Podcast appearances and mentions of skip simmons

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! 

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

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

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

** 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.

Jason Verlinde has built an entire community around his Fretboard Journal, a guitar-centric magazine that is flourishing when it is hard for print journalism to find a hold. From quarterly coffee table book style magazine publications to extremely popular podcasts like the Fretboard Journal Podcast and the Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons, and the, now annual, Fretboard Summit gathering - Jason has concentrated so many wonderful aspects of the gear industry into one place. In this episode we talk about how he got started, what Fretboard Summit is, and talk about our own goals in our gear journeys. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did!Find Jason and Fretboard Journal on:Instagram [Fretboard Journal]: https://www.instagram.com/fretboardjournal/Instagram [Truth About Vintage Amps]: https://www.instagram.com/vintageampspodcast/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/fretboardjournalFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/fretboardjournal/Internet: https://www.fretboardjournal.com/NEW PARTNERSHIP! I've partnered with TourGear Designs to get you 10% off the best patch cables in the game! You can use my affiliate link (https://www.tourgeardesigns.com/discount/40WATT) or just use the code 40WATT at checkout to get 10% off your order! If you want to save even more, Patreon supporters of the show get 20% OFF!  Check out my post over on my patreon page for more information!Support the show at: https://www.patreon.com/40wattpodcast/​Find guitar lessons on TrueFire (remember to use code 40WATT): https://bit.ly/3t0v1ZdFind all of the podcast links at:https://www.linktr.ee/40wattpodcasthttps://www.40wattpodcast.com/40 Watt Merchandise: https://40-watt-merch.creator-spring.com/Reverb Affiliate link: https://reverb.grsm.io/phillipcarter5480StringJoy Affiliate link: https://stringjoy.com/partner/fortywatt/Subscribe to the channel and give a like – also find us in audio format wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review and share us with your friends.Support the show

This week, we're joined by the one-and-only Ben Harper, who has a couple of questions for Skip right before his Lyon, France concert. Ben regales us with tales of a rare Weissenborn spotted on a Disneyland ride, Dumbles, and pre-show skateboarding (which Skip is a little worried about). He also spills the beans on his new touring amp of choice… a Two-Rock. Before Ben joins us, we've got our usual assortment of listener-submitted questions on tremolo and speaker impendence, Larry Chung references, and a tamale suggestion. 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. Some of the topics discussed in this episode:  :34 Special thanks to Shure for that MV7 that Skip uses; the Fretboard Summit (August 24-26 in Chicago; www.fretboardsummit.org) 1:51 PSA: Skip is retired through September 2:23 A forthcoming Danelectro documentary, early Nat Daniel-built Epiphone Model M amps 15:32 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.  19:05 Peter Jensen's Magnavox 12" speakers 20:54 Don Pepino canned tomato sauce (thanks, Rob), Remington Model 5 typewriters 22:27 A 1964 Fender Vibrolux Reverb with a replaced power transformer…but not really; Skip gets a visit from Larry Chung 29:46 The dangers of playing a bass through a small guitar amp; Versatone amps; Los Hernandez tamales in Union Gap, Washington (https://www.loshernandeztamales.com); Bruce Harvie & the Sound Flea's ‘Overhead at Darrington' (Bandcamp link) 38:47 A humming Ampeg GS-12 Reverberocket: Was the speaker affecting the reverb spring? 43:26 Changing the tremolo depth on an Ampeg Jet 46:12 Skip's favorite trem circuit; a Massie that modulates the guitar signal; Chris Vincent  (https://www.instagram.com/djlavalamp/) 51:03 Tube amp kits (Mod 102 and Mod 102+ from AmplifiedParts.com https://www.amplifiedparts.com/products/amp-kit-mod-electronics-mod102-guitar-amp ); grilled asparagus; the Good Ol' Grateful Deadcast 59:54 The rising cost of everything 1:02:17 Speaker impedance for a Gibson Falcon GR-19RVT Crestline 1:02:53 What to do with the reverb on a Silvertone 1484; JHD Audio Ice Cubes 1:06:09 Special guest: Ben Harper! Forestry; a vintage Weissenborn spotted on Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean ride; Ben's new Two-Rock Bloomfield Drive; Marcus Eaton; Jimmy Page seeing David Lindley's Kaleidoscope; Liuteria Guarnieri guitars (https://www.liuteriaguarnieri.com/en/acoustic-guitars/); Dumbles are like Basquiats; skateboarding before a concert; kicking Princeton Reverbs; tech Bill Webb; and vintage Gibson amps  Recorded July 19, 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. Ben has a huge feature in our 53rd issue!  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.

