It's the 156th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amps. This week: Special guest Jack Weston joins us with a great Allman Brothers story. 

Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts 

Some of the topics discussed this week: 

:43 What's on Skip's Bench: a Fender Princeton with reversed input jacks

5:41 Special Guest: Jack Weston, author of 'The Allman Brothers Band: Classic Memorabilia, 1969-1976' (Amazon link)

46:17 The Magnatone Triplex; ultralinear output stages, redux; Bob Wills' The Tiffany Transcriptions

47:35 Raising kids and running a small business; tractor rollovers

51:13 A cooking baffler: Potatoes cooked in resin

52:30 Will my Airline 9003 amp kill me?

55:11 Traynor YGL-3A amps

56:43 Is it possible for a fuse to blow when the amp is fine? Best-case scenarios for a speaker mismatch? Jerry Portnoy's autobiography, 'Dancing with Muddy' (Amazon link)

1:03:02 Movie recommendations: Come See Me in the Good Light; The Lost Bus

1:05:28 The greatest Thanksgiving side dish of all-time? A corn-bread concoction; the 2026 Fretboard Summit (www.fretboardsummit.org); the TAVA Cookbook (Dropbox link)

1:07:37 Good goo: Oxalic acid/wood bleach (Amazon link); Permalac sealer

1:10:43 Using a 6SL7 as a long tail pair

1:13:03 Amps made with 6N2P pre-amp tubes and 6N6P power tubes? Ashen amps

1:15:16 The resurrection of Australia's GoldenTone amps? https://goldentone.com.au/

1:18:39 What should I do with this West Mini IR combo amp?

1:23:37 Hopefulness and despair with a reissue Twin Reverb and a Silverface Champ

1:31:06 What should I do with my Wilcox Gay Recordio recorder

1:38:31 A Califone SP-30 powered speaker; chili 

Want amp tech Skip Simmons' advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Want to share your top secret family recipe? Need relationship advice? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too. 

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.  

It's the 155th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amps. This week: Barn finds, lost dogs, an extra-grounded Jason (amp pun intended) and more!  

Some of the topics discussed this week: 

1:05 Skip gets the new Fretboard Journal (link); do banjos belong in the Fretboard Journal?

5:16 Recommended music: Ned Boynton's 'The North Beach Sound;' The No-Mads (nomadsband.com)

7:54 Our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts (and Mr. Microphone)

18:12 What's on Skip's bench: A Bogen GA-5; a Realistic Carnival; Masco C-6; 6AQ5 tubes

22:53 A listener baffler, answered (speaker re-coning); Vintage 47 amps (link)

26:18 Skip's ep. 154 baffler, answered: What does Skip do when he's modding the second input of a Fender Champ? Supro Spectators

32:51 New Accutronics reverb tanks by Revisit (link)  

34:52 What's the low input doing in a Marshall JCM800; green chile on everything

39:20 Lowering the B+ on a 1971 Fender Bassman 10 project; ultralinear transformers; cactus salad

48:43 The long-awaited dog story

51:35 Colin Hay's "Overkill" with Choir! Choir! Choir! (YouTube link); Traynor amps

54:52 Should I treat the pitting on a Soundmaster 600 PA?

1:00:17 Lab Series amps

1:03:39 Smoke-damaged MusicMan HD-130  

1:09:20 The dangers of old tractors (and drawbridges)

1:15:34 Modifying the power section of a Twin Reverb for lower volume playing; fixing a Filmosound 385 with hum; Evan Crafts (Instagram)

1:21:26 TAVA listener spotlight: Children's book author Matt James! (Order his new book, The One About the Blackbird (Amazon link)

1:23:56 How to raise kids and run a small business; Mae Ploy curry paste 

1:31:16 Barn finds: Spring-loaded input jacks; a 1947 Fender Princeton amp and matching lap steel 

Want amp tech Skip Simmons' advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Want to share your top secret family recipe? Need relationship advice? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too. 

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 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. 

Once again, guitar amp tech Skip Simmons is fielding your questions on all things tube amp.

This week's sponsors: Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. Want to support the show? Be a part of our Patreon page.

2:15 Baffler Corner: The power tubes on a transitional 1963 Fender Showman head; enchiladas without breaking tortillas; last week's noisy Marshall
9:22 What's on Skip's Bench: A Gibsonette
14:35 The entire 1996 Angela Catalog, now available as a download! (link here, proceeds go directly to Steve Melkisethian)
17:29 Reversing the tube pin order in a Princeton 5F2A
19:53 Removing paint from Tolex
21:45 Recommended reading: 'Antique Radio Restoration Guide'; shimming a speaker with a rubbing dust cap
25:00 Watkins Dominators, using a Variac in front of a step-up transformer
30:41 Plate voltages on a Deluxe Reverb AB763
32:24 Modulus Music's free 5E3 cabinet plans; Skip's tomato sauce; Fender Harvards
38:55 A/B box updates; HAB hot sauce
41:06 Lectrolab S600s
43:42 Modding the first channel of a silverface Fender Super Reverb
46:43 Changing the cap value on a 5F2A tone control
48:38 Wall voltage variabilities and using a Variac
54:55 Song recommendation: "Call Me" by Aretha Franklin
55:48 Enchilada talk, fast pumpkin Thai curry soup
1:01:03 Are forums useful?

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.

Be sure to check out the ever-growing Big Index of Truth About Vintage Amp topics to see if your amp questions have already been covered.

Once again, guitar amp tech Skip Simmons is fielding your questions on all things tube amp.

This week's sponsors: Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars.

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:
2:05 Skip checks out a Paul Bigsby-built tenor guitar, free stuff sent to your favorite podcast hosts
14:06 Revisiting Grez Guitars' pickle jar hack
15:13 Grounding 101
22:27 Antique Electronics Supply/Amplified Parts' Tolex sample packs
26:13 Advice on Ampeg M-12 / Mercury amps
29:16 Drawing a schematic from scratch
33:30 "Two Words:" A vintage Marshall baffler
35:34 Mis-drawn schematics revisited: The UREI 1176 Compressor
39:10 A 1960s Honda 305 Scrambler project
42:42 6L6G tubes in a 5E6 Fender Bassman?
47:29 RIP: Classic Tone transformers
48:32 Adding an isolation transformer to a Harmony H400A 
52:44 Meatloaf on a grill
56:23 Cleaning grill cloth or Tolex 
59:07 Stokes and Paul C mods on a Fender Princeton 
1:03:29 Converting a Masco MA-50 and MA-17; Skip has a Gibson Falcon for sale
1:08:28 Guitarists versus harmonica players 
1:09:12 Functional differences between spade connectors and soldering for speaker leads? 
1:13:36 Turning a Conn ST-6 strobe turner into an amp... or something
1:18:02 Keeping corn tortillas intact while rolling enchiladas

Recorded November 2, 2020. 

Have a question or 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.

And be sure to check out the ever-growing Big Index of Truth About Vintage Amp topics to see if your amp questions have already been covered.

Once again, guitar amp tech Skip Simmons is fielding your questions on all things tube amp.

This week's sponsors: Amplified Parts (use the discount code TAVA10 when you check out to save 10% off your order!) and Grez Guitars.

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

6:50 The Truth About Vintage Amps Patreon Page: New contributions from Jesse at Acme Instruments
10:00 Trusting a repair tech and what to do with old, removed parts 
12:40 A driver for a horn speaker; dogs chasing golf balls, Specimen Audio
19:10 Ceramic fast-acting versus glass fuses  
25:56 Putting two single-ended output transformers in series to make a larger single-ended output transformer
36:56 Solid state watts versus tube watts 
39:07 A Garnet G15T Gnome with a 6V6 that fluctuates in time; the Garnet Herzog 
42:56 Fender Super Reverb tremolo disconnect mods 
48:09 Employing a Cetron CE-25C photocell tube to make a Theremin (or something like it)
51:40 More bean talk: Teasdale beans; Instant Pot revisited
56:57 Using two lower-value pre-amp plate load resistors in series 
58:53 Pete Millett's online tube book reference library (link)
1:04:34 Skip's book picks: Patrick O'Brian, Tony Hillerman, James Lee Burke, Martin Cruz Smith 
1:09:43 Gary Gulman's "The Hierarchy of Cookies" (link)
1:10:13 Getting a Gibson "Charlie Christian" EH-150 amp serviced properly; Orange Drop caps 
1:21:30 "Sodder" versus "solder," yet again

Have a question or 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.

