The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 33: "I Can Deal With Nuts" Apr 10, 2020

Show notes

Amp tech Skip Simmons is once again fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world.

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

5:24 This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link) 6:01 Jimmy from the Deadlies and his 5D3 Tweed Deluxe 8:13 Rustic Kegger in the Woods origin 8:48 Recommended reading: 'White Bicycles' by Joe Boyd 9:42 A 1960 Gibson GA-6 Lancer with inputs that keep cutting out 15:34 What's the deal with the 1954 Fender Super? 20:02 Who was Glen Quan? 21:56 Servicing a Sears Silvertone 1482 30:05 The Magnatone 280 owner's manual 32:23 A Fender Tonemaster with a pop 41:30 The roots of tremolo with Hammond, DeArmond, etc. 44:13 A 1987 Marshall JCM-800 2210 picking up ham radio signals 52:40 Special guest: Sam Bolle (Dick Dale!) 1:09:10 A Hammond AO-35 amp conversion project 1:14:11 Seasoning cast iron pans 1:15:18 AmpRX BrownBox attenuator use 1:19:00 A steel player's pre-amp tube needs, spiral filament design 1:22:26 What's on Skip's bookshelf (Trustee from the Toolroom; All Music Guide to the Blues) 1:25:16 Cartoons that adults want to watch

Ep. 32: "Let's Make Cookies" Apr 03, 2020

Show notes

Amp tech Skip Simmons is once again fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world.

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

8:04: Good Goo: TR3, SiliKroil 11:53 Our new Facebook Group (link) 13:13 Vacaville, CA's hardware store (Pacific Hardware) 15:32 This week's sponsor: Grez Guitar 16:44 The Fretboard Journal's #FJFest (TAVA listeners will enjoy seeing DJLavalamp's Treble Booster operation or TJ Thompson's shop tour) 19:30 The lettered squares on an amp layout 21:05 Skip's starter kit for aspiring amp tinkerers: Solder iron, solder, needle nose pliers, wire cutters, a stainless steel brush (and the Jack Darr book, of course) 26:06 Modding a 5F2A from China / Reverse Feedback 29:52 Jim Campilongo's Silverface Princeton woes (NOS tube problems) 34:30 The Mullard Factory Tour on YouTube (link) 35:04 Damage from looping through a vintage amp? 41:40 Fixing a buzzy 1979 Musicmaster Bass amp 46:30 Skip's desert island amp 48:25 How did Skip and Jason meet? 52:21 Troubleshooting white noise on an amp 56:40 Running a dummy load on a stereo amp to go mono 1:00:00 1974 Fender Champ with a cat in the amp 1:05:48 A new Baffler! Ralph Shine & Sylvia Massy trivia! 1:07:38 NOS tubes recommendation: Fbenkor on eBay 1:08:26 Otis Amps 1:13:41 Skip makes a service call to Roman Coppola (Story & Clark "Storytone" Electric Piano) 1:18:35 Skip's travel toolkit 1:20:30 Sticking reverb in a Vibrochamp (link and link) 1:21:19 A Premier 90 Reverberation with stretched-out springs 1:23:58 Groovy tunes: Skip Mahoney's "Wherever You Go;" Grant Green's 'Street of Dreams;' William de Vaughn's "Be Thankful for What You Got;" Timmy Thomas' "Why Can't We Live Together"

Ep. 31: "And You Thought We Had Problems" Mar 26, 2020

Show notes

Amp tech Skip Simmons is once again fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world.

Note: We now have a private Facebook group for TAVA listeners: Search for "A Rustic Kegger in the Woods" or click here.

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:32 Skip tries to stay in the middle

5:04 Little Charlie Remembered

13:47 The hillbilly amp bought on eBay by listener @scschooling on Instagram (link)

14:49 Adam Grimm (Satellite Amps) builds a motion controlled boost with a mercury thermostat

16:08 Skip on Selmer amps, again

18:42 Making a Fender Acoustasonic Junior road worthy

24:13 Play through an amp while you're warming it up with a Variac?

