The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 25: "Defensible Space" Dec 10, 2019

Show notes

The Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast has turned one! Once again, Skip Simmons is fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world.

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

* SUPPORT TAVA & ANGELA INSTRUMENTS AND ENTER TO WIN* Order a PDF download of Steve Melkisethian's tweed Princeton amp project here. You may just win something!

This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:18 The TAVA Index (h/t to Harper's magazine)

6:55 What's on Skip's bench?

8:49 Speaker reconing: Scumback speakers

10:46 Skip's Christmas wish list: A Subaru replacement, a break from phone calls

13:42 TAVA givewaway: A Stew-Mac Tweed Champ kit!

14:12 Our Angela Instruments amp project download

15:35 Manbroidery's two-prong patch / a future Ebbett's Field Flannels hat? (Instagram link)

17:00 Another giveaway: An A/B box or $125 Skip labor credit giveaway

19:40 Skip gets a tractor

24:14 Dual rectifier tubes and Sag 101

28:40 Jason tries to get a special guest

31:29 Cabbage and mushrooms

35:00 Cabinet glue

40:49 Fender's White amplifiers

44:09 Choosing a Fender for your band

48:12 How Skip drains filter caps

51:35 Lafayette amplifiers

54:28 A 1971 Fender Bassman (AA371) with stray voltages

59:23 Making an Ampex 602A work for guitar

1:11:32 Splitting a 2x12 speaker cab

1:15:19 Using a looper pedal to help with soundchecks (h/t Julian Lage)

1:16:50 Music recommendation: Red Norvo

1:18:12 Budweiser Copper Lager and cast iron pans

1:25:43 A Cornell Romany Pro that goes through power tubes

1:33:34 Book review: Maurice J. Summerfield's 'The Jazz Guitar'

1:34:32 Light bulb limiters

1:36:56 A Princeton Reverb-style amp with a pull-switch on the volume control

1:41:35 A Classic Tone 5E3 power transformer with one metal washer

1:43:35 A history of phase inverters

1:46:02 More new parallel, single-ended amps

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

Ep. 24: "Half-Finished Malt Liquor" Nov 27, 2019

Show notes

A back-to-basics episode: No special guests, no recipes. Once again, Skip Simmons is fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world. Submit your questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or by leaving 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.

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

9:49: This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)

10:35 The Fretboard Journal's Electric Guitar Annual, Vol. 2 (pre-order here)

11:56 The TAVA First Year anniversary celebration: Win a Tweed Champ kit from Stew-Mac (Instagram link) !!!

15:26 Who wants to order a TAVA hat like this one? Email us…

18:36 Skip on our Angela catalog reprint

24:36 Transformer 101

35:35 Amps for harp players

43:26 Building your first bass amp

51:54 Using an ART tube pre-amp in front of a guitar amp

55:18 A Traynor YBA-1 Bass-Master with a sensitive master volume

59:18 British vs. American amp tone

1:04:22 Another listener recommended amp tech: Tyler at Boss Organ in Somerville, Mass.

1:10:11 DeArmond amps

1:16:57 Bringing a Gibson EH-150 back to life

1:22:34 Kenny Burrell's Midnight Blue

1:24:17 Craig Korth on the Fretboard Journal Podcast and the Ray Butts EchoSonic amp (link)

1:25:58 Salvaging stuff from a dead RCA film projector for a Princeton Reverb clone

1:34:32 A 1972 Fender Super Reverb with a weak tremolo; plus, what is an opto-coupler?

1:41:54 Trying different tubes on a Music Man Sixty-Five Reverb

1:48:35 KTNN: The Voice of the Navajo Nation

Like the show? Share it with your friends, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and stay tuned for next month, when we unveil even more surprises for our one year anniversary.

Ep. 23: "He's a Hugger" Nov 07, 2019

Show notes

This week, Skip and Jason are joined by a very special guest, John Vanderslice. John is a prolific singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and engineer. We have a candid, unfiltered conversation about vintage amps, food, life, the music industry and so much more. Seriously, just listen...

After our chat with John, we once again field your questions about all things guitar amplification.

As always, if you'd like to contribute to a future show, submit your guitar amp questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or 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.

