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Ep. 108: "Put a Pot Under It"

The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons

Release Date: 01/12/2023

Ep. 135: Ep. 135: "Liquor, Candy, Model Airplane Magazines..."

The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons

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 . 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.  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;...

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Ep. 134: Ep. 134: "A Little Debbie Swiss Roll"

The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons

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 . Some of the topics discussed this time around:  1:23 Triple E jerky and freeze-dried ice cream () 2:36 Our sponsors: ,  , and .    6:06 What's on Skip's bench: An Electar Model M with 6N6 power tubes; a National Dobro amp with 2A3 power...

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Ep. 133: Ep. 133: "A Spicy Tomato Sauce"

The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons

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 . 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: ,  , and . 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...

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Ep. 132: Ep. 132: "Start Dark"

The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons

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 . 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: , , , , and . 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...

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Ep. 131: Ep. 131: "Sandy Soil"

The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons

Illustrator/musician/underground comix legend Robert Armstrong (Mickey Rat, Couch Potato, the Cheap Suit Serenaders!) joins Skip and Jason this week for a very special installment of the Truth About Vintage Amps.  Want to support our show? !  Some of the topics discussed:  1:38 NOS military-grade green pilot light jewels from Gary Economy (); leave us an Apple Podcasts review and take a screenshot to enter to win one!; 5879 tubes 3:03 Where is George? (Danger UXB on eBay) 4:48 Rick Estrin and Dennis Gruenling's harmonica workshop, March 16 () 6:43 This week's sponsors:...

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Ep. 130: Ep. 130: "America's Hat"

The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons

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:  Some of the topics discussed:  1:06 Jason heads to the Phoenix MIM Museum (); the National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota (; the American Banjo Museum () 3:20 This week's sponsors: ,  , , and 6:05 Canadian amp builders worth following: Gary Economy () &...

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Ep. 129: Ep. 129: "Summer of the Comet"

The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons

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: . 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: ,  , and . 20:36 Ceriatone amps; Divided by Thirteen Amplification gets...

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Ep. 128: Ep. 128: "The Smells Were Overwhelming"

The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons

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: . (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 (), pupusas 33:46 Gibson reissues the Falcon () 40:03 Skip fixes a refrigerator 43:51 Skip loses his...

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Ep. 127: Ep. 127: "The Rogue Hoe"

The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons

We're closing out 2023 with special guest Bill Krinard of Two Rock!  I won't even attempt to annotate this episode but Bill joins us at 5:36 and fields a bunch of listener-submitted questions on transformers with dissimilar primary windings; Two-Rock's design process; how he uses oscilloscopes; Ampegs; Filmosound mods; potentiometers; harmonic content; and more.  Want to be a part of our show? Submit your question or voice memo to . Our sponsors: , , and 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...

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Ep. 126: Ep. 126: "They Do Eventually Die"

The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons

Transformer talk, spaghetti carbonara, goat horn jazz, and more transformer talk...it's the 126th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! Want to be a part of our show? Submit your question or voice memo to . Some of the topics discussed this week: :48 Skip types out a tube chart 3:16 This week's sponsors: , , and ; the art of bargaining at a guitar show; the Bay Area Vintage Guitar Show; Premier and Alamo amps 7:43 A Marshall Major PA-200 head at Emerald City () 11:48 What's on Skip's bench: an RCA PA head; Bill Krinard's return to the podcast? 15:08 RIP Earl Yarrow & Shep the dog...

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More Episodes

Episode 108: It's like a best-of episode, but totally new! Pre-amps, typewriters, too many kitchen hacks, transformer talk, Jason reads the tubes wrong, and we even get a little artsy! 

Some of the topics discussed this week: 

2:53 Does Skip want to see your amps right now? See Skip at the January 14-15, 2023 Amigo Bay Area Guitar Show

4:59 A Tweed Pro with a variable inverse feedback control knob 

5:45 Lee Jeffriess in the Fretboard Journal's 51st issue (link); check out Jeffriess and John Munnerlyn performing "Blues for Earl"

11:22 The December 31 TAVA Seattle meetup (thanks for organizing, @liquidnyo); YouTube's jgflyback shows off his tube-powered clock (shaky Instagram Live footage)

13:50 This week's sponsors: Grez Guitars has a new long-scale bass!; Amplified Parts (Hammond products are currently on sale!); Iztotope (use Fret10!); AND Stringjoy Strings. Plus...Josh Scott (JHS) is coming to TAVA, the TAVA El Pato-Tone Practice amp (Reverb link), and our Patreon page

20:56 The resonance of a fully loaded turret board; mounting components in a head vs. combo; goop

28:25 Microphonics in a tube amp (the good kind); David Lindley (support him via t-shirt sales here)

30:04 Why were so many power transformers changed in the '70s and '80s?; Spokane, Washington; Jason's favorite noodle place in Spokane, Washington (link); a very-modified Gibson Les Paul Junior with a cooling fan

36:03 Typewriter keyboards; '80s Scottish cop show, 'Taggart'

39:58 Should I change the transformer on my Bruce Zinky Fender Prosonic head? the effect of an output transformer on tone

45:46 What's the deal with the Fender Bantam bass amp?; the oven instead of the range; ham and bacon end pieces

50:39 Reincarnating a dead Peavey Deuce II; putting a Vox-style preamp circuit on an amp with 6L6s; cheese quesadilla hacks

54:06 Fixing the uneven distortion on my Dad's Gibson GA-9

56:53 Why isn't my 1967 Fender Twin Reverb as loud as my other Twin Reverb?

1:00:05 Arts & Humanities corner: The Albert Barnes collection of post-modern art, 'Art of the Steal,' (link); Skip goes to Harvard, again; RIP poet Charles Simic (read "Stub of a Red Pencil" here)  

1:04:06 Chopped onion, chickpeas, and black beans sauteed in a pan

1:06:18 What would you do with my Bogen CHA-33 PA head? coffee-roasted carrots (link)

1:12:13 Changing the pre-amp tube (and speaker) in an Epiphone Model 101 

1:19:47 What to do with this 1953 Revere T-100 reel-to-reel? 

1:31:48 Skip likes the new Fretboard Journal (issue 51, link

Recorded January 10, 2023. 

Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to the Fretboard Journal (link). Digital subscriptions start at just $30.

There's a giant index page with nearly all the former topics we've discussed in our first 107 episodes found here

Submit your amp questions, recipes and life hacks to the podcast via [email protected] and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.