Ep. 119: "Painting Some Dots"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
Release Date: 08/07/2023
Ep. 146: "Where the Spot Is"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
Episode 146 of the Truth About Vintage Amps: Troubled drummers, bulk Gatorade, more typewriter and Rockford Files talk, and a bunch of amp questions. Reminder: Amplified Parts now has ! 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 ! Include a photo, too. Some of the topics discussed this week: :43 The Ampeg book (), George Barnes and 'Guitars Galore' 3:43 A 1982 black panel Fender Champ 4:43 A Super Reverb that...
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Ep. 145: "I Have a Swimming Pool"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
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 ! 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: ; ...
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Ep. 144: "You've Got to Feed Those Things"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
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 ! Some of the topics discussed this week: 1:13 Jason goes to the NAMM Show, the Dumble relaunch (watch our Instagram video ); Grit Laskin's 'The Stradivari Formula' (); Wood Wire & Volts () 11:49 What's on Skip's bench: A late 1940s Danelectro Vibrovox; Wandre Guitars 20:57 Our sponsors: ; and ! 25:14 A...
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Ep. 143: "The Girl Who Never Rained"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
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 . 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: ; and ! 36:56 The origins of goop; Standel amps and their little plastic boxes, Mark Sampson (aforementioned amp ) 43:24 Skip's death caps (not...
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Ep. 142: "Paul Jerky"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
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 . Some of the topics discussed this week: :00 Jingle Bell Rock and other Christmas classics 1:14 Our sponsors: ; and ! 5:37 Supermarket Sweep; The Office 7:27 ; listener John's Angela parts list 8:27 Another Tweed Harvard by Skip? 9:33 Let's celebrate the TAVA makers; the TAVA Cookbook () 11:09 A 1970 Davis PA Head with a...
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Ep. 141: "I've Got an Alamo That I Want to Forget"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
Missing your rambling relatives this holiday season? You're in luck! Tune in to Jason and Skip as they ramble through weather reports, amp fixes, book recommendations, reflective impedance, reverb-driven line-out and more on our 141st episode! Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to . Some of the topics discussed this week: :48 Weather report: Rain in the West, bomb cyclones in the PNW 4:32 A 1968 Heathkit catalog with DIY Harmony Guitar kits 6:35 Thanksgiving at the Simmons house 7:09 A noisy Alamo; Pathfinder, the band (); bands named after...
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Ep. 140: "Tiny Bits of Tingle"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
It's the 140th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons eventually fields your questions on all-things-tube amps! As always, use all advice at your own risk. Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to . Some of the topics discussed this week: 2:35 What's on Skip's Bench: A modified ES-150 Charlie Christian amp with a non-field coil speaker 4:22 Smilin' Skip's: Stuff for Sale 5:15 Loma Rica's Aztec Recording Studio; the Ralph Shine Blues Band; Skip's new guitar; Sylvia Massy (); Weed, California; the Fretboard...
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Ep. 139: "I'm Going Negative"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
It's the 139th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amps! Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to . Some of the topics discussed this week: :48 On the bench: A 1974 Alembic pre-amp, a Showman head in disguise 3:58 Webb's Music and a hang gliding pioneer 6:08 Our sponsors: ; and ; the Wood Wire & Volts Show in Anaheim (); Bruce Harvie of Orcas Island Tonewoods 11:10 Skip has a warning for the TAVA ...and others 14:38 A luthiers' pet peeve 16:55 Bias...
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Ep. 138: "Check for Ticks"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
It's the 138th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amps! This week, we pay tribute to Angela Instruments founder and former guest Steve Melkisethian (1950-2024); talk resistors and transformers; catch up on the 2024 Fretboard Summit; and much more. Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to . Don't forget, we have a . Join us to get show updates and get to the front of the question line. Some of the topics discussed this time around: :58 R.I.P. Nick Gravenites...
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Ep. 137: "Walk Around the Yard"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
It's the 137th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amps! This week, we talk to special guest, Steve Carr of Carr Amplifiers! Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to . Our sponsors: , and . Don't forget, we have a . And come to the . Some of the topics discussed this time around: 2:22 Steve Carr () joins us for an enlightening talk about prototyping, speaker cabs, Solen caps, tone controls, and so much more. He even fields a few of your...
info_outlineIt's the 119th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amp.
Want to be a part of the show? Keep the amp questions for Skip coming to [email protected]! Voice memos or emails are welcome.
Don't forget we now have a Patreon if you'd like to support the show featuring weekly installments of what's on Skip's bench, random eBay finds, and surprise content.
Some of the topics discussed in this episode:
2:32: This week's sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Stringjoy Strings (use the code FRETBOARD to save 10% off your first string order), Amplified Parts, and Grez Guitars.
4:27 Special call-in guest: TAVA listener Brian McAllister (vintagetubeamplifiers.com, @vintagetubeamplifiers): Finding TAVA while hospitalized; amps on Brian's bench; tips on making a pre-amp out of a Conn Strobotuner (or a Bogen PH10); Skip is building a tube pre-amp for the Chicago Fretboard Summit!; what's the most improper fuse you've seen in an amp?
29:00 Using magnifiers / magnifying glasses while working on amps
33:19 Installing a fuse in a 1973 Fender Musicmaster Bass amp; preventative maintenance on replacing electrolytic caps that work?; using an audio transformer as a phase inverter instead of a tube; Datsun pickups; what happened to the Ford Aerostar?
46:51 Are all Selenium rectifiers bad?
50:34 Hand-painting the value onto Domino Mica caps
55:43 Best way to test speakers on a Gibson GA8 and RB17T Scout
58:06 Handling unused taps on a power transformer
59:38 An all-tube tremolo circuit: the Tone God's Bullit (link); removing the skin on salmon
1:01:18 How do I reduce the B+ on my Dynaco ST-35 clone project?
1:05:27 An Amaro cocktail for the TAVA set
1:08:46 Recommended viewing: The Pharmacist, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed; Hidden; The Art of the Steal
Recorded August 4, 2023.
Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.
Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to the Fretboard Journal (link). Digital subscriptions start at just $30.
Submit your amp questions, recipes, and life hacks to [email protected] and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.