It's the 116th 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: 1:02 Making amps out of little intercoms, redux 4:01 Amplified Parts' Potentiometer Adapter Sleeve (link) 8:34 Join our Patreon and hear a lost episode with Steve Melkisethian (Angela Instruments): https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps 9:19 What's on Your Bench: A 1952 low-powered Tweed Twin found on eBay 12:00 Retiring the word "blackface" when talking about amps 16:10 Coupling capacitor orientation, redux 20:28 Jonathan Stout (check out 'Pick It and Play It'); "For the Good Times" by Al Green 26:19 Sellers turning vintage amps on with no speaker load 29:55 The best DIY Fender Princeton kits around; roasted cauliflower with curry powder, Soursound transformers (link) 40:28 Does a lower B+ keep an old amp happier? 43:58 How quickly could you build a Champ? The Fretboard Summit (August 24-26 in Chicago) and JHS's Germanium Chef competition (attend by registering here: www.fretboardsummit.org), wiring a part board before you put it in the amp 46:59 Chris at Deluxe Amplification (deluxeamplification.com) 50:08 A horse-powered IBM Selectric typewriter (Facebook post link) 52:06 Silvertone 1484 amps; in defense of metal film resistors, a forthcoming Ampeg documentary, Ampeg Jets and Rockets, the Jackson Audio 1484 - Twin Twelve pedal (link), a Guild 66-J amp with a Pyle Driver speaker 1:09:20 The Fret Files podcast capacitor test (link); the terminology of pickups 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 115th 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. Some of the topics discussed this week: 2:07 This week's sponsors: Emerald City Guitars (check out the Jim Kelley prototype), Stringjoy Strings (use the code FRETBOARD to save off your first string order), Amplified Parts, and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. 6:58 Listener Matt gets the Heathkit Stereo Signal Generator kit 9:27 Skip sees a Bald eagle  11:33 Waking up a 1980 Musicman 112 RD after a long hibernation 14:05 Acceptable DC leakage in capacitors, puppies attacking sprinklers  17:11 Epiphone Pacemaker desirability versus its Gibson Skylark counterpart 20:04 How to blow up an amp, heating tortillas, and Masco ME-27s 32:31  A Weber Proluxe 5E3 amp kit and reducing hum by changing coupling cap orientation; Leighton Amps/Jef Brown's blog post (link) 43:33 Octal 6F5 tubes  38:55 An Operadio Model 1030  45:34 An Orange AD-30 with an EL84s that run hot; Servisol Super 10 51:07 A late '80s Fender Vibroverb with a burning smell and a glowing 6L6  56:47 Thoughts on a Symphonic MA7-1? 1:00:51 Thoughts on modern reverb tanks   1:04:06 A really quiet Frenzel HBX-AC30  1:10:42 What to service on a recently-purchased 1968 Univox U235? 1:17:18 Changing values in the preamp of a SF Champ to reduce bass  1:26:09 Non-stick pans  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 114th 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: 3:49 Skip gets more gifts (thank you); Studio Slips (link); Dragonfly USB-stereo connection; Connie Converse (Bandcamp link) 9:41 The Truth About Vintage Amps Patreon (link) 9:54 Josh Scott (JHS) plays the El Pato Tone practice amp (Instagram link), which you can buy here on Reverb; the 2023 Fretboard Summit featuring Jeff Parker, Jorma Kaukonen, JHS, Tommy Emmanuel, vintage amps and much more! (register for the Summit today: fretboardsummit.org) 10:59 Electrolytic bypass capacitors in Marshalls? 15:58 Spicy popcorn; best speaker load for a Black panel Fender Dual Showman head 21:05 The return of Leo Quan? 21:53 Standel has a new owner, Owen Duffy 22:49 What to do with a Matchless DC30 that sounds great, but runs really hot 32:33 A Princeton Reverb with weak reverb 35:54 Why you shouldn't use a Variac as an isolation transformer 38:40 GZ34 rectifiers and standby switches 46:24 Grounding issues on a hand-wired Fender Tweed Twin reissue, redux 48:56 What to do with an Aireon Model 1221A juke box amp with 6SK7, 6J5, 2x 6L6, and 5U4G tubes? 51:10 Preferred plate voltages on a 5F2A build; 5F2A vs 5F2 circuits 55:05 How would you measure an output transformer to know its preferred speaker load? 59:54 I built a 5E3 clone but there's no volume until I get to 2 1/2 1:01:11 Why does my 1967 black panel Deluxe Reverb have a tube chart for an AB165 Bassman and why is it so gainy? A narrow panel 1952 Fender Deluxe 1:11:16 Pancakes with goat cheese 1:12:58 Tips on accessing the underside of a '40s Stromberg-Carlson AU-33 PA's terminal board; isolation transformers, redux 1:19:07 https://worldradiohistory.com/. 1:21:04 Repairing the plastic on an Ampeg footswitch; E6000 craft adhesive; http://schematicheaven.irridia.com/ 1:24:16 A 1950 Gibson GB-CB with a power cord touching a tube 1:29:23 1957 Fender factory tour, narrated by Richard Smith (YouTube link) 1:31:14 Skip's voice cloned via AI; a 5F2A with weak volume and much more...  Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.  This week's episode is sponsored by Emerald City Guitars, Stringjoy Strings (use the code FRETBOARD to save off your first string order), 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 podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.

It's the 113th 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: 4:11 Announcement: The Truth About Vintage Amps at the 2023 Fretboard Summit (www.fretboardsummit.org); Chicago's Kale My Name (link) 14:14 Should you use better or same-quality replacement parts when your amp needs a repair? 18:52 A real rustic kegger; Skip's favorite amp 25:20 Beginner's corner: How many speakers can my amp run? Cast-iron griddle grilled cheese 32:50 B+, redux; benefits of a separate filament transformer; UTC transformers; HAM radio transmissions 38:17 6X5 rectifier tubes 41:48 A HiWatt clone that keeps blowing fuses 47:17 Thank you for the coffee, Kevin! 48:26 Running an acoustic guitar through a tube amp (Bogen Challenger); El Pato's neighbor; cleaning tube sockets 52:54 Mistakes made while swapping tube sockets on a Fender Bassman 50; frozen Arby's french fries 59:53 The tornado and 1967 Fender Deluxe Reverb story, redux 1:05:12 Convincing a store to ship you a Gibson EH-150; Carter Cutlery (link) 1:11:23 Special thanks: Max in Spain; Bill from California 1:13:00 Need your reverb coil rewound? Check out Tom Brantley (@tombrantleyrewinds) 1:15:39 Help me pick out speakers for my tweed Twin; parallel vs. in-series speaker wiring, sleeper vintage 12" speakers, Weber speaker's grades of doping and much more...  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 (use the code TAVA10 to save 10% off of their Mod kits) 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.