And be sure to check out the ever-growing Big Index of Truth About Vintage Amp topics to see if your amp questions have already been covered.

Support the Truth About Vintage Amps through our brand new Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps

Once again, Skip Simmons is fielding guitar amp questions from around the world.

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

4:12 A new Tony's: Pappa Earle's (link)
6:03 This week's sponsors: Grez Guitars and Amplified Parts
7:43 Eddie Van Halen (link to Zocala Public Square video mentioned)
14:45 The answer to Ep. 53's Baffler
18:30 A cabinet conundrum
20:23 Another Baffler!
21:36 Cleaning chrome Gibson faceplates, Metal Rescue
24:00 A Vibroverb reissue with ringing reverb... fixed
27:42 Restoring amps that have been underwater
34:17 The harmonic tremolo and pre-amp tubes in a brownface 1960 Fender Super
40:47 Hammond organ amp conversions
45:21 Taming a Super Reverb clone; Instant Pots
40:49 Skip's traveling coffee rig
51:15 Mat's Skip-inspired iPhone to guitar amp interface
57:08 Getting analog warmth into a digital recording chain
1:00:11 Brian's protein-packed smoothie; Rasta Kevin; homemade tomato sauce; Burning Spear
1:03:35 Supro tube tremolo
1:08:13 "Sodder" versus "solder," the final word

Have a question or 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. 

This episode is brought to you by Grez Guitars and Amplified Parts. Use the discount code

Support the Truth About Vintage Amps through our brand new Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps

Once again, Skip Simmons is fielding guitar amp questions from around the world.

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:11 A new TAVA Baffler
4:41 An Angela Super Single Ended amp group build?
10:28 Mrs. Simmons' favorite amp?
13:16 Identifying the work of Fender's Lily, Lupe, Eileen, etc.
14:43 Strategies when you discover an amp with few original parts
19:50 Saving amps with fire/smoke damage
26:07 Driving larger power tubes 101
29:14 That tube amp fizz / hiss
34:25 Why smacking the top of your amp sometimes fixes it, microphonic tubes
39:22 Vintage Guild amplifiers and homemade taco seasoning
49:18 Why did 1955 tweed Deluxe shock me?
54:27 Sticking new caps inside of an old capacitor
57:59 New USA-made tubes, revisited
1:04:27 Cleaning the lead wires on old parts
1:07:07 Numb mouth after eating El Pato
1:07:50 Adding the tone control of a Magnatone 213 to a Magnatone M2 Custom
1:10:39 Selenium rectifiers going bad
1:13:49 Al Di Miola, John McLaughlin, and Paco de Lucia 'Friday Night in San Francisco 1980'
1:14:14 Sleeper amps that need a boost or overdrive pedal to shine, Harmony H415
1:16:58 Zep Smoke Odor Eliminator Pro
1:18:22 Using a 6 volt rectifier in place of a 5 volt
1:24:06 Converting the power tube bias modulating tremolo on a Princeton to the pre-amp tube bias modulation of a Vibro Champ; recommended dining: Shan Dong in Oakland, Calif.

Have a question or 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. 

This episode is brought to you by Grez Guitars and Amplified Parts (who happen to have Jack Darr's 'Electric Guitar Amplifier Handbook' in-stock now), with special audio help from Izotope. Use the discount code RUIN10 to save 10% off your Izotope order.

Support the Truth About Vintage Amps through our brand new Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps

Once again, Skip Simmons is fielding guitar amp questions from around the world, except this time we're joined by special guest, Jef Brown!

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

8:54 'Practical Amplifier Diagrams' (1947)
17:02 The grounds on an all-original 1962 Fender Tweed Champ
22:34 Power section filtering
26:30 Special Guest: Jef Brown! (Jef's band, Jef's amp blog)
1:13:32 A Gibson GA-25 RVT Hawk that smells
1:19:23 Bass-ifying a single-ended amp build
1:23:00 A Silverface Princeton Reverb missing its foot switch
1:25:15 El Paso fajita seasoning
1:26:04 Turning your amps on-and-off during the workday

Have a question or 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. 

This episode is brought to you by Grez Guitars and Amplified Parts (who happen to have Jack Darr's 'Electric Guitar Amplifier Handbook' in-stock now), with special audio help from Izotope. Use the discount code RUIN10 to save 10% off your Izotope order.

Support the Truth About Vintage Amps through our brand new Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps

Once again, Skip Simmons is fielding guitar amp questions from around the world. 

Some of the topics discussed on this episode: 

4:35 Soundmaster PAs, revisited

16:20 Turret boards versus freestyle wiring

21:24 Adjectives for the tones of tweed-era Deluxe and 4x12" Bassman

27:37 Matching a 16 ohm speaker to a 4 ohm amp output with a transformer

31:20 A schematic, but no layout

33:33 Power tubes in series (Milkman amps)

35:54 A Gibson GA-15 that rattles its tubes out

40:54 Silvertone 101

45:50 Advice on a 1966 Silvertone 1484 Twin Twelve: Watts, speakers, tips

52:26 A Silvertone 1474 and desoldering components from terminal strips

1:05:50 Using Telefunken EAM86 indicator tubesin an amp application

Special thanks to Derek Taylor for the intermission music.

Have a question or topic for a future episode? Submit it to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

This episode is brought to you by Grez Guitars and Amplified Parts.

Support the Truth About Vintage Amps through our brand new Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps

It's the long-awaited, prize-filled 50th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast! And, once again, Skip Simmons is fielding guitar amp questions from around the world. 

Some of the topics discussed on this episode: 

6:11 Pyko de Gallo
7:09 Deluxe Amplification's El Pato Tone practice amp (link)
11:51 A circuit to investigate: the Kay K550
15:34 DJ Cruise Ship Derek
22:48 Hy Bloom, founder of Soundmaster, redux
28:36 Is the RCA Manual the reference for tube specs?
32:11 Can amps be cursed?
36:01 An Ampeg that gets mushy
37:39 Skip's fallback job
38:14 Model airplanes
39:28 Netflix recommendation: 'John Was Trying to Contact Aliens'
40:13 When caps go on a 1964 Fender Champ; El Pato & yogurt
45:23 Win stuff from Manbroidery, Voyager Guitar Cabs and Chris Vincent of R2R Electric!!
49:44 Special guest Chris Vincent (DJLavalamp on Instagram, R2R Electric)
1:06:26 Occasionally farty bass on multiple amps
1:11:04 A Philly Roast Pork Sandwich
1:12:19 The bologna sandwich from Oklahoma
1:13:27 A Fender Champion 600 with a disconnected pilot light
1:15:55 Special guest: Matt Clouston of Clouston Amplifiers
1:31:18 Music to solder by: The Peddlers
1:33:56 Australia's Goldentone 1750 / Broadway amplifier and the 6GW8 tube
1:37:48 Schematics in the public domain?
1:39:28 A reissue Fender Vibroverb with a reverb that rings with a C-note
1:43:09 A life changed thanks to Skip
1:46:58 Ranch Water; pico de gallo
1:48:58 Skip's riff when testing out an amp

Have a question or topic for a future episode? Submit it to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

This episode is brought to you by Grez Guitars and Amplified Parts.

Support the Truth About Vintage Amps through our brand new Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps

Once again, Skip Simmons is fielding guitar amp questions from around the world. 

Some of the topics discussed on this episode: 

3:32 A brief moment of despair
10:34 Our new Patreon page: Hear Skip's actual voice!
21:30 Colin Cripps' Filmosound, revisited
25:15 Skip's chassis stand
30:37 Changing the linear taper volume pot on an early '80s Princeton Reverb
34:53 Putting a guitar input into the pre-amp of a Hammond L-100 organ
40:33 Salvaging tubes from a free Lowry organ
43:40 The 5F10 Fender Harvard
47:17 "Peekofarad" or "pykofarad"
48:35 The light-dependent resistor on a Gibson GA20-RVT tremolo
52:30 Replacing the 6CA7/EL34 power tubes with new old stock Sylvania/RCA or brand new Electro-Harmonix
57:40 Bass cut on a Tweed Deluxe clone
1:02:20 Vibro Champ tremolo revisited
1:06:17 Boutique parts & homemade ramen
1:17:32 Patton fans

Have a question or topic for a future episode? Submit it to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

This episode is brought to you by Grez Guitars and Amplified Parts.