29:43 Cramming a 10" speaker into a Champ kit

31:21 A 1956 Gibson GA-40 Les Paul amp that doesn't match the schematic

36:38 Smoked glass tubes

39:40 A project for a late '40s / early '50s Magnavox mono amp; plus, beans

46:38 "Why is Mesa Boogie so bloody minded and contrary?" asks an Australian listener

52:28 Special guest: Executive Chef Chris Robertson (Southpark Seafood, Portland, Oregon)

1:11:36 Harmonic tremolo and tremolo vs. vibrato circuits; Travis Wammack, "It's Karate Time" (YouTube link)

1:15:54 Pots that say 250k, but are actually 120k

1:18:25 A Brownface Princeton with 250k volume pots

1:21:52 Breakup on a Fender Deluxe 5E3

1:28:08 Comparing a 1962 Magnatone Custom 440 to a Fender counterpart

1:33:20 A Magnatone M7 with a mysterious foil wrapping around a coupling cap

1:37:35 Don't Be Me: A listener's speaker-replacing follies

1:42:30 Options for replacing a reverb tank in a '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb

1:46:44 Recommending reading: 'Shop Class as Soul Craft,' 'Trustee from the Toolroom'

1:52:08 Recommended watching: The Repair Shop (Netflix), homeschooling hacks

1:56:35 A 1963 Gibson GA-5T Skylark (Crestline series) with an annoying tremolo

2:02:02 Skip's trip to Marijuanaville

2:05:27 Nesting with Netflix: Shetland; The Detectorists; Inspector Morse, Lewis; Better Call Saul; Trailer Park Boys

2:09:41 When is a vintage amp no longer a vintage amp?

Ep. 30: "That's What We're Having" Mar 19, 2020

Show notes

Amp tech Skip Simmons is once again fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world.

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)

Note: This episode was recorded on February 28, 2020 and pre-dates the passing of Little Charlie Baty, as well as much as of the news we now have on the coronavirus. (We just recorded a new show on March 19 that discusses both topics and we will be posting that next week.)

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

4:10 The hillbillies from Olivehurst: A cursed Gibson GA-15RVT and an early '60s Gibson Melody Maker

11:09 A 1951 Fender Tweed Pro with a factory field coil speaker (with one end on the B+, the other end grounded)

14:38 A TAVA Facebook group? Looking for moderators (inquire within)

18:44 Frito Chili Pie

20:42 Biasing for Class A Fixed, Class A/B and Cathode biasing; A Fender 5F2A's inverse negative feedback

30:49 Built-in power attenuators

35:40 Installing a headphone output jack on a vintage Fender Champ

37:16 The future reputation of modern amp builders (Carr, Dr. Z, Bartel, etc.)

47:04 More on Skip's Retropolitan amps

50:35 Breaking-in a speaker with a looper pedal

53:49 Music recommendations: Stanley Turentine, Grant Green, Lou Donaldson, Shirley Scott

55:21 What's wrong with Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's amp on his 1946 recording "That's All Right"?

57:35 Vintage Australian amps: Goldentone, Vase & Moody

58:34 A Fender Blues Deville with too much reverb

1:00:58 The "tone expander" switch on a Gibson GA30RV "Invader"

1:02:20 Vintage Gibson cabinet talk: Redwood? Any available reproduction cabinets?

1:05:54 Music recommendation: 'Unshaven: Live at Smith's Olde Bar' by Shaver

1:07:34 A John Vanderslice / Tiny Telephone update

1:09:07 Mac & cheese revisited

1:10:15 Picky goats

1:11:12 Selmer Triumph Reverb schematic

1:13:50 Grounding schemes, halloumi cheese

1:21:17 Special guest: Chris Benson of Benson Amplifiers! (Triad transformers, new releases, granola, cast iron)

1:39:19 Replace the bypass cap on your silverface Champ

1:40:10 Rodriguez & Searching for Sugar Man

1:42:01 Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven

Ep. 29: "Filter Capacitors and You" Mar 02, 2020

Show notes

Amp tech Skip Simmons is once again fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world.