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 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.

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. 

Chokes, scalloped potatoes, Monoprice amps, phase inverters, and more! It's the 88th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps.  This week's episode is sponsored by Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase and, if you head over to BED|STÜ shoes and use the discount code FRETXBS, you'll save 20% off your BED|STÜ order and help support the FJ. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise.  Some of the topics discussed this week: 2:31 Before you start charging people to fix amps... 5:57 RIP listener Bill Eldred; happy birthday, Clayton 7:04 John Vanderslice's new podcast, 'Keep the Dream Alive' 9:09 Skip's music recommendation: Brave Combo 10:24 economycandy.com for all your vintage candy needs 12:02 Live taping of the TAVA's 100th episode at the 2022 Fretboard Summit? (Chicago, August 25-27) 13:22 Skip sounds like Jerry Garcia, redux; Jerry Garcia Funny Story (YouTube link); what to do with a busted Monoprice Stage Right 15-watt, 12" combo? 20:35 How did Fender circuits get named? El Pato red enchilada sauce (in the big can) 24:36 Tweed Deluxe vs. Ampeg M-12, redux; replacement reverb tank for a Gibson Falcons (4FB3D1B) 27:02 Chokes: What are they, why and more? henrys; scalloped potatoes 34:34 A Cromwell lap steel and matching amp; pre-servicing an amp to clean out pests, etc. before you send it to a tech; more scalloped potatoes; Aleene's Tacky Glue 39:34 Recovering old cloth-covered wire; Otis Amps on the Sonic Artifacts Podcast 43:18 Boutique builders: Vintage 47 amps (link); Swart amps; Dr. Z; BC amps (link) 46:53 Kalamazoo Reverb 12 revisited; 5E3 vs. 6G3 (Deluxe) schematics 50:01 Phase inverters in the 6G3, 5E3 and Ampeg M-12 amps 51:02 A typewriter baffler from listener Bob K. 54:25 Phase issues with different sized speakers?; using a 9v battery to test the phase of a speaker; Nashville Amp Works 58:49 The Beginner's Corner for Tone Geeks, by Marty from the Oregon Coast; Sarno Music Solutions Earth Drive pedal (link); Neil Young's 'Live Rust'; non-alcoholic hoppy water 1:11:30 The Ampro combo amp revisited 1:15:33 Recommended reading: the Ampeg book, the Gibson amp book 1:16:54 The TAVA Angela Super Single Ended amp group build... happening soon (we hope)! 1:18:27 Simple recipes: Cast Iron Roast Chicken (link), Herb Salad (link); an Ampeg flip-top B-15 with replaced coupling capacitors; Cornell Dubilier capacitors, mylar versus polyester; Johnnie Taylor "It's Your Thing" 1:33:52 Recommended sources for good resistors and caps for new builds; Skip still has a TEAC a7010 reel-to-reel tape deck available 1:40:32 A circuit for weirdos: Epiphone EA-70 with tube compression 1:41:10 Recommended reading: Trustee from the Tool Room The Truth About Vintage Amps is hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons. Co-hosted and produced by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde. Email or send us a voice memo to: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. And don't forget to share the show with friends. 

It's the 87th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! Plenty of amp tips for newbies, some deep Ampeg talk, music recommendations, amp tips for steel guitar players, and more. This week's episode is sponsored by Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars.  Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise.  Some of the topics discussed this week: :54: RIP Alexander Howard Dumble 1:58 The TAVA Big Index Page (link) / Tableau Index Page (link) 2:21 Jason attempts to finish his Champ kit project 4:05 A Massie-built Electro amp on eBay (link) 8:05 Beginner's Corner: Speaker cables versus guitar cables 9:41 The capacitors in our brain 11:19 A replacement optocoupler for Gibson GA-20 RVT?, tremolo circuits 16:02 A tip for pros: Max-Pro.com 18:18 Frank Sinatra's 'Songs for Swingin' Lovers;' cleaning and retensioning tube sockets, redux   27:10 Music recommendations: https://www.wwoz.org; typewriters; The Deputy (YouTube link) 32:37 The dual fixed and cathode bias circuit on a Fender AC568 Bassman 37:27 Mother of toilet seat amps; Skip's preferred wiring, tube sockets and more 50:00 Fixing a vintage tube with a broken guide key, aftermarket tube bases 54:42 Fender Deluxes: 5E3 vs 6G3, roasted brussels sprouts 59:16 Skip's speaker picks; Skip's reference cab 1:04:31 How to make a lot of mead; the Prudence Penny Cookbook 1:07:09 Ampeg Gemini I reverb tank 1:10:32 The tone control circuit of an Ampeg M-12 Versus Tweed Deluxe; Kenny Burrell's 'Bluesin' Around' 1:17:00 What's up with my early '60s Ampro combo amp? 1:22:09 Amps for steel players, revisited    1:30:22 Interviewing a tech before you let them work on your amp, a lazy guy's lo-mein    1:38:05 Anyone need an original NOS car radio potentiometer?  The Truth About Vintage Amps is hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons. Co-hosted and produced by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde. Email or send us a voice memo to: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. And don't forget to share the show with friends. 