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:05 "Naming calls" and PG&E

2:33 A/B box updates

3:00 The TAVA "book club" launches: Order the Angela Instruments' tweed Princeton article and schematic (see above)

9:18 John Vanderslice (singer-songwriter, Tiny Telephone Recording!) joins us: Living room shows, eating on the road, Gibson Falcons, mics for recording amps, Stromberg-Carlson pre-amps, surviving the music industry

1:01:40 Brian, the speaker re-coner at Weber Speakers: https://www.tedweber.com/recone-services/

1:03:03 Erick Coleman's amp tech recommendation: Paul Schmittauer (email us)

1:04:08 Great Goo: Pepper Plant hot sauce (Amazon link: https://amzn.to/33orYLq)

1:05:40 Epiphone Pacemaker amps

1:07:23 Misspelled "Colombia" Fender amps

1:08:52 How multiple inputs work on amps

1:11:57 Using the second input on a Fender as a line-out

1:14:14 Amp builder Bob Gjika (Gjika Amplification), the mojo behind single-ended amps

1:20:09 A noisy Peavey Delta Blues 115

1:24:44 Solder in Italy (Soldergate revisited)

1:26:17 Breaking-in new tubes; upgrading parts in a Champ kit

1:32:00 What's on Skip's bench

1:33:01 Sano accordion tube and Audio Guild amps (see our Instagram for photos)

1:38:07 Skip on biasing

1:43:00 St. George amp heads, built by Ray Massie

1:46:50 The lifespan of tweed Fender caps

1:49:17 The "Fountain of Sound" Ampeg JS-35

1:53:02 Music recommendation: Pat Martino's 'El Hombre' and the Guild Double Twin combo

1:55:43 Music recommendation, part two: The Nat Turner Rebellion's cover of "Going in Circles"

1:56:43 Parenting tips: Classic Walt Disney movies

1:58:15 Slowing the tremolo rate in a blackface Fender

2:00:58 6973 power tubes in Supro amp

2:02:28 Replacements for a 6c10 tube found in an '80s Fender Super Champ

2:06:38 Working on a Montgomery Ward 55 JDR 8436

2:10:49 Tube naming 101

2:13:16 Our forthcoming one year anniversary, a brief state of affairs

Like the show? Share it with your friends, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and stay tuned for next month, when we unveil even more surprises for our one year anniversary.

Ep. 22: "A Crouton in Every Bite" Oct 24, 2019

Show notes

Special guest Charles Baty joins us on this week's Truth About Vintage Amps podcast!

Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp buying, restoration and repair. Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde.

Submit your guitar amp questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or by leaving us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:37 Charles Baty (Little Charlie & The Nightcats! Little Charlie & Organ Grinder Swing!) joins in: Termites, Spanish rice and amp tips from the road

43:09 Movie recommendations: Wattstax; Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey

44:16 Skip plays a gig

46:30 This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars

46:55 Robert Keeley (!) calls in on Dean's Echoplex woes (from TAVA 21)

50:24 A '68 Fender Vibrolux reissue with a wonky footswitch

54:16 Replace a two-prong cord with a three-prong cord

57:29 "Getting to 'no' you;" "Suzie Q," the Instant Pot, mashed potatoes and hot dogs

1:04:10 An amp with a noisy front plate

1:06:27 Instrumental music picks (Leo Kottke, Nels Cline), Skip's early music influences

1:12:19 Future TAVA interviews plans

1:14:25 "Why we don't replace all vintage electrolytic capacitors" video (link: https://youtu.be/GMNQDoFpYQY)

1:18:00 Robben Ford's Dumble-modified Fender Super Reverbs

1:24:29 Why don't amps have no-speaker protection?

1:31:53 AC568 Bassman amps, Fender grounding plates, sources of hiss, the 500 pF Baffler

1:37:55 Music picks: Erkin Koray's 'Elektronik Turkular' (YouTube link) and Bloodstone's "Natural High" (YouTube link)

1:39:07 Bogen PA heads and Harvey Mandel's fuzz tone

1:43:43 Replacing drop capacitors in Victoria amps

1:49:47 Canada, part one: a Traynor YGL-3, Mark III with no input signal

1:53:14 Canada, part two: Sleeper Canadian amps (Garnet, Traynor, Johnson); check out the Corry Boys

1:57:00 An (almost) free vintage speaker (act fast)

1:58:15 Coffee in a can updates

Ep. 21: "Bases Loaded, Full Count" Oct 10, 2019

Show notes

Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp buying, restoration and repair. Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde.

Submit your guitar amp questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or by leaving us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

8:00 Cloning vintage knobs (video link, h/t John from Australia!)

