Ep. 112: "Adjust for Minimum Smoke"

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 [email protected]! 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.

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