It's the 86th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps featuring special guest, Joe Halliday of Hello Sailor Effects (@hellosailoreffectsofficial)!  This week's episode is sponsored by Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise.  Some of the topics discussed this week: 4:37 The business of cheese, the Prudence Penny Regional Cookbook, mead 10:34 Custom can capacitors from Hayseedhamfest.com 12:00 Skip re-builds a hacked 1961 Fender reverb unit; half-wave rectifier circuit vs. bridge rectifier circuit 16:38 Special guest: Joe Halliday from Hello Sailor Effects (Instagram link) Building amps and pedals while at sea with the British Navy, a love for old parts, octal pre-amp tubes, dummy loads (mini Wall of Sound), Free, Gibson Melody Makers, PA heads, Watkins Scout, etc. 40:48 Replacing a 6EU7 on a Gibson Falcon, DangerUXB 46:49 A Gibson GA-80T Vari-Tone with the push button tone selectors 50:46 Beginner's Corner: Guitar-amp feedback 52:01 A Silverface Vibro Champ with a bypassed can capacitor, Ooni pizza ovens 59:55 Restoring a 1958 Fender Bassman estate find 1:10:46 Garland Jeffreys' "Wild in the Streets" (YouTube link), a Vespa car (shell) 1:13:56 The caps in a vintage guitar 1:19:17 Vibro Champ hum since a speaker upgrade, and a 80uF 450V cap from pin 8 of the 5Y3 to ground 1:24:40 The Benson 300H, Howard Roberts, and the Fender GA-50 1:27:04 Are all AB763 Fender amps made equal? 1:30:15 Starting a '70s Carlsboro 50 Top Head that has been dormant for decades 1:35:47 Vox AC-4 vs AC-15; DIY Fender Bassman kits 1:43:54 $325 into a 1965-1966 GA-15RVT Explorer 1:49:16 Skip says "thanks" to Joe, a vintage porcelain grilled cheese sandwich maker The Truth About Vintage Amps is hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons. Co-hosted and produced by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde. Email or send us a voice memo to: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. And don't forget to share the show with friends. 

It's the 85th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps featuring special guest, Calvin McCormick (Hiwatt, @ampfreek)!  This week's episode is sponsored by Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise.  Download the 2021 TAVA Cookbook here.  Some of the topics discussed this week: 1:59 El Pato hot sauce in a bottle  3:13 Nothing but cans: Skip's recent meal 9:58 Update on the amp that lost the majority of its volume during shipping (ep. 84) 11:24 You think this gig is easy, part 7: A Fender Reverb unit with nearly every part replaced 17:42 The tone of the Fender Twins in the Beatles' 'Get Back' documentary 23:41 Special guest: Calvin McCormick (McCormick Analog / Hiwatt / @ampfreek): Meeting Hy Bloom, founder of Soundmaster; Hiwatt today; a new Hiwatt fuzz pedal announcement, Grand Funk Railroad, Garnet Herzog, MTI tube stompboxes and lots more. 1:03:23 Laurens Hammond, inventor of the Hammond organ 1:08:02 Fender 5F2 vs 5F2A fuse specification 1:11:37 The input pre-amp on tube PAs, 12AX7 versus 12AT7 1:14:58 What makes a good steel amp; Steelin' Home by Noel Boggs (YouTube link) 1:22:12 Reforming NOS capacitor cans: Trash or Treasure? 1:24:39 Fitting a reverb tank with space constraints, cooked salsa 1:27:53 Skip needs an Ampeg Gemini II trem module (TM-1), running an old rotary phone into a computer 1:29:45 Skip's new name 1:30:38 Adding a cut control to a single-ended Vox style amp; cheese dip; Pat Martino's 'Live at Keystone Korner' 1:39:47 Replacing the V1 on a two 12AX7, two 6V6 amp to a 12AU7 Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons. Co-hosted and produced by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde. Email or send us a voice memo to: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. And don't forget to share the show with friends. 

