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Ep. 125: "Put Your Hands on the Hood"

The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons

Release Date: 11/21/2023

Ep. 140: 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: 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: 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: 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...

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Ep. 136: Ep. 136: "Release the Curd"

The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons

It's the 136th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amps!  Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to . Our sponsors:   , and . Don't forget, we have a .  Some of the topics discussed this time around:  1:11 A Big Boy locomotive chugs through CA 3:42 What's on Skip's Bench: A Valco/National/Airline amp-in-case; a single-ended Soundmaster PA; a Premier Twin 8 10:55 Another round of TAVA shirts? (coming soon) 13:06 Milkman to produce a JBL K120...

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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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More Episodes

It's the 125th installment of the Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons!

Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to [email protected].

Some of the topics discussed this week:

:51 Skip works on a Jim Kelley Amp, built-in attenuators, the magnetic field caused by a Tweed Bassman speaker 

3:30 Skip needs an RCA MI-12155 schematic 

3:56 Making stuff for the Bay Area Guitar Show

6:51 Our sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, Stringjoy Strings, and Grez Guitars.

8:12 Our 2023 Voltic DTF pedal Dad joke winner: Keith F with "Why did Skip have to marry Mrs. Simmons? From the day he solder, he couldn't resistor."

9:34 A basic servicing check-list of what to do when you get a vintage amp
 
15:36 An early 1960s Tweed Princeton branded Harvard, tensioning the input jack
 
22:22 Modar-branded guitar amps; tube lineup of EF86, 6BQ5, EZ81
 
23:51 Trainwreck amplifiers; the tone difference between a single 8 ohm secondary winding vs four separate 1 ohm coils wired at 8 ohms 
 
25:47 Should I buy this Peavey Triumph 120 combo?; five-pin footswitch replacement 
 
28:15 Dummy load vs speaker when working on amps
 
30:55 How to replace the battery circuit on a Bogen E66 portable PA, ice cream truck-specific amps, the Fretboard Brewery
 
35:45 5Y3 rectifiers, demystified 
 
39:00 Rancho Gordo beans, redux 
 
39:46 An inspiring 1966 Champ and a vegan pumpkin pie 
 
45:24 A hi-fi Eico ST-84/Dynaco ST-70 with the balance way off, RIP Earl Yarrow 
 
55:22 Servicing a Carr Mercury; 12AT7 versus 12ZX7 pre-amp tubes 
 
1:01:04 What to do with a 1980s Fender 30 with a weak second channel? a rare Ampeg B-15N

Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Happy holidays, everyone! 

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https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps