Ep. 135: "Liquor, Candy, Model Airplane Magazines..."
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
Release Date: 06/26/2024
Ep. 158: "Not Just Living in Their Mom's Basement"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
Episode 158: Chris Benson of Benson amps and Bryan Sours of Soursound transformers make their long-awaited returns to the Truth About Vintage Amps. Why? They want to tell us all about the logging truck of an amp they are currently building, a 700-watt(!) all-tube beast dubbed Babylon! The Babylon will feature 14 KT88 tubes, 16 total speakers, three knobs, and two power cords. It's literally the most powerful tube amp they could make without requiring a dryer outlet. Check for a sneak peek at the creation. and honorable mention to... Hear the Babylon in person at the 2026 Wood,...
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Ep. 157: "Coyote and Deer"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
It's the 157th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amps. Thank our sponsors: ; and Some of the topics discussed this week: :42 Atmospheric rivers 3:52 Skip's appearance at the Bay Area Guitar Show (Jan 10-11, ) 8:46 Fretboard Journal 58 (coming soon!) 9:57 Unsung electronics hero (and possible con man) Lee De Forest (read his memoir ); power conditioners 17:44 Skip's new trail cam 20:47 One man's trash: Repurposing the square capacitor/resistor found in a Gibson GA-19 RVT/Falcon...
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Ep. 156: "A Hoop and a Stick"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
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: ; and 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' () 46:17 The Magnatone Triplex; ultralinear output stages, redux; Bob Wills' The Tiffany Transcriptions...
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Ep. 155: "Realistic Carnival"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
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 (); do banjos belong in the Fretboard Journal? 5:16 Recommended music: Ned Boynton's 'The North Beach Sound;' The No-Mads () 7:54 Our sponsors: ; and (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...
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Ep. 154: "Compromise the Windings"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
It's the 154th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amps. Some of the topics discussed this week: :42 Skip is back on the Ferguson TO-35 tractor; Roy Clark & Joe Pass 7:04 What's on Skip's bench: A Marshall Plexi Super Bass, Marshall bright caps, the Pet Shop Boys 11:43 Our sponsors ; and more Fender Champ mods; a Champ gain input baffler; Soursound transformers 23:51 200 more power cords; IEC hijinks; Steve Soest 28:13 A 1954 Fender Tweed Twins and the low-powered versus...
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Ep. 153: "A C in Chemistry"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
It's the 153rd episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps and Skip is having a happy day fielding your amp questions. From cleaning tweed to Magnatone varistors and all points in between, it's 90 minutes of tube amp knowledge, laughs, and some serious California trivia. Some of the topics discussed this week: 1:27: The 2025 Fretboard Summit; the importance of repair tags 6:55: Thanks for the mangos, John! And a food preservation tip 8:30: Our sponsors: ; and ! 14:15 What's on Skip's bench? 60 amps in August; great Loma Rica deals; far out tubes 23:29 The big TV tubes in...
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Ep. 152: "Gridley Bias"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
It's the much-delayed 152nd episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! 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: 3:53 Real musicians ARE gearheads (redux) 5:47 Our sponsors: ; and ! 6:40 Tom Gunterman gets two Grez's 8:21 Yellow Jacket tube converters 10:27 Standel amps (redux); Todd Clinesmith; National Dobro amps; driver transformers...
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Ep. 151: "It Starts Out Cool"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
It's the 151st episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! 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: 1:03:05 What's on Skip's bench: A pile of Standel amps; Vacaville's Pacific Hardware (redux); a baffler of sorts 8:28 Tom Gunterman (); Kevin from Ohio; Joe Walsh 11:30 Our sponsors: ; and ! Marshall Capris; Christopher Guest 19:07 Julian...
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Ep. 150: "Throw It In the River"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
It's the 150th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! How did that happen? 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: 1:26 The Esparto fireworks storage facility explosion (); salvaging organ pedals 6:22 Jason's life updates: Issue 57; Fretboard Summit (); trail running; watching the 2025 Western States Endurance Run 11:46 Standel...
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Ep. 149: "Have Fun" (Special Guest: Jim Campilongo!)
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
Support our sponsors: ; ; , and ! Acclaimed guitarist Jim Campilongo joins Skip and Jason to talk about his music and gear journey, vinyl treasures, George Barnes playing "Little Rock Getaway" (), Vance Terry & Jimmy Rivers, Silverface Princeton Reverb love; Celestion G-10 speakers; Laika and the Cosmonauts; and so much more. Plus frozen meatballs! Follow Jim Campilongo: Jim's Lessons: 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. Hosted by amp tech...
info_outlineIt'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 podcast@fretboardjournal.com.
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. www.fretboardsummit.org
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; Tacoma, Washington's Guitar Maniacs
18:53 Our sponsors: Emerald City Guitars (watch the Dumble video here), Amplified Parts, StewMac, and Grez Guitars.
22:10 Thank you, John Ross
23:41 Gibson's GA-45 "Velvet Touch"; Terry Dobbs (Mr. Valco) https://valcoamp.com
27:32 The answer to Ep. 134's Baffler: A Tweed Vibrolux
31:44 A Body & Soul El Pato fuzz giveaway? https://www.instagram.com/bsinstruments/
34:00 The last remaining Big Boy locomotive is moving through California; Skip's hobo days https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm
37:26 How to satisfy your customer when only one power tube needs to be replaced? CE Distribution; pimento cheese
47:04 A 5E3 build with too much Fender "bacon;" Ken Fischer
49:51 A Rickenbacker M11 with a 60 cycle hum out of V1
57:22 VHT Special Six, redux
1:03:51 A simple cocktail: A Boyhattan; bitters
1:05:15 The history of AIMS amps; 5 ohm amps; The Mosquito Supper Club's boiled shrimp (link)
1:13:34 The pronunciation police; modding a Silver Panel Fender Champ with a Magnatone 213 tone control
1:17:11 Elemental knowledge; California-built Vox amps; Clarkson's Farm
1:25:00 Is variable input impedance worth experimenting with? Bogen guitar amps
1:29:41 Is the two-prong hat offensive? Are fixed-bias amps more touch-sensitive? the phono input in old PAs; GM/IP on tubes
1:33:15 Recommended reading: The All-Music Guide
Recorded June 21, 2024.