It's the 84th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps!  This week's episode is sponsored by Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise.  Some of the topics discussed this week: 1:52: Full transcription of Ep. 83 on our Patreon (yay or nay?)  4:14 Skip's recommended gifts: Jack Darr, Joy of Cooking, the Gibson amp book, the Ampeg amp book, Fender Amps: The First 50 Years; El Pato 6:57 A new baffler: 1964 Super Reverb with a three-prong cord 10:10 A pristine 1956 Fender Pro that needs TLC  14:42 An Audio Guild Bonham 120 with low vibrato intensity 20:34 Taming a Fender Twin Reverb reissue by pulling the 12AX7 on the normal channel 27:27 ID'ing the oil for a Tel-Ray oil-can echo unit / Ucon LB-65 29:55 How to find replacement 1" diameter Mallory can capacitors for a 1950s Valco with 1" diameter Mallory can capacitors, re-using old funky wire, the Fender 5E5 Pro input, adapt-a-cap.com 40:36 A 1965-ish Princeton Reverb that makes wave crashing sounds 42:31 PSA on three-prong power cords: SVT or SJT jackets  45:46 Finding time in your busy life to work on amps  50:57 Changing the circuit on a late 1940s Harmony Model 200; Mr. In-Between; Pig  57:51 Fender Concert IIs: Any good?  1:01:07 Resistors influence on tone?  1:06:10 Ledaig single malt scotch, Jameson's Black Barrel whiskey, and other stuff sent to Skip; Body and Soul Pedals by listener Yann (bodyandsoulinstruments@gmail.com, available at Real Guitars in SF) 1:12:02 A recently shipped tube amp that lost its volume  1:16:53 The unique field coil wiring on a Hammond M-3 organ 1:24:19 Some Leslie 147 amp discoveries 1:33:47 The answer to this week's baffler 1:35:08 A Tweed Bassman clone with a loud squeal  Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons. Co-hosted and produced by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde. Email or send us a voice memo to: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. And don't forget to share the show with friends. 

It's the 83rd episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps: More capacitor talk than you can shake a SnufferStick at, push-pull circuits, Ethiopian cooking tips and more!  This week's episode is sponsored by Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise.  Some of the topics discussed this week: 1:56 The TAVA Cookbook (coming soon, email us if you want it) 5:15 Skip's real voice or a young Jerry? 7:56 Interactive controls on amps, Neil Young's Whizzer, an Epiphone Blues Custom 30, roasted pickled onions 14:06 Old filter caps in PA conversions; Pelican Bay Brewing 17:59 1957 Tweed Deluxe with all original caps; a chassis-only Tweed Deluxe on eBay; Ampeg M12 20:15 Skip's philosophy on replacing caps in a customer's amp 22:30 Illinois capacitors; a Marshall JTM45 that pops when you turn it off 27:40 Even more capacitor talk: Orange Drop capacitors, Illinois MWR capacitors, Jupiter capacitors, Blue Drop caps 35:03 A Rickenbaker M-8E with modified output transformer wiring; Ethiopian ful beans 41:54 TAVA Big Index Page (link) 43:04 Wiring a new home for a vintage PA 48:44 Recommended book: 'Grateful Dead Gear' (Amazon link) 50:44 Washable Crayola on the Mona Lisa; an owner's manual for a 100-watt Multivox P88? 53:42 How to get better at diagnosing amp problems? 55:21 First 5E3 Clone upgrades, even more capacitor talk (disc capacitors), CTS metal-shaft pots 1:01:11 Overview of a push-pull circuit, single-open ended; mountain pie makers 1:05:25 Cast Iron Revival (Portland, Oregon; Instagram link) 1:09:13 Gibson GA-17RVT Scout oscillations 1:14:06 What to put inside a Gibson GA-15RVT? 1:17:50 Polarities revisited and rice water soup Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons. Co-hosted and produced by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde. Email or send us a voice memo to: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. And don't forget to share the show with friends. 

Producer and musician John Vanderslice returns to the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast with Skip Simmons.  This week's episode is sponsored by Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars.  Special podcast offers: Use the discount code TAVA to get free domestic shipping through October 31, 2021 on any speaker at jupiter-speakers.com. Use the discount code TAVA10 to get 10% off all orders at  amplifiedparts.com through November 13, 2021. Some of the topics discussed this week: 8:40 Special guest: Musician/producer John Vanderslice returns! dEATh bUg, CRYSTALS; running Tiny Telephone studio during COVID, getting double-vaxxed, staying motivated, tape vs. digital recordings, Forssell converters, the four-track pre-amp used by Mk.Gee on Dijon's new song (YouTube link), Ritchie Blackmore uses an AKAI tape deck, Gibson Falcons, Peter Jensen's Magnovox speakers, Schoeps CMC and MK4 microphones, Neve 31102, Shure 565, Bogen RP2 mic-pre, Stromberg-Carlson AV38, Yamaha NS-10s as mics, Frank Sinatra, Vanderslice's Spotify Playlists (link) 1:06:43 Recommended Reading: They Might Be Giants' BOOK (order link), "I Broke My Own Rule" (YouTube link); Warren Ellis' 'Nina Simone's Gum' (Amazon link) 1:11:38 How to interview prospective amp techs 1:19:32 Making a copy of a Magnatone 210 with a jack socket on either side of the vibrato circuit; Kewpie Japanese mayonnaise 1:21:56 The Fender Champ 12's speaker-driven reverb (revisited), peppers in a cast iron pan 1:27:42 Bridging a Fender tube amp 1:30:46 Optimizing a Stromberg-Carlson AU-42 for guitar; 'Look Me in the Eye' by (Amazon link), old olive orchards 1:38:49 Fixing goop'd amps (Joe Bonamassa's Instagram link) 1:42:24 Eric Daw (Fret Files Podcast, luthier, Gibson handle MacGyver) 1:43:56 Blown Marshall output transformer (JCM800 2303) 1:46:09 Outboard reverb and trem units: Weber's ReVibe and TorVibe 1:47:47 Jumpered Marshall amps and La Costena & El Pato Frijoles (email us for the recipe) 1:52:08 Steve Dawson (Music Makes & Soul Shakers); a 1953 Fender Deluxe (5B3) with a sweet spot at 4; troubleshooting a dud Deluxe clone 1:58:57 Ohsawa organic tamari; availalbe: An SVT bass amp in Oroville, California, a single-ended Knight PA head at Skip's, and a Vox Cambridge Reverb Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde. Email or send us a voice memo to: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. And don't forget to share the show with friends. 