Support the Truth About Vintage Amps through our brand new Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps

Once again, Skip Simmons also fielding guitar amp questions from around the world. 

Some of the topics discussed on this episode: 

2:55 Special guest: Greg Cravener from Amplified Parts (watch the video on how Amplified makes can capacitors here)
33:27 Plate load resistor function
39:00 Power conditioners and vintage amps
41:23 Building a simple hi-fi from scratch
44:52 Building an amp with two different power sections and two different output transformers

Have a question or topic for a future episode? Submit it to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

This episode is brought to you by Grez Guitars and Amplified Parts.

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 (hear listener Brian play the Joyo on YouTube)

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. 

Support the Truth About Vintage Amps through our brand new Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps

Once again, Skip Simmons also fielding guitar amp questions from around the world. This week, we are also joined by special guest Colin Cripps (Blue Rodeo, the Jim Cuddy Band, Kathleen Edwards), who helps shed light on some of the very special amplifiers to come out of Canada. 

Some of the topics discussed on this episode: 

:55 "The unluckiest dude that there ever was," Skip's advice to fellow amp techs
10:16 The Truth About Vintage Amps Patreon page (fireside chats, a Skip grab bag of vintage "stuff"!)
16:24 Special guest: guitarist/producer Colin Cripps (Bernie Raunig's Filmosound amps, Johnson Amplifiers, TEX amps)
55:07 Music Picks: Emitt Rhodes, Esquerita, The Melodians
58:31 Replacement pots of choice
1:00:18 A Magnavox amp with a push-pull output but no phase inverter stage
1:02:10 What to do with a busted 1962 Fender Deluxe output transformer
1:04:39 Vibro Champs that lose volume when tremolo intensity is increased, revisited

Have a question or topic for a future episode? Submit it to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

This episode is brought to you by Grez Guitars and Amplified Parts.

Support the Truth About Vintage Amps through our brand new Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps

Steve Melkisethian of Angela Instruments makes his eagerly anticipated second Truth About Vintage Amps appearance and it doesn't disappoint. Included: Tracking down vintage Marshalls in the UK, selling gear to U2, Ken Fischer, tube sockets, recommended books, Orange amps, Jesse Quitslund of Acme Instruments, Jef Brown, Steve plays drums for the Cramps, and more!

Note: Steve recommends two books by author Pete "The Jukester" Sheridan. You can read about them via his website. Both can be purchased by sending him a check/money order to the address on the homepage. 

Special thanks, as always, to our sponsors Grez Guitars and Amplified Parts. 

Once again, Skip Simmons also fielding guitar amp questions from around the world.

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

This episode is brought to you by Grez Guitars and Amplified Parts

Some of the topics discussed on this episode: 

10:24 Chris' Tone Scoring System
14:12 The three colors of El Pato
17:07 Silverface vs. late Blackface Champs
21:46 A Sherwood Master 8422 amp
24:55 Installing a pre-amp switch on a pair of tube amps
30:05 A TAVA handbook?
35:32 Modding the volume on input two of a reissue Princeton
39:06 "Expansion Control" on a Knight PA amp
43:23 Dan's summer BBQ marinade

Once again, Skip Simmons also fielding guitar amp questions from around the world, but this week we have a special guest:   Colleen Fazio of Fazio Electric! 

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

This episode is brought to you by Grez Guitars and Amplified Parts

Some of the topics discussed on this episode: 

:54 A silverface Twin left on without a speaker
3:44 A tweed Deluxe with two serial numbers
5:58 Meet our new sponsor: Amplified Parts
16:57 Deluxe Amplification's 1949 Ford and car radio reverb units
21:14 Special guest: Colleen Fazio of Fazio Electric (mid-century modern inspired amplifiers, repair tips, Vero amps, pasta sauce!) Follow her on Instagram and subscribe to her new YouTube channel.
1:03:10 Fender Vibro Champ XD pre-amp tubes; extending transformer leads
1:08:45 The tonal impact of a loose ground connection with a three-prong replacement cord
1:13:55 Free green onions forever
1:15:15 Recommended combo setup for an organ and guitar player
1:19:21 Using an extension cord with a GFI outlet
1:22:50 An underwhelming Massie 966 Squire amp
1:28:09 A Peavey Vintage 4x10 with compaction 6C10 tubes
1:31:37 Appreciating the Fender Bassman 70 

Once again, Skip Simmons is fielding guitar amp questions from around the world. 

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

This episode is sponsored by Grez Guitars.

Some of the topics discussed in this episode: 

3:11 Making an amp cabinet out of a beehive, a new baffler
8:23 Winding your own power transformer (YouTube)
9:54 Flot-A-Tone Amplifiers
23:11 Octal tubes revisited
26:30 A kit Vibrochamp with an intensity problem
30:02 A one-string b-bender, the Pitch Pilot
31:32 Helping fellow pro amp techs, a motorboating tweed Bassman
38:28 A low-watt 2x12 combo amp?
41:03 Plate dissipation differences for cathode-biased, Class A and Class A/B amps
44:48 Alamo amps
48:01 Megger cables and a 1968 Fender Bandmaster for bass
50:51 "Bumble Bee" capacitors & Mass MOCA
55:42 Itemized invoices
58:45 Powering a pair of speakers with a Fender Blues Jr. IV
1:03:44 The TAVA Big Index Page
1:08:16 A loose tube socket on a homemade 5F2A circuit
1:13:05 How episodes get named

Once again, Skip Simmons is fielding tube amp questions from around the world. 

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

This episode is sponsored by Grez Guitars.

Some of the topics discussed in this episode: 

1:20 A request for the sold-erers
9:00 A "don't just think about it, do it" project: A Strat pickup on an acoustic
12:37 An input 2 fan from Ireland
15:30 DIY wiring harnesses for a speaker cabinet
18:52 Extra radio interference on master volume amps
27:23 Skip's long-awaited hot & sour soup recipe
33:00 Building a first amp with a 15-year-old
39:07 What to do with Bozak speakers
43:30 Safe to use A/B/Y to test two amp heads into one cabinet?
48:16 When to put on a grounded cord and would a polarized two-prong plug work?
53:06 What to do with a Grommes Little Jewel LJ2
59:02 Dave Miller, (check out his new video here), Newcomb PAs and Skip on TMZ
1:03:17 Converting a PA amp to a spring reverb
1:07:14 Circuit Corner: Leslie speaker amps

Once again, Skip Simmons is fielding tube amp questions from around the world. 

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

This episode is sponsored by Grez Guitars.

Some of the topics discussed in this episode: 

4:46 Bill Krinard's Silvertone Twin Twelve reverb fix (tease)
20:23 This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (watch RJ Ronquillo's demo video here)
21:20 Whatever happened to Jason's Stew-Mac Champ kit?
25:03 An input no. 2 aficionado
31:11 Re-gluing a Fender faceplate
34:00 A '54 Champ and a VanAmps Reverbamate
41:11 A test cabinet for field coil speakers
44:39 A patch bay for multiple amp outputs
49:33 The magic of JBLs
56:09 A Subaru Outback with an oil leak & Toyota Land Cruisers
1:05:17 How long can an amp sit without needing a voltage ramp-up
1:07:14 9-pin or octal tubes for a Fender 5C3 Deluxe
1:14:09 Scavenging parts from an inherited Heathkit Thomas organ
1:17:59  A blonde Fender Bassman with a single 12" speaker; the "Helmholtz Resonator"
1:22:05 Yellow Jackets converters in a 1971 Fender Vibroluxe Reverb
1:26:18 Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'
1:31:08 An outboard 110 to 240 converter for a New Zealander

Vintage guitar and amp dealer/repairman Steve Soest joins us for a very special Truth About Vintage Amps episode. Steve shares stories of meeting Leo Fender, Doc Kauffman and other legends from the world of electric guitars; he recounts of some of his days of vintage gear buying and selling; and he even walks us through the time he joined Dick Dale's band. Plus: What to do with a free Hammond M-3 organ, the New Bedford Whaling Museum and much more... 

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

This episode is sponsored by Grez Guitars. 

http://www.soestguitar.com

http://www.skipsimmonsamps.com

https://www.fretboardjournal.com

Once again, Skip Simmons is fielding tube amp questions from around the world. 

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

This episode is sponsored by Grez Guitars.

