please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you love the show. It helps others discover it.
It's the summer solstice and seemingly everyone is in the kitchen, dishing out amp problems and recipes. This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise. Some of the topics discussed this week: :00 Defensible space, making electricity 5:40 What's on Skip's bench: Old Supros; a late '20s Lyon & Healy amp sporting the Matchless/Vox treble cut tone control 9:59 Silverface jewel light washers (coming soon); pre-order TAVA t-shirts and help support the show (link) 11:12 A Harmony amp with a buzzy volume control; another Harmony with overreacting tone knobs; kale "vodka," bias resistors 19:42 New KT66 tubes for a 1966 Marshall JTM45 100-watt clone; restaurant-quality french fries; 807 tubes 28:46 Pastorelli pizza sauce; tinkering with a '90s Marshall-made Vox AC-15's static; plastic PCB mounts 37:19 Fixing a vintage Gibson Les Paul amp by cleaning the tube sockets, what's the deal with Fender PA100 heads?; a Sano amp and McIntosh tuner up for grabs 46:45 Soldering fume dangers and keeping your workspace clean 49:50 A Larry Chung sighting; an Epiphone Zephyr (a GA-40 with a 15" speaker) and an Epiphone Century (a Gibson GA-20T) 50:58 Recommended movie: the original Pinnochio, Aladdin, and Little Miss Sunshine; recommended music: Eli "Paperboy" Reed; seeing Merle Haggard at the Sacramento Western Swing Society 56:46 The naming of tubes; how to find usable tubes at a garage sale; undercooked ramen with peanut butter and chilies; dog harnesses for your amp in transit; tube substitution books ('The Receiving Tube Substitution Guide Book' by Middleton, pdf link) 1:02:47 Is my Peavey Encore 65 vintage? Working around its finicky solid-state distortion 1:09:53 Filet mignon with bacon and vodka 1:13:08 A 1972 Traynor YGM-2 that turns everything to fuzz after 1/2 second 1:15:50 Should I mod a Silverface Champ when I already own a 5F2-A? 1:21:00 The Call ("Let the Day Begin," YouTube link), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club 1:22:22 Forming filter caps with a Variac? 1:27:44 A 1979 Fender Pro Reverb that changed for the worse after a power outage; William Penn & His Pals - "Swami" (YouTube link) 1:38:15 Modding a boring 1966 Fender black-panel Princeton with no reverb? 1:42:11 Why is there a jumper on the 12AX7 of my SF Fender Champ? 1:44:44 Are 1968/1969 Fender power transformers lemons? 1:51:14 Mexican pork stew 1:54:23 Tubes for a Bell 3715 PA conversion Submit your amp questions, recipes and life hacks to the podcast via podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.
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