It's the 80th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast: reverb, goats, pickles from Australia and special call-in guest Sam Mollica! Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons. This week's episode is sponsored by Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars.  Some of the topics discussed this week:  1:32: Skip says thanks, Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey 2:44 John Bachigaluppi of Tape Op magazine 4:37 TAVA t-shirts! Pre-order yours here.  5:33 Jupiter Condenser Co. discount: Use the discount code TAVA to get free domestic shipping on Jupiter speakers at https://jupiter-speakers.com! 7:03 Our listeners are amazing: Shawn's 3mg Filmosound resistor, Oystein gets a PA amp, Robert Knetzger's pencil resistor (YouTube link) 8:51 Hum on a modded 1979 Fender Musicmaster Bass amp 12:38 Getting more headroom out of a Silverface Fender Twin 18:02 A goat mule in a minivan 23:54 A speaker-driven reverb on a single, Champ-style amp 28:31 Pickled zucchini 32:32 A 1978 Fender Champ that runs too hot (Australian / import version); new tubes, DC voltages 40:36 An Australian amp tech chimes in 44:55 Dumble's Tweedle Dee circuit (5E3 variations); GZ34 rectifier tubes 50:56 Call-in guest: Sam Mollica (https://www.mollicaamplifiers.com); the 12AX7 in Fender standalone 6G15 reverb units; the dry signal in an Ampeg Reverberocket 1:04:10 Output jacks on Gibson Falcons versus modern methods; speaker-driven line out revisited  1:10:09 A '67 Fender Pro Reverb with a cracked screen grid resistor    1:13:40 Converting a Conn Strobotuner into an effectless Princeton; pentode pre-amp tubes (5879 tubes)   1:19:11 How to replace the speaker and move the output transformer on a Kay Model 503A; cleaning typewriters    1:27:48 A Silvertone Twin Twelve 1484 with a steady hum   1:31:54 Standalone reverb/trem unit projects; Gibson 1RVT  Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde. Email or send us a voice memo to: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. And don't forget to share the show with friends. 

It's the 77th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons makes pizza on english muffins, crushes the dreams of young blues aficionados and fields your questions on all things tube amp.   This week's episode is sponsored by Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars.  Some of the topics discussed this week:  :23 Skip has no electricity  3:52 Jason does a video shoot with David Grisman  4:17 The “Amigo SoCal” vintage guitar show (August 28-29, 2021); a Massey amp with reverb and tremolo     6:06 Alamo Paragon Special  8:01 Skip's tips: Vintage guitar show wheeling & dealing 10:23 Grez Guitars 12:10 Amplified Parts, ProCo guitar cords 12:57 Jupiter Caps: Bumblebees, Red Astrons, Cosmos caps 20:45 The TAVA Patreon page  25:17 The TAVA Index on Tableau!, Goldentone Amp book  28:51 Cleaning the crusty corrosion on a Fender silverface faceplate 31:34 Making a lower-power Vox clone?  35:21 Grid bias vs cathode bias on a pre-amp tube   38:50 Why does Skip have an oscilloscope and why doesn't he raise his prices?  41:14 Can you use a field coil speaker to drive speaker-driven reverb; voicecoils on a field coil speaker 45:07 Will the bigger vintage Fender amps ever go up in value?  49:32 Pinpointing note-triggered noise / rumble in an amp cabinet 52:55 A Lab Series L3 goes to a good home; Robert Moog; English muffin pizzas 55:12 What's up with the Fender Tremolux Model 6G9 with EL84 power tubes? Aspen Pittman's 'The Tube Amp' book (Amazon link) 58:15 A 1955 Montgomery Ward-branded amp with a wire from the speaker frame to the chassis  1:01:14 A one-way speaker mismatch on solid state amps?  1:02:54 Water kefir (recipe here) 1:04:30 Replacing the multi-cap can on a Fender Bassman 20 1:06:54 Using a pressure cooker for dried beans or potatoes  1:08:40 Poking a hole instead of solder wick  1:09:01 Vintage pencil sharpeners; Nelson Riddle  1:11:32 Any grads from the Red Wing Electronic Music Technology class? 1:12:32 The magic behind an early 1960s Ampeg M-15, vintage Jensen P15N speakers 1:15:30 What to do with a cheap Aerco-branded PA amp built by Atomite Electronic & Radio Corp? 1:21:35 Midwesterners: Skip is seeking Heileman's Special Export, Augsburger or Little Kings beer  There is also a TAVA Big Index page located here.  Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde. Email or send us a voice memo to: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. And don't forget to share the show with friends. 