Some of the topics discussed in this episode: 

4:00 Satan & Adam on Netflix
5:38 How to pronounce Tony Chachere (link)
7:13 A step-up transformer for a guitar 
10:54 Tubes on a drawbridge?
13:27 Reversing the pilot lamp in your amp, again
16:42 Flux remover for turret boards and PCBs
18:15 Preventing pitting on an amp chassis
19:54 Hitting a power chord to discharge the caps on an amp
22:25 Vintage Hilgen amplifiers (link) 
25:32 Tiny Moore's Music in Sacramento
26:28 A clone Deluxe that unexpectedly cuts out
30:32 A 1982 Vibro Champ with a '60s power transformer
34:37 Increasing gain on a Valco-made Gretsch 6150 amp
37:30 Skip thanks you for all the gifts; Steve Soest and Michael Lee Allen
40:50 Chili oil from Xi-An Famous Foods (link)
41:55 A Gibson Falcon picking up radio signals
46:26 The Baxandall tone stack and a Japanese karage recipe
54:18 Sierra Nevada Summerfest beer
55:28 Lead dressing and salsas
1:00:55 A pre-amp circuit for an RCA MI-12188A theater amp
1:07:54 A Fender Vibrolux with a loose 5U4 rectifier tube
1:11:17 'Moby Dick,' Tony Hillerman, 'Bosch,' 'Happy Valley,' 'This Sporting Life'
1:18:20 A vintage Japanese "Reverb Master" tank
1:22:30 A reverb fix for Silvertone Twin Twelves
1:23:48 Skip's grooming tips 

The elusive, highly influential Steve Melkisethian of Angela Instruments joins us on this week's episode for what is quite possibly our most entertaining episode to date. For decades, Angela has provided DIY tube amp and hi-fi enthusiasts with tubes, parts, and brutally honest advice. Melkisethian tells us about the history of the company, his love for music (from John Fahey to Roy Buchanan and Fugazi), and shares plenty of stories from the vacuum tube frontlines. 

Submit your tube amp questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

Some of the topics discussed:

0:00 Addendum: The tubes on Springsteen's Mesa Boogie
3:25 Why Steve Melkisethian of Angela Instruments, this week's guest, is important  
6:56 This week's TAVA sponsor: Grez Guitars
7:58 The Danelectro DM-25 reverb trick, redux
13:41 What's on Skip's bench?
17:02 Jason buys a Garnet
18:50 Pronouncing Tony Chachere, again; El Pato and Herdez
23:05 Speaker driven reverb schematic
29:06 Special guest: Steve Melkisethian of Angela Instruments (www.angela.com)

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. 

Once again, Skip Simmons is quoting 'A Tale of Two Cities' and fielding tube amp questions from around the world. 

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

This episode is sponsored by Grez Guitars.

Some of the topics discussed in this episode: 

4:26 Carter Vintage's under $1000 amp shootout (YouTube link)
7:40 Satan & Adam
9:32 Tom Ball
11:44 Updates on Drew's Fender Tonemaster
17:54 We're doing a good job
19:48 Phil Lee
21:00 Tube condensation during cold weather
24:12 The Fender Bantam Bass amp
26:26 Eric Johnson's pilot light placement, redux
29:44 A 1973 Fender Princeton Reverb with a sticky speaker
32:52 Swapping out a phase inverter tube versus swapping out a pre-amp tube
35:17 Recommended tool: OXO turner for skillet cleaning (link) 
37:38 The gain stages of the Fender 5E8-A preamp
42:10 Replacing the handle on a '60s Gibson GA-5 Skylark
46:09 Footswitch 101 and an '80s Rivera-era Fender Princeton Reverb 2
50:29 Using EQ to lower the volume on a 50-watt Mesa Boogie Mark II
56:05 A 1968 Fender Vibro Champ with a hum that goes away
1:01:56 Power = Voltage × Current
1:03:38 A 5881 or a 6L6GC power tube in a 5F1
1:05:48 Speaker recommendations for a 1966 Ampeg Gemini II 

Once again, Skip Simmons is quoting 'A Tale of Two Cities' and fielding tube amp questions from around the world. 

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

Some of the topics discussed in this episode: 
4:41 One for the Tweakers: Putting a filament transformer in a HiWatt, backwards
7:38 Unfreezing pots with rubbing alcohol
11:53 Turning a Rogers Cadet hi-fi into a guitar amp
13:19 A 1953 Massie Woody on Reverb (link)
15:59 Red lacquer on solder joints
17:30 This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (check out the video with Tim Lerch and Tommy Harkenrider here)
21:27 The stereo-to-mono conversion box project
31:56 The only thing you'll remember from this week's podcast: How to say "Tony Cachere's"
32:58 The Danelectro DM-25
35:56 Josh Yenne and the Gmail / Comcast guys
37:45 The hairy overdriven, brown sag sound for pedal steel (Charley Pride's "Cotton Fields")
44:45 RIP: Brian Dennehy (crooked cop in 'Gorky Park')
46:40 Lodge: The Blues Junior of cast iron pans?
49:00 Tips for repairing Tolex and tight-fitting chassis
50:35 The language of amp feel
54:47 Will this Kay 703 kill me?
59:59 Ry Cooder's Instagram page
1:00:18 The tone difference of PCB vs wired amps
11:04:25 A Victoria with a thumpy tremolo
1:08:04 An early '60s Fender Princeton with an extraneous noise
1:13:00 Different tone controls for a Gibson Falcon (link, link)
1:17:45 Getting rid of the bias resistor in a Vibroluxe clone; super-simple, homemade hot sauce
1:20:03 A Brown Box for an Aussie?
1:25:20 'How to Hot Rod Your Fender Amp' book, DLabs
1:29:40 Why Skip hates pentode triad switches

Amp tech Skip Simmons is once again fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world. 

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

2:39: Special Guest: Bill Krinard (Two-Rock Amplifiers): Troubleshooting a Fender Tonemaster that pops when turned off; Bodega red potatoes; Bill's current projects; flipping the pilot light)
34:45 This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link, get a behind-the-scenes Grez shop tour here)
35:39 Tips on buying a tube tester (Skip's fave: B&K 700)
45:05 Speaker recommendations for a Champ
47:58 Troubleshooting an early '70s Fender Bassman 50 with hum
1:00:57 Choke talk
1:05:31 Cast iron cleaning
1:10:55 Vacuum Tube Valley online (link)
1:13:53 RIP Art Dudley (FJ and Stereophile contributor)
1:14:10 Skip's hi-fi setup
1:18:14 A Garnet Pro with built-in Stinger fuzz that sounds worse as it warms up
1:22:49 Skip's book tips

Amp tech Skip Simmons is once again fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world. 

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

(Apologies for the Skype noise/buffering at the start of the podcast... our small town internet needs some WD-40.)

21:39 This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)
22:33 A Musicmaster Bass amp in a Vibro Champ cabinet (and vice versa)
25:19 The crest on a Gibson Crestline-era Skylark / the Gibson amp book (link)
27:49 A resistor to bias a tweed Vibrolux; power transformers in a 5F2A  
38:51 Using the speaker of a Deluxe Reverb with a Quilter head
42:34 A Silverface Vibro Champ with a weak tremolo; the Capacitor Wizard
47:55 This week's quote: "The mind that is not baffled, is not employed" -Wendell Berry
49:19 The popping Fender Tonemaster update
55:01 A gridleak bias mindworm
1:02:06 In defense of Lodge cast iron; crisper potatoes
1:07:37 Pickups and how they interact with tube amps
1:11:59 Music recommendation: Skip James' Today!
1:13:01 Free video time killers for the DIY set: Camel Finds Water (link), Resurrection: Rescue of a 1955 VW panelvan (link), The Beast of Turin (link)
1:16:56 Rogue Hoe gardening tools (link); symptoms of a bad bias circuit
1:23:46 Dialing in your tone on a Mesa Boogie Mark IV
1:30:58 Tubes for a Fender reverb tank
1:34:33 "Chitlins Con Carne" rhythm revisited: Timmy Thomas' "Why Can't We Live Together," the Police's "Deathwish;" Gibson Falcon mods
1:39:12 Modifying a '60s hi-fi home kit amp, plus Vinnie's mashed potato recipe (see below)
1:48:17 Movie pick: 'Pow Wow Highway'

Keep the questions coming and please leave us a review over on Apple Podcasts or share the podcast with friends.