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

3:34 Skip goes to see Temple Grandin 10:20 A Facebook group for the TAVA Podcast? 10:48 Manbroidery's Two Prong Hat update 11:16 This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars 12:57 A noisy reverb thanks to vintage tubes 15:55 Cooking (on amps) with Billy Cowsill; a hot Flotatone 21:41 Using DC voltage to heat tubes for quieter operation (the 2020 Soldano SLO-100, Otis amps, other examples) 26:58 Using an amp as a pedal platform (tube vs solid state) 32:39 A successful 5F1 copy and liability concerns when selling boutique tube amps 38:42 Why can't they fit reverb into a Fender Vibro Champ? 41:51 Evolution of the Fender Deluxe Reverb reissues 45:15 Power for an outboard EQ section DIY project 48:28 A new DIY project: Changing the power transformer of a Fender Twin Reverb and modifying it for 6V6s to reduce weight 52:17 What to do with a non-working Gibson Hawk? 55:09 Why do tube amps sound better after a few hours of use? 58:59 Correct fuse for a 1973 Fender Champ 1:02:21 Replacement speakers in a vintage Gibson Skylark 1:06:18 Where to grab a chassis before removing it? 1:08:08 Laurens Hammond vs Donald Leslie 1:12:00 Tips on speaker cabinet construction 1:15:26 Discrepancies in the Angela SSE schematic 1:23:06 Listener Nate's favorite hot & sour soup recipe (link) 1:23:36 A failing 5Y3 rectifier at a gig 1:28:51 Troubleshooting a weak channel on a 5D3 Tweed Deluxe 1:35:07 Coffee from Mechanicsburg, Ohio (Hemisphere's Redline Roast, link)

BONUS EPISODE: Satellite Amplifiers Feb 05, 2020

Show notes

Jason and Skip get Adam Grimm (Satellite Amplifiers) on the line.

https://www.satelliteamps.com

Ep. 28: "It's the Cranberries" Feb 05, 2020

Show notes

Amp tech Skip Simmons is once again fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world.

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

Pre-order today: The Truth About Vintage Amps Two-Prong hat collaboration from Manbroidery and Ebbets Field Flannels (link)

This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

2:13 Skip gets a $25 guitar; Jason goes to NAMM 11:05 Marc Silber's inventory 14:16 Skip meets Grez 17:43 Tyler wins of our Union Bean Counter Tone Druid pedal giveaway (correct answer: Tom Waits) 19:17 Tyler's fish taco recipe (email us) 20:29 A very clean Fender Tweed Deluxe 22:00 Joe Craven and Bruce MacMillan covers the Dead 23:24 Australians respond to Skip's Robert Hughes query 23:51 More on Brent's bargain Variac with a current meter hack 26:46 Leaving an amp on for a week 29:33 Vintage wire that just won't solder 31:33 The Fender Greta as a pre-amp 34:02 The JHD Ice Cube Sustain Coupler (link) 37:43 The dangers of running an effect between an amp and a speaker cab 38:43 Changing a 1952 Gibsonette GA-8 from a field coil to regular magnetic speaker 42:30 Increasing the headroom on a Peavey Classic 50 45:45 Substituting a 5Y3 with a 5V4 in a 5E3 Deluxe 49:16 A 1950s Gibson GA-6 with an adapter for a 12AX7 pre-amp tube; more rectifier tube talk 51:50 Marshalls versus Fenders and the difference between 6V6/6L6 and an EL34/EL84 54:26 A Canadian Gibson Falcon that needs a massive overhaul 55:47 Choosing an amp for re-heating food 59:49 Little Charlie's Chile Colorado, revisited 1:02:05 Export model Silverface Fenders 1:04:16 Questions on Angela's Super Single-Ended Amp

Ep. 27: "A Big Grizzly Bear with a Duck Head On It" Jan 15, 2020

Show notes

Amp tech Skip Simmons is once again fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world.