Welcome to the 74th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast, the bi-weekly show where amp tech Skip Simmons answers all of your pressing guitar amplifier questions. No topic is too basic... or seemingly too complex! This week's episode is sponsored by Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars.  Some of the topics discussed this week:  5:53 Old typewriters, again ('The Typewriter Revolution,' thanks Doug F!); a Canon amplifier from Australia; Monkey Shoulder Scotch Whisky 9:35 Bitcoin mining, explained    12:44 Recommended reading: 'The Birth of Loud' and testing amps with full volume    15:40 Recommended reading: 'The Unidentified' by Colin Dickey; Bitcoin as casino chips; a DIY trem?    20:56 Bitcoin mining, again; powering a tube amp with a battery/generator; a 15" speaker cabinet for a Masco MA-17   29:39 Sierra Nevada's Summer Break beer    30:35 Using a Fender's second input for speaker-driven reverb   33:36 Best uses for a Masco EMM-6 pre-amp mixer     37:03 B+ on listener Geoff's tamed Fender Twin   41:20 Can you source amp hum just from hearing it?    45:35 Building a Princeton clone with not-quite-exact capacitors; cleaning pots     56:56 Skip is angry; 'Sessions with Sinatra'    1:06:13 Fixing the reverb on a Gibson Falcon; Bobby Charles; the California Honeydrops; Eddie Hinton   1:13:46 John Fogerty replies Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde. Email or send us a voice memo to: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. And don't forget to share the show with friends.   

Welcome to the 73rd episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast, the bi-weekly show where amp tech Skip Simmons answers all of your pressing guitar amplifier questions. No topic is too basic... or seemingly too complex! (Banter hater? The actual amp talk this time around starts at 17:00.) This week's episode is sponsored by Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars.  Some of the topics discussed this week:  1:01 UFOs and Art Bell 8:01 Our Patreon page: Now with new updates and articles from Acmeverb.com! 12:05 Jason gets a haircut, learns how to use epazote in beans 16:59 B+, revisited: B is for Battery 18:02 Medical grade tubes: Still in production! 20:46 Princeton tone stack and the TAVA community, tips for Variac hunting, Mount Olive Pickle Salsa 26:32 Skip's movie picks: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Nomadland 29:49 A clone Tweed Princeton success story; vintage Jensen P-15R speakers; Amplified Parts' NOS tube sale 37:38 WD-40, again 41:00 Skip's Chile Colorado 42:03 Field coil speakers for a Gibson EH-150/185-style amp (and what's the deal with the echo speaker extension cabinet?) 48:18 The Vox book gets a new home; acidfuzz.com (for Vox guitar onboard fuzz schematics) 50:06 The TAVA Facebook group (Facebook link) 51:25 Another movie tip: The Straight Story 51:50: Twin mod revisited: Changing two 6V6s to rectifiers; a TAVA meetup?; music by Joe Policastro Trio, Colin Stetson 58:25 Single-ended amps with a 6V6 tube with and without a cathode bypass capacitor, Skip's toothbrush hack 1:04:46 Testing a cabinet design with a crappy amp 1:07:27 Bruce MacMillan's Princeton Reverb; Joe Craven & The Sometimers' Garcia Songbook 1:12:05 “It's about to get boring…" 1:15:14  Primus' "Over the Electric Grapevine" (Spotify link); RIP Blackalicious' Gift of Gab  1:16:48 Which power tube blew my Mesa Boogie Mark I's fuse?, checking a tube's filament with an ohm meter 1:22:26 Skip's TAVA 60-second challenge: How does Bitcoin mining actually work? 1:27:08 Who wanted the Epiphone Pathfinder? 1:30:58 Making the amplifier in a 1960s Mechanix Illustrated How To Do It encyclopedia (email podcast@fretboardjournal.com if you want the scan); advantages of a two-chassis layout; octal tubes; Silvertone/Sears' 40XL amps and more Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde. Email or send us a voice memo to: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. And don't forget to share the show with friends.   

It's the 71st installment of the Truth About Vintage Amps, featuring noisy Fenders (and a Vingtor!), clip-on fans, more candy cigarette talk and other surprises. As always, tech Skip Simmons is here for you, fielding your questions on all-things-tube-amp. This week's episode is sponsored by Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars.  Some of the topics discussed this week:  1:26 Jury duty 7:14 Cool tools: Using a rifle brush to clean a 1/4" input jack (thanks Acmeverb.com!); feeler gauges; Jay Knox's film roll hack; Pinnochio 14:50 Skip is an idiot; a sleeper '60s Gibson amp 19:44 Mr. Valco 22:44 Ned Boynton; variable intensity vibrato on a Magnatone 24:54 A 1967 Fender Princeton Reverb with fading volume 32:51 A 1972 Fender Deluxe Reverb versus a Silvertone Twin Twelve in a band setting; the Clientele's 'Suburban Light'; Ilegal tequila mezcal 40:12 Chewing matches 42:27 A damp and noisy Norwegian Vingtor amp 48:45 Instapot talk; ground switch redux; using a Variac to break-in speakers; Bob Newhart; Nelson Riddle; sweet potato fries 58:35 Grant Willis (valveheaven.com); using halogen lamp isolating transformers as output transformers 1:01:15  Restoring a free vintage Precision ES-550 oscilloscope 1:07:58 Multiple output taps and negative feedback loops on a Fender clone build 1:11:49 Fender Super Twin opinions 1:17:38 A hot transformer on a boutique tube amp in (Analog Outfitters The Road) 1:20:58 Allen Encore amps 1:23:22 A Magnatone M-12 with one channel that doesn't work Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde. Support the show as a TAVA Patreon patron and get bonus episodes, in-depth articles on amp circuitry and other surprises. Email or send us a voice memo to: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. And don't forget to share the show with friends. 