Vinnie's Mash Potato Recipe

500gm Floury potatoes (in New Zealand I'd use Agria)
300ml single cream
200gm butter
salt
nutmeg
butter to finish

1. peel and cut the potato in 3cm dice
2. bring to the boil (just covered) in heavily salted water (slightly less than the sea)
3. strain as soon as you can easily poke a sharp knife through them 

(if they over cook and take on water they will be too salty)

1. once fully drained put them back in the pot on a low heat until the outside is fluffy and dry
2. meanwhile in another pot start reducing the cream and butter until it takes on the consistency of thermal mudpools bubbling. In NZ it would be quite yellow at this stage but our cows are grass feed.
3. while this is happening, force the potato through a sieve or ricer, working the potato as little as possible
4. Now whip the potato's in to the cream mixture, this should almost immediately come cleanly away from the sides of the pot and be ready to serve.
5. Spin the pot to make a ball, tip into a bowl, sprinkle with nutmeg and stick a 1cm knob of butter in the middle 

Maybe mash potato seems like a lame recipe, but this method produces the best results, I think.

p.s. water is the enemy of mash potato. Water out--Fat in

Amp tech Skip Simmons is once again fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world. 

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

5:24 This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)
6:01 Jimmy from the Deadlies and his 5D3 Tweed Deluxe
8:13 Rustic Kegger in the Woods origin
8:48 Recommended reading: 'White Bicycles' by Joe Boyd
9:42 A 1960 Gibson GA-6 Lancer with inputs that keep cutting out
15:34 What's the deal with the 1954 Fender Super?
20:02 Who was Glen Quan?
21:56 Servicing a Sears Silvertone 1482
30:05 The Magnatone 280 owner's manual
32:23 A Fender Tonemaster with a pop
41:30 The roots of tremolo with Hammond, DeArmond, etc.
44:13 A 1987 Marshall JCM-800 2210 picking up ham radio signals
52:40 Special guest: Sam Bolle (Dick Dale!)
1:09:10 A Hammond AO-35 amp conversion project
1:14:11 Seasoning cast iron pans
1:15:18 AmpRX BrownBox attenuator use
1:19:00 A steel player's pre-amp tube needs, spiral filament design
1:22:26 What's on Skip's bookshelf (Trustee from the Toolroom; All Music Guide to the Blues)  
1:25:16 Cartoons that adults want to watch

Amp tech Skip Simmons is once again fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world. 

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

8:04: Good Goo: TR3, SiliKroil
11:53 Our new Facebook Group (link)  
13:13 Vacaville, CA's hardware store (Pacific Hardware)
15:32 This week's sponsor: Grez Guitar
16:44 The Fretboard Journal's #FJFest (TAVA listeners will enjoy seeing DJLavalamp's Treble Booster operation or TJ Thompson's shop tour)
19:30 The lettered squares on an amp layout
21:05 Skip's starter kit for aspiring amp tinkerers: Solder iron, solder, needle nose pliers, wire cutters, a stainless steel brush (and the Jack Darr book, of course)
26:06 Modding a 5F2A from China / Reverse Feedback
29:52 Jim Campilongo's Silverface Princeton woes (NOS tube problems)
34:30 The Mullard Factory Tour on YouTube (link)
35:04 Damage from looping through a vintage amp?
41:40 Fixing a buzzy 1979 Musicmaster Bass amp
46:30 Skip's desert island amp
48:25 How did Skip and Jason meet?
52:21 Troubleshooting white noise on an amp
56:40 Running a dummy load on a stereo amp to go mono
1:00:00 1974 Fender Champ with a cat in the amp
1:05:48 A new Baffler! Ralph Shine & Sylvia Massy trivia!
1:07:38 NOS tubes recommendation: Fbenkor on eBay
1:08:26 Otis Amps
1:13:41 Skip makes a service call to Roman Coppola (Story & Clark "Storytone" Electric Piano)
1:18:35 Skip's travel toolkit
1:20:30 Sticking reverb in a Vibrochamp (link and link)
1:21:19 A Premier 90 Reverberation with stretched-out springs
1:23:58 Groovy tunes: Skip Mahoney's "Wherever You Go;" Grant Green's 'Street of Dreams;' William de Vaughn's "Be Thankful for What You Got;" Timmy Thomas' "Why Can't We Live Together"

Amp tech Skip Simmons is once again fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world. 

Note: We now have a private Facebook group for TAVA listeners: Search for "A Rustic Kegger in the Woods" or click here.   

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. 

This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:32 Skip tries to stay in the middle

5:04 Little Charlie Remembered

13:47 The hillbilly amp bought on eBay by listener @scschooling on Instagram (link)

14:49 Adam Grimm (Satellite Amps) builds a motion controlled boost with a mercury thermostat

16:08 Skip on Selmer amps, again

18:42 Making a Fender Acoustasonic Junior road worthy

24:13 Play through an amp while you're warming it up with a Variac?

29:43 Cramming a 10" speaker into a Champ kit

31:21 A 1956 Gibson GA-40 Les Paul amp that doesn't match the schematic

36:38 Smoked glass tubes

39:40 A project for a late '40s / early '50s Magnavox mono amp; plus, beans

46:38 "Why is Mesa Boogie so bloody minded and contrary?" asks an Australian listener

52:28 Special guest: Executive Chef Chris Robertson (Southpark Seafood, Portland, Oregon)

1:11:36 Harmonic tremolo and tremolo vs. vibrato circuits; Travis Wammack, "It's Karate Time" (YouTube link)

1:15:54 Pots that say 250k, but are actually 120k

1:18:25 A Brownface Princeton with 250k volume pots

1:21:52 Breakup on a Fender Deluxe 5E3

1:28:08 Comparing a 1962 Magnatone Custom 440 to a Fender counterpart

1:33:20 A Magnatone M7 with a mysterious foil wrapping around a coupling cap

1:37:35 Don't Be Me: A listener's speaker-replacing follies

1:42:30 Options for replacing a reverb tank in a '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb

1:46:44 Recommending reading: 'Shop Class as Soul Craft,' 'Trustee from the Toolroom'

1:52:08 Recommended watching: The Repair Shop (Netflix), homeschooling hacks

1:56:35 A 1963 Gibson GA-5T Skylark (Crestline series) with an annoying tremolo  

2:02:02 Skip's trip to Marijuanaville

2:05:27 Nesting with Netflix: Shetland; The Detectorists; Inspector Morse, Lewis; Better Call Saul; Trailer Park Boys

2:09:41 When is a vintage amp no longer a vintage amp?

Amp tech Skip Simmons is once again fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world. 

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)

Note: This episode was recorded on February 28, 2020 and pre-dates the passing of Little Charlie Baty, as well as much as of the news we now have on the coronavirus. (We just recorded a new show on March 19 that discusses both topics and we will be posting that next week.)

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

4:10 The hillbillies from Olivehurst: A cursed Gibson GA-15RVT and an early '60s Gibson Melody Maker

11:09 A 1951 Fender Tweed Pro with a factory field coil speaker (with one end on the B+, the other end grounded)

14:38 A TAVA Facebook group? Looking for moderators (inquire within)

18:44 Frito Chili Pie

20:42 Biasing for Class A Fixed, Class A/B and Cathode biasing; A Fender 5F2A's inverse negative feedback

30:49 Built-in power attenuators

35:40 Installing a headphone output jack on a vintage Fender Champ

37:16 The future reputation of modern amp builders (Carr, Dr. Z, Bartel, etc.)

47:04 More on Skip's Retropolitan amps

50:35 Breaking-in a speaker with a looper pedal

53:49 Music recommendations: Stanley Turentine, Grant Green, Lou Donaldson, Shirley Scott

55:21 What's wrong with Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's amp on his 1946 recording "That's All Right"?

57:35 Vintage Australian amps: Goldentone, Vase & Moody

58:34 A Fender Blues Deville with too much reverb

1:00:58 The "tone expander" switch on a Gibson GA30RV "Invader"

1:02:20 Vintage Gibson cabinet talk: Redwood? Any available reproduction cabinets?