Submit your question to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

**Order a PDF download of Steve Melkisethian's tweed Princeton amp project here.**

This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:20 Skip's A/B box setback 3:00 A winner for our Stew-Mac Champ kit 4:40 A question for our Australian listeners 6:07 A glitchy Ampeg Reverberocket 7:09 Skip heads to a vintage guitar show 12:00 @manbroidery two-prong hat update, let us know if you want one (Instagram link) 15:22 Old carbon comp resistors and Domino caps in an amp kit build 20:23 Testing caps for leakage 24:58 Running a synth through a tube amp 28:33 The timing on Kenny Burrell's "Chitlins con Carne" 30:07 Music recommendation: The Joe Mooney Quartet (YouTube link) 31:17 The rationale for crazy amps like the Baldwin Exterminator 35:53 The sushi boat amp update; Rob Robinette's tube amp page; micro amps 40:40 1960s Guild Thunder series amps 43:52 New cast iron (link, link, link); rum & tonic 46:24 The Big Index page: fretboardjournal.com/tavaindex 46:58 Wear and tear from maxed out amp settings 48:25 Restoring (and storing) a blown Oxford speaker 50:52 Where the magic happens in a non-master volume tube amp 59:00 Tips re: Little Charlie's Chile Colorado 1:04:43 The speaker driven out / monitor jack on a Gibson Falcon 1:09:34 Tinkering with a one-tube reverb circuit 1:12:11 Modding a Gibson GA-5 Les Paul Jr. reissue amp 1:18:01 Thoughts on the Fender Musicmaster Bass amps 1:23:10 A cheap Variac hack with a current meter (eBay link; eBay link) 1:29:00 Safely using a '60s Supro Bantam "widowmaker" amp 1:33:08 Adding a polarity switch to an amp without one 1:35:36 Effects pedals between an amp and its speaker? 1:37:50 ART tube pre-amps (revisited) and Skip's preferred tube preamps 1:42:00 Output transformer spec basics

Ep. 26: "The Benny Goodman Stare" Dec 26, 2019

Show notes

Special guest Charles Baty returns to the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast for our final episode of 2019.

Submit your vintage amp questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

* SUPPORT TAVA & ANGELA INSTRUMENTS * Order a PDF download of Steve Melkisethian's tweed Princeton amp project here.

This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:46 An update on the Angela 5F2 Princeton schematic/article

4:23 TAVA Podcast Giveaways: A Stew-Mac Champ kit; an A/B box from Skip (winners to be announced during episode 27)

12:43 Reserve one of Manbroidery's two-prong TAVA hats (Instagram link)

14:33 More cast iron

17:26 Triad Electronics' return to guitar amp transformers, plus Benson Amps

25:02 Charles Baty returns: Red Norvo, Tal Farlow, Chico Hamilton, Red Garland & Chile Colorado!

48:21 Gibson GA8T (Discoverer) amps

51:14 A 1966 Fender Vibro Champ with a mystery hum

57:02 Silverface Fender Champs versus 1960s Gibson Skylark / Atlas / etc.

59:11 Sonic variations between vintage matching, serviced Fender amplifiers

1:03:59 Using a Variac and a power strip to power up multiple amps simultaneously

1:07:53 Vintage guitar amps with built-in legs

1:12:25 A request for a single-episode Champ schematic walk-through

1:12:46 25uf cathode bias 12ax7 cathode-bypass caps on Champs

1:17:19 Getting up to speed on electronics basics

1:20:08 Amp class

1:23:14 Buck Nickels and Loose Change – "Makin' Wine" (Larry Cragg in action! YouTube link.)

1:23:39 A new speaker configuration for a Danelectro DS100 cab

1:28:08 Gibson Invader amps

1:31:11 Grid leak biasing vs. cathode biasing

1:34:56 Modifying the Angela dual-singled amp with Russian 6P1P-EV tubes

1:36:35 Australia, Toyota Land Cruisers and fly fishing guides

1:38:43 Swollen caps in a 1979 Fender Deluxe Reverb and tips on drilling holes in a chassis

Special thanks to TAVA listener Eric Casimiro for helping us edit this week's episode.

BONUS EPISODE: Larry Cragg Dec 10, 2019

Show notes

Jason and Skip get special guest Larry Cragg (Santana, Neil Young, Magnatone) on the line. A companion to our 25th episode.

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