The 69th installment of the Truth About Vintage Amps! Once again, amp tech Skip Simmons is fielding your questions on all-things-tube-amp. Use the discount code TRUTHV150FF to save $15 off Caddis readers.  As always, we're also sponsored by Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars.  Some of the topics discussed this week:  3:09 Skip gets his Caddis readers 5:52 Skip's $260 Ampeg Reverberocket 2; vintage mono hi-fi speakers 11:53 Skip's Champ mod, redux; radial caps instead of axial caps 16:37 A Gibson GA-5 reissue with extra stuff between the coupling capacitor and the second stage of the 12AX7 22:32 Wandering Boy Guitars (link) 29:00 Why velcro on the speaker grill cloth? John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series 35:07 Jason's new podcast: Sweep the Floor (link) 35:42 Presence control versus top cut control 42:10 The Gibson Hawk's one-tube reverb circuit 46:29 Mismatching speaker impedance on a 1959 Gibsonette GA-8; Roald Dahl's 'Kiss Kiss' 51:37 Maximum efficiency speaker mismatching with a Supro 1610RT and a Dr. Z Maz 38 S; washing white rice 55:58 Music recommendations: Blackalicious' "Feel That Way;" Steve Wonder's 'Talking Book,' Sam Plecker's "Mr. Gray Cloud" 1:00:50 Using keyboards and synths with vintage tube amps 1:05:00 All-Clad's factory second website (homeandcooksales.com) 1:05:42 What to do with 100v line output transformers in old PA amps 1:09:49 Filter cap values in relation to power transformers; Arnica gel 1:15:44 The three pillars of BBQ sauce; basquecompany.com 1:19:25 Bulging caps in a Bogen DB-130 amplifier; La Costena Salsa Taquera Support the show as a TAVA Patreon patron and get bonus episodes, in-depth articles on amp circuitry and other surprises. Email or send us a voice memo to: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. And don't forget to share the show with friends. 

A very special bonus episode: We're sharing a recent interview  Jason and Skip Simmons from the Truth about Vintage Amps just did with Anthony Coscia. Coscia just completed one of the wildest passion projects ever: a working, 1/6 scale model of the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound, the audiophile-grade PA system the band employed during their concerts in 1974.  (If you already subscribe to the TAVA Podcast, no need to download this episode.) Coscia, a Deadhead who makes speaker cabinets and guitars as Coscia Guitars (Facebook link) ended up spending over 200 hours building cabinets, individually soldering and installing 390 tiny speakers (some meant just for cell phones), and even creating a lighting rig for this miniature state setup. He posted the updates to followers on his "Petite Mur De Son - Mini Wall of Sound" Facebook page (link). Upon completion, Coscia donated it to non-profit HeadCount, where someone contributed $100,000 to be the next Mini Wall's owner. With momentum and a recent Wall Street Journal front page article (link) celebrating his accomplishment under his belt, Coscia is already plotting his next, even bigger Wall. It's the real life tale of one of best pandemic projects we've heard of. Apropos of nothing, Skip and Jason also go over the Geloso G-18R discussed on Ep. 67 of TAVA.  We hope you enjoy this joint Truth About Vintage Amps / Fretboard Journal Podcast bonus episode. Support the show as a TAVA Patreon patron and get bonus episodes, in-depth articles on amp circuitry and other surprises. TAVA Discounts: Use the discount code THETRUTH10 to save 10% off your order from Amplified Parts between now and April 15, 2021.  Use the discount code TRUTHV150FF to save $15 off Caddis readers between now and April 30, 2021.  Visit fretboardjournal.com for more photos and a partial transcription of this episode.  Special thanks to our sponsors: Grez Guitars, Amplified Parts, Caddis, Folkway Music, Retrofret Vintage Guitars, and Mono Cases. 

TAVA Discounts: Use the discount code THETRUTH10 to save 10% off your order from Amplified Parts between now and April 15, 2021.  Use the discount code TRUTHV150FF to save $15 off Caddis readers between now and April 30, 2021.  The Truth About Vintage Amps' Skip Simmons and Jason Verlinde talk to Anthony Coscia, who just completed one of the wildest passion projects ever: a working, 1/6 scale model of the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound, the audiophile-grade PA system the band employed during their concerts in 1974. Coscia, a deadhead who makes speaker cabinets and guitars as Coscia Guitars (Facebook link) ended up spending over 200 hours building cabinets, individually soldering and installing 390 tiny speakers (some meant merely for cell phones), and even creating a lighting rig for this miniature PA. He posted the updates to followers on his "Petite Mur De Son - Mini Wall of Sound" Facebook page (link). Upon completion, Coscia donated it to non-profit HeadCount, where someone contributed $100,000 to be the next Mini Wall's owner. With momentum and a recent Wall Street Journal front page article (link) celebrating his accomplishment under his belt, Coscia is already plotting his next, even bigger Wall. It's the real life tale of one of best pandemic projects we've heard of. Apropos of nothing, Skip and Jason also go over the Geloso G-18R discussed on Ep. 67 of TAVA.  We hope you enjoy this joint Truth About Vintage Amps / Fretboard Journal Podcast bonus episode. Support the show as a TAVA Patreon patron and get bonus episodes, in-depth articles on amp circuitry and other surprises. Have a topic for a future episode? Email or send us a voice memo to: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. Visit fretboardjournal.com for more photos and a partial transcription of this episode.  Special thanks to our sponsors: Grez Guitars, Amplified Parts, Caddis, Folkway Music, Retrofret Vintage Guitars, and Mono Cases.