1:05:54 Music recommendation: 'Unshaven: Live at Smith's Olde Bar' by Shaver

1:07:34 A John Vanderslice / Tiny Telephone update

1:09:07 Mac & cheese revisited

1:10:15 Picky goats

1:11:12 Selmer Triumph Reverb schematic

1:13:50 Grounding schemes, halloumi cheese

1:21:17 Special guest: Chris Benson of Benson Amplifiers! (Triad transformers, new releases, granola, cast iron)

1:39:19 Replace the bypass cap on your silverface Champ

1:40:10 Rodriguez & Searching for Sugar Man

1:42:01 Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven

Amp tech Skip Simmons is once again fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world. 

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

3:34 Skip goes to see Temple Grandin
10:20 A Facebook group for the TAVA Podcast?
10:48 Manbroidery's Two Prong Hat update
11:16 This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars
12:57 A noisy reverb thanks to vintage tubes
15:55 Cooking (on amps) with Billy Cowsill; a hot Flotatone
21:41 Using DC voltage to heat tubes for quieter operation (the 2020 Soldano SLO-100, Otis amps, other examples)
26:58 Using an amp as a pedal platform (tube vs solid state)
32:39 A successful 5F1 copy and liability concerns when selling boutique tube amps
38:42 Why can't they fit reverb into a Fender Vibro Champ?
41:51 Evolution of the Fender Deluxe Reverb reissues
45:15 Power for an outboard EQ section DIY project
48:28 A new DIY project: Changing the power transformer of a Fender Twin Reverb and modifying it for 6V6s to reduce weight
52:17 What to do with a non-working Gibson Hawk?
55:09 Why do tube amps sound better after a few hours of use?
58:59 Correct fuse for a 1973 Fender Champ
1:02:21 Replacement speakers in a vintage Gibson Skylark
1:06:18 Where to grab a chassis before removing it?
1:08:08 Laurens Hammond vs Donald Leslie
1:12:00 Tips on speaker cabinet construction
1:15:26 Discrepancies in the Angela SSE schematic
1:23:06 Listener Nate's favorite hot & sour soup recipe (link)
1:23:36 A failing 5Y3 rectifier at a gig
1:28:51 Troubleshooting a weak channel on a 5D3 Tweed Deluxe
1:35:07 Coffee from Mechanicsburg, Ohio (Hemisphere's Redline Roast, link)

Jason and Skip get Adam Grimm (Satellite Amplifiers) on the line.

https://www.satelliteamps.com

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. 

Amp tech Skip Simmons is once again fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world. 

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

Pre-order today: The Truth About Vintage Amps Two-Prong hat collaboration from Manbroidery and Ebbets Field Flannels (link)

This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

2:13 Skip gets a $25 guitar; Jason goes to NAMM
11:05 Marc Silber's inventory
14:16 Skip meets Grez
17:43 Tyler wins of our Union Bean Counter Tone Druid pedal giveaway (correct answer: Tom Waits)
19:17 Tyler's fish taco recipe (email us)
20:29 A very clean Fender Tweed Deluxe
22:00 Joe Craven and Bruce MacMillan covers the Dead
23:24 Australians respond to Skip's Robert Hughes query
23:51 More on Brent's bargain Variac with a current meter hack
26:46 Leaving an amp on for a week
29:33 Vintage wire that just won't solder
31:33 The Fender Greta as a pre-amp
34:02 The JHD Ice Cube Sustain Coupler (link)
37:43 The dangers of running an effect between an amp and a speaker cab
38:43 Changing a 1952 Gibsonette GA-8 from a field coil to regular magnetic speaker
42:30 Increasing the headroom on a Peavey Classic 50
45:45 Substituting a 5Y3 with a 5V4 in a 5E3 Deluxe
49:16 A 1950s Gibson GA-6 with an adapter for a 12AX7 pre-amp tube; more rectifier tube talk
51:50 Marshalls versus Fenders and the difference between 6V6/6L6 and an EL34/EL84
54:26 A Canadian Gibson Falcon that needs a massive overhaul
55:47 Choosing an amp for re-heating food
59:49 Little Charlie's Chile Colorado, revisited
1:02:05 Export model Silverface Fenders  
1:04:16 Questions on Angela's Super Single-Ended Amp

Amp tech Skip Simmons is once again fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world. 

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

**Order a PDF download of Steve Melkisethian's tweed Princeton amp project here.** 

This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:20 Skip's A/B box setback
3:00 A winner for our Stew-Mac Champ kit
4:40 A question for our Australian listeners
6:07 A glitchy Ampeg Reverberocket 
7:09 Skip heads to a vintage guitar show
12:00 @manbroidery two-prong hat update, let us know if you want one (Instagram link) 
15:22 Old carbon comp resistors and Domino caps in an amp kit build
20:23 Testing caps for leakage
24:58 Running a synth through a tube amp
28:33 The timing on Kenny Burrell's "Chitlins con Carne"
30:07 Music recommendation: The Joe Mooney Quartet (YouTube link)
31:17 The rationale for crazy amps like the Baldwin Exterminator
35:53 The sushi boat amp update; Rob Robinette's tube amp page; micro amps
40:40 1960s Guild Thunder series amps
43:52 New cast iron (link, link, link); rum & tonic
46:24 The Big Index page: fretboardjournal.com/tavaindex
46:58 Wear and tear from maxed out amp settings
48:25 Restoring (and storing) a blown Oxford speaker
50:52  Where the magic happens in a non-master volume tube amp
59:00 Tips re: Little Charlie's Chile Colorado
1:04:43 The speaker driven out / monitor jack on a Gibson Falcon
1:09:34 Tinkering with a one-tube reverb circuit
1:12:11 Modding a Gibson GA-5 Les Paul Jr. reissue amp
1:18:01 Thoughts on the Fender Musicmaster Bass amps
1:23:10 A cheap Variac hack with a current meter (eBay link; eBay link)
1:29:00 Safely using a '60s Supro Bantam "widowmaker" amp
1:33:08 Adding a polarity switch to an amp without one
1:35:36 Effects pedals between an amp and its speaker?
1:37:50 ART tube pre-amps (revisited) and Skip's preferred tube preamps
1:42:00 Output transformer spec basics

Special guest Charles Baty returns to the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast for our final episode of 2019.   

Submit your vintage amp questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

* SUPPORT TAVA & ANGELA INSTRUMENTS * 
Order a PDF download of Steve Melkisethian's tweed Princeton amp project here. 

This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:46 An update on the Angela 5F2 Princeton schematic/article

4:23 TAVA Podcast Giveaways: A Stew-Mac Champ kit; an A/B box from Skip (winners to be announced during episode 27)

12:43 Reserve one of Manbroidery's two-prong TAVA hats (Instagram link) 

14:33 More cast iron

17:26 Triad Electronics' return to guitar amp transformers, plus Benson Amps

25:02 Charles Baty returns: Red Norvo, Tal Farlow, Chico Hamilton, Red Garland & Chile Colorado!

48:21 Gibson GA8T (Discoverer) amps

51:14 A 1966 Fender Vibro Champ with a mystery hum

57:02 Silverface Fender Champs versus 1960s Gibson Skylark / Atlas / etc.

59:11 Sonic variations between vintage matching, serviced Fender amplifiers

1:03:59 Using a Variac and a power strip to power up multiple amps simultaneously

1:07:53 Vintage guitar amps with built-in legs

1:12:25 A request for a single-episode Champ schematic walk-through

1:12:46 25uf cathode bias 12ax7 cathode-bypass caps on Champs

1:17:19 Getting up to speed on electronics basics

1:20:08 Amp class

1:23:14 Buck Nickels and Loose Change – "Makin' Wine" (Larry Cragg in action! YouTube link.)

1:23:39 A new speaker configuration for a Danelectro DS100 cab

1:28:08 Gibson Invader amps

1:31:11 Grid leak biasing vs. cathode biasing

1:34:56 Modifying the Angela dual-singled amp with Russian 6P1P-EV tubes

1:36:35 Australia, Toyota Land Cruisers and fly fishing guides

1:38:43 Swollen caps in a 1979 Fender Deluxe Reverb and tips on drilling holes in a chassis

Special thanks to TAVA listener Eric Casimiro for helping us edit this week's episode. 

Jason and Skip get special guest Larry Cragg (Santana, Neil Young, Magnatone) on the line. A companion to our 25th episode.

The Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast has turned one! Once again, Skip Simmons is fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world.

Submit your questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

* SUPPORT TAVA & ANGELA INSTRUMENTS AND ENTER TO WIN*
Order a PDF download of Steve Melkisethian's tweed Princeton amp project here. You may just win something! 

This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:18 The TAVA Index (h/t to Harper's magazine)

6:55 What's on Skip's bench?

8:49 Speaker reconing: Scumback speakers

10:46 Skip's Christmas wish list: A Subaru replacement, a break from phone calls

13:42 TAVA givewaway: A Stew-Mac Tweed Champ kit!

14:12 Our Angela Instruments amp project download

15:35 Manbroidery's two-prong patch / a future Ebbett's Field Flannels hat? (Instagram link) 

17:00 Another giveaway: An A/B box or $125 Skip labor credit giveaway

19:40 Skip gets a tractor

24:14 Dual rectifier tubes and Sag 101

28:40 Jason tries to get a special guest

31:29 Cabbage and mushrooms  

35:00 Cabinet glue

40:49 Fender's White amplifiers

44:09 Choosing a Fender for your band

48:12 How Skip drains filter caps

51:35 Lafayette amplifiers

54:28 A 1971 Fender Bassman (AA371) with stray voltages

59:23 Making an Ampex 602A work for guitar

1:11:32 Splitting a 2x12 speaker cab

1:15:19 Using a looper pedal to help with soundchecks (h/t Julian Lage)

1:16:50 Music recommendation: Red Norvo

1:18:12 Budweiser Copper Lager and cast iron pans

1:25:43 A Cornell Romany Pro that goes through power tubes

1:33:34 Book review: Maurice J. Summerfield's 'The Jazz Guitar'

1:34:32 Light bulb limiters

1:36:56 A Princeton Reverb-style amp with a pull-switch on the volume control

1:41:35 A Classic Tone 5E3 power transformer with one metal washer

1:43:35 A history of phase inverters

1:46:02 More new parallel, single-ended amps

Special thanks to TAVA listener Eric C. for helping us edit this week's episode. 

A back-to-basics episode: No special guests, no recipes. Once again, Skip Simmons is fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world. Submit your questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or by leaving us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

* SUPPORT TAVA & ANGELA INSTRUMENTS*
Order a PDF download of Steve Melkisethian's tweed Princeton amp project here. 

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

9:49: This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)

10:35 The Fretboard Journal's Electric Guitar Annual, Vol. 2 (pre-order here)

11:56 The TAVA First Year anniversary celebration: Win a Tweed Champ kit from Stew-Mac (Instagram link) !!!

15:26 Who wants to order a TAVA hat like this one? Email us…

18:36 Skip on our Angela catalog reprint

24:36 Transformer 101  

35:35 Amps for harp players

43:26 Building your first bass amp

51:54 Using an ART tube pre-amp in front of a guitar amp

55:18 A Traynor YBA-1 Bass-Master with a sensitive master volume

59:18 British vs. American amp tone

1:04:22 Another listener recommended amp tech: Tyler at Boss Organ in Somerville, Mass.

1:10:11 DeArmond amps

1:16:57 Bringing a Gibson EH-150 back to life

1:22:34 Kenny Burrell's Midnight Blue

1:24:17 Craig Korth on the Fretboard Journal Podcast and the Ray Butts EchoSonic amp (link) 

1:25:58 Salvaging stuff from a dead RCA film projector for a Princeton Reverb clone

1:34:32 A 1972 Fender Super Reverb with a weak tremolo; plus, what is an opto-coupler? 

1:41:54 Trying different tubes on a Music Man Sixty-Five Reverb

1:48:35 KTNN: The Voice of the Navajo Nation

Like the show? Share it with your friends, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and stay tuned for next month, when we unveil even more surprises for our one year anniversary. 

This week, Skip and Jason are joined by a very special guest, John Vanderslice. John is a prolific singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and engineer. We have a candid, unfiltered conversation about vintage amps, food, life, the music industry and so much more. Seriously, just listen... 

After our chat with John, we once again field your questions about all things guitar amplification.

As always, if you'd like to contribute to a future show, submit your guitar amp questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

* SUPPORT TAVA & ANGELA INSTRUMENTS*
Order a PDF download of Steve Melkisethian's tweed Princeton amp project here. 

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:05 "Naming calls" and PG&E

2:33 A/B box updates

3:00 The TAVA "book club" launches: Order the Angela Instruments' tweed Princeton article and schematic (see above) 

9:18 John Vanderslice (singer-songwriter, Tiny Telephone Recording!) joins us: Living room shows, eating on the road, Gibson Falcons, mics for recording amps, Stromberg-Carlson pre-amps, surviving the music industry

1:01:40 Brian, the speaker re-coner at Weber Speakers: https://www.tedweber.com/recone-services/

1:03:03 Erick Coleman's amp tech recommendation: Paul Schmittauer (email us)

1:04:08 Great Goo: Pepper Plant hot sauce (Amazon link: https://amzn.to/33orYLq)

1:05:40 Epiphone Pacemaker amps

1:07:23 Misspelled "Colombia" Fender amps

1:08:52 How multiple inputs work on amps

1:11:57 Using the second input on a Fender as a line-out

1:14:14 Amp builder Bob Gjika (Gjika Amplification), the mojo behind single-ended amps

1:20:09 A noisy Peavey Delta Blues 115

1:24:44 Solder in Italy (Soldergate revisited)

1:26:17 Breaking-in new tubes; upgrading parts in a Champ kit

1:32:00 What's on Skip's bench

1:33:01 Sano accordion tube and Audio Guild amps (see our Instagram for photos)

1:38:07 Skip on biasing

1:43:00 St. George amp heads, built by Ray Massie

1:46:50 The lifespan of tweed Fender caps

1:49:17 The "Fountain of Sound" Ampeg JS-35

1:53:02 Music recommendation: Pat Martino's 'El Hombre' and the Guild Double Twin combo

1:55:43 Music recommendation, part two: The Nat Turner Rebellion's cover of "Going in Circles"

1:56:43 Parenting tips: Classic Walt Disney movies

1:58:15 Slowing the tremolo rate in a blackface Fender

2:00:58 6973 power tubes in Supro amp

2:02:28 Replacements for a 6c10 tube found in an '80s Fender Super Champ

2:06:38 Working on a Montgomery Ward 55 JDR 8436

2:10:49 Tube naming 101

2:13:16 Our forthcoming one year anniversary, a brief state of affairs  

Like the show? Share it with your friends, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and stay tuned for next month, when we unveil even more surprises for our one year anniversary. 

Special guest Charles Baty joins us on this week's Truth About Vintage Amps podcast!

Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp buying, restoration and repair. Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde.

Submit your guitar amp questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or by leaving us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:37 Charles Baty (Little Charlie & The Nightcats! Little Charlie & Organ Grinder Swing!) joins in: Termites, Spanish rice and amp tips from the road

43:09 Movie recommendations: Wattstax; Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey

44:16 Skip plays a gig

46:30 This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars

46:55 Robert Keeley (!) calls in on Dean's Echoplex woes (from TAVA 21)

50:24 A '68 Fender Vibrolux reissue with a wonky footswitch

54:16 Replace a two-prong cord with a three-prong cord

57:29 "Getting to 'no' you;" "Suzie Q," the Instant Pot, mashed potatoes and hot dogs

1:04:10 An amp with a noisy front plate

1:06:27 Instrumental music picks (Leo Kottke, Nels Cline), Skip's early music influences

1:12:19 Future TAVA interviews plans

1:14:25 "Why we don't replace all vintage electrolytic capacitors" video (link: https://youtu.be/GMNQDoFpYQY)

1:18:00 Robben Ford's Dumble-modified Fender Super Reverbs

1:24:29 Why don't amps have no-speaker protection?

1:31:53 AC568 Bassman amps, Fender grounding plates, sources of hiss, the 500 pF Baffler

1:37:55 Music picks: Erkin Koray's 'Elektronik Turkular' (YouTube link) and Bloodstone's "Natural High" (YouTube link)

1:39:07 Bogen PA heads and Harvey Mandel's fuzz tone

1:43:43 Replacing drop capacitors in Victoria amps

1:49:47 Canada, part one: a Traynor YGL-3, Mark III with no input signal

1:53:14 Canada, part two: Sleeper Canadian amps (Garnet, Traynor, Johnson); check out the Corry Boys

1:57:00 An (almost) free vintage speaker (act fast)

1:58:15 Coffee in a can updates

Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp buying, restoration and repair. Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde.

Submit your guitar amp questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or by leaving us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

8:00 Cloning vintage knobs (video link, h/t John from Australia!)

9:34 This week's sponsors: Grez Guitars, Roberto-Venn

11:01 An open call for our first live caller

13:39 Bartell guitar history (site link) 

14:49 Skip's schedule

16:49 More Solder-gate

17:15 Single-ended, parallel twin power tube amps

21:18 WD-40 to the rescue, again

23:28 Unwanted noise from an Echoplex

32:02 Lower B-plus voltage on a Blackface Fender

37:38 Tweed Princeton with a choke vs a resistor

44:18 Speaker cable vs guitar cable (and a sad bird tale)

53:46 Skip's soup tips

56:43 The story behind the TAVA intro music

57:44 Sal Trentino and a Standel 80L15 schematic

1:05:22 Asking boutique makers for their schematics

1:10:37 Dr. Z's new Jetta amp and the story behind the 7591 power tube

1:15:25 Figuring out what's original in a 1953 Fender Tweed Deluxe (5B3)

1:18:14 How noticeable are bad caps?

1:26:06 A solid state Peavey Firebass 700 that won't stop power cycling

1:29:00 An AmpRX BrownBox for a Brownface Deluxe

1:31:57 Skip's picks: Treme; Aretha Franklin's Amazing Grace; Harlan County, USA; The House That Trane Built; the Recordium on YouTube; "Wherever You Go" by Skip Mahoney

1:37:00 Cheap Amazon variacs

1:39:41 Mystery tubes in a 1960 Lafayette tape deck

1:44:16 Putting the 5U4GB back into a 1969 Fender Princeton

1:51:29 Cooling off an amp that runs hot

PS: The reason Jason is preoccupied: https://www.myballard.com/2019/10/07/2-alarm-fire-on-market-st/

Summary: Skip has never had sushi; Earl is not a fan of low-balling; and Fender Bassmans rock

Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp buying, restoration and repair. Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde.

Submit your guitar amp questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or by leaving us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:50 John Lennon in Sacramento

3:17 A quick story about Earl Yarrow

12:20 Western Electric hi-fi collecting

14:40 Music recommendations: The Originals; Skip Mahoney & the Casuals; Julie London; "On the Alamo"

17:28: This week's sponsors: Grez Guitars and Mono Cases

18:15 Skip addresses the critics (on grounded cords, replaced caps)

30:02 "Solder," revisited

31:39 Removing the ground hum of two amps running together

34:50 Making an amp out of a sushi platter; recommended needle nose pliers

38:27 6L6s in a Deluxe Reverb 

42:41 Skip on your voicemail

45:20 President Skip?, practicalities of running an attenuator

50:33 Acoustic tube amps, revisited

54:45 A 1968 Princeton non-reverb lacking volume

57:47 Other vintage Gibson amps

1:03:00 The truth about unmodified Gibson Falcons and Silverface Champs

1:09:41 Vox Pacemakers overview

1:12:24 The unique properties of a Fender Bassman

1:15:38 Using pre-amp tube as a power tube

1:19:40 Learning soldering and circuits from simple pedal kits and the little Ruby: http://www.runoffgroove.com/ruby.html

1:24:58 Running a Champ through a Variac versus a Hammond 290AX power transformer

1:27:44 A 1963 Fender Vibrolux with treble hiss

1:35:14 Speakers for a 1965 Ampeg Reverberocket 2 GS-12R

1:39:44 Non-lead solder

1:43:54 Biasing a cathode bias amp

1:49:49 Measuring plate current

1:54:57 The Baffler returns!

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. 

Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp buying, restoration and repair. Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde.

Submit your guitar amp questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or by leaving us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

It's our most veer-filled episode to date, including soup and footwear tips, a trip to Harvard and, yes, even some amp repair advice!

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

3:06 Soup hacks

4:01 An affordable, American-made boot

5:41 Frampton plays B.B. King

9:00 Site specific amp problems

12:37 Recommended Music: Joe Craven & the Sometimers' 'Garcia's Songbook,' Aretha Franklin's 'Aretha's Gold' and Charlie Musselwhite's 'Stand Back'

18:36 Skip goes to Harvard

20:04 Parenting tips

30:06 Today's sponsor: Grez Guitars

32:15 More Larry Norman and props to Jon Linn

33:02 Solder or "sodder"

35:05 Skip's recommended vintage tube supplier and advice on replacing tubes: https://www.ebay.com/usr/dangeruxb

40:22 Putting a solid state rectifier in a tweed-style amp

49:00 Fixing an output transformer in a 1961 Fender Brownface Pro

56:07 Hi-fi tube amps and phono pre-amp basics

1:04:06 A '67 Fender Bassman that was plugged into a DI box

1:09:14 More output transformer talk: Ampeg Reverberocket

1:11:26 A vintage Niviko MA120X Japanese amp

1:19:06 A 1968 Fender Super Reverb with a rattle

1:25:34 The "trimmer" in a '60s Silvertone 1431

1:28:40 Dirty power, an electric fence and an early '60s Gibson Skylark

1:34:33 Changing the head gasket on a Subaru Forester

1:35:25 More on the trimmer on a Silverton 1431

1:38:28 Car talk

1:43:36 A Fender Hot Rod Deluxe with a busted volume pot

1:47:52 A clean, high-headroom, low volume steel amp

1:52:15 A Fender Silverface Champ vs Blackface Champ

Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp buying, restoration and repair. Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde.

Submit your guitar amp questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or by leaving us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

2:40 Jason brings home a Marshall Mercury

13:40 Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere & the Raiders

17:47 A request for a deeper dive into the Fender Champ schematic

24:34 Skip sells his Fender Tremolux head; an Ampex 960 reel-to-reel for free

27:45 Pat Boone's recording console

30:45 Putting a VU meter in a Champ?

34:10 Truth About Vintage Amps shirts update: Shipped! 

34:34 This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars

37:20 More soldering advice

38:42 Scratchy pot tips (spoiler alert: WD-40)

41:43 An '80s Fender Concert

47:08 A Vibroluxe Reverb versus Deluxe Reverb and the sonic difference between 10" and 12" speakers

57:25 Ray Massie's The Vibe amp

59:30 18-watt Marshalls and a listener's clone attempt using a Rauland PA amp platform

1:06:34 A 1955 Tweed Bassman with nearly all-new parts

1:10:32 When to replace drifted resistors

1:12:30 Converting a Fender PA-100 into a guitar amp

1:14:16 How many watts from a 6L6?

1:17:40 The Vingtor amp from Norway (and fixing a tremolo)

1:23:53 More Champ kit tips (wiring tube sockets)

1:25:22 A proposed Skip certification program

1:26:52 Coffee advice (Amazon link for the lazy)

1:29:40 Soap advice (Amazon link for the lazy)

1:31:50 Getting a 1965 Fender Princeton Reverb reissue rewired by Alessandro

1:37:45 Bad solder joints and troubleshooting a DIY 5F1 that stopped behaving

Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp buying, restoration and repair. Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde.

Submit your guitar amp questions to Skip here: fretboardjournal@gmail.com or by leaving us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:57 Skip's A/B box update
2:50 Skip's music picks: Curtis Mayfield!, Larry Norman!, Stryper!
10:11 Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer, "Redemption Song"
12:00 TAVA shirt updates
12:22 Skip's amp packing recommendations
14:05 Jason asks all the dumb Champ build questions you're scared to ask
32:33 A higher-powered single-ended amp recommendation (a contemporary Supro Comet)
39:36 The 18-watt WEM Dominator V and a plug for David Minter's Marshall and UK Made Pre Owned Amplifiers Facebook group
45:22 The amps built inside Fender Rhodes
48:12 "Blackfacing" a 1975 Fender Bassman
51:03 A unique 5F1 build and a question about speakers with whizzer cones
58:59 A Model 21 National-Dobro-made amp-in-case
1:02:54 Cloning the DeArmond R5 amp
1:08:52 Oddball European tube amps
1:11:34 The pros and cons of FX loops
1:17:38 The sonic differences between octal and 9-pin pre-amp tubes
1:25:03 Does a 2x12 speaker need a baffle
1:29:48 Uncle Doug videos
1:31:17 Harmonic tremolo
1:34:48 The rare Fender Vibroverb
1:46:20 A terminal board rattle

Special thanks to the presenting sponsors of the Fretboard Journal: Gibson, Martin and Carter Vintage Guitars.