9:34 This week's sponsors: Grez Guitars, Roberto-Venn

11:01 An open call for our first live caller

13:39 Bartell guitar history (site link)

14:49 Skip's schedule

16:49 More Solder-gate

17:15 Single-ended, parallel twin power tube amps

21:18 WD-40 to the rescue, again

23:28 Unwanted noise from an Echoplex

32:02 Lower B-plus voltage on a Blackface Fender

37:38 Tweed Princeton with a choke vs a resistor

44:18 Speaker cable vs guitar cable (and a sad bird tale)

53:46 Skip's soup tips

56:43 The story behind the TAVA intro music

57:44 Sal Trentino and a Standel 80L15 schematic

1:05:22 Asking boutique makers for their schematics

1:10:37 Dr. Z's new Jetta amp and the story behind the 7591 power tube

1:15:25 Figuring out what's original in a 1953 Fender Tweed Deluxe (5B3)

1:18:14 How noticeable are bad caps?

1:26:06 A solid state Peavey Firebass 700 that won't stop power cycling

1:29:00 An AmpRX BrownBox for a Brownface Deluxe

1:31:57 Skip's picks: Treme; Aretha Franklin's Amazing Grace; Harlan County, USA; The House That Trane Built; the Recordium on YouTube; "Wherever You Go" by Skip Mahoney

1:37:00 Cheap Amazon variacs

1:39:41 Mystery tubes in a 1960 Lafayette tape deck

1:44:16 Putting the 5U4GB back into a 1969 Fender Princeton

1:51:29 Cooling off an amp that runs hot

PS: The reason Jason is preoccupied: https://www.myballard.com/2019/10/07/2-alarm-fire-on-market-st/

Ep. 20: "It's a Big Tent" Sep 27, 2019

Show notes

Summary: Skip has never had sushi; Earl is not a fan of low-balling; and Fender Bassmans rock

Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp buying, restoration and repair. Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde.

Submit your guitar amp questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or by leaving us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:50 John Lennon in Sacramento

3:17 A quick story about Earl Yarrow

12:20 Western Electric hi-fi collecting

14:40 Music recommendations: The Originals; Skip Mahoney & the Casuals; Julie London; "On the Alamo"

17:28: This week's sponsors: Grez Guitars and Mono Cases

18:15 Skip addresses the critics (on grounded cords, replaced caps)

30:02 "Solder," revisited

31:39 Removing the ground hum of two amps running together

34:50 Making an amp out of a sushi platter; recommended needle nose pliers

38:27 6L6s in a Deluxe Reverb

42:41 Skip on your voicemail

45:20 President Skip?, practicalities of running an attenuator

50:33 Acoustic tube amps, revisited

54:45 A 1968 Princeton non-reverb lacking volume

57:47 Other vintage Gibson amps

1:03:00 The truth about unmodified Gibson Falcons and Silverface Champs

1:09:41 Vox Pacemakers overview

1:12:24 The unique properties of a Fender Bassman

1:15:38 Using pre-amp tube as a power tube

1:19:40 Learning soldering and circuits from simple pedal kits and the little Ruby: http://www.runoffgroove.com/ruby.html

1:24:58 Running a Champ through a Variac versus a Hammond 290AX power transformer

1:27:44 A 1963 Fender Vibrolux with treble hiss

1:35:14 Speakers for a 1965 Ampeg Reverberocket 2 GS-12R

1:39:44 Non-lead solder

1:43:54 Biasing a cathode bias amp

1:49:49 Measuring plate current

1:54:57 The Baffler returns!

Ep. 19: "I Have Lifestyle Tips" Sep 13, 2019

Show notes

Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp buying, restoration and repair. Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde.

Submit your guitar amp questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or by leaving us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

It's our most veer-filled episode to date, including soup and footwear tips, a trip to Harvard and, yes, even some amp repair advice!

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

3:06 Soup hacks

4:01 An affordable, American-made boot

5:41 Frampton plays B.B. King

9:00 Site specific amp problems

12:37 Recommended Music: Joe Craven & the Sometimers' 'Garcia's Songbook,' Aretha Franklin's 'Aretha's Gold' and Charlie Musselwhite's 'Stand Back'

18:36 Skip goes to Harvard

20:04 Parenting tips

30:06 Today's sponsor: Grez Guitars

32:15 More Larry Norman and props to Jon Linn

33:02 Solder or "sodder"

35:05 Skip's recommended vintage tube supplier and advice on replacing tubes: https://www.ebay.com/usr/dangeruxb

40:22 Putting a solid state rectifier in a tweed-style amp

49:00 Fixing an output transformer in a 1961 Fender Brownface Pro

56:07 Hi-fi tube amps and phono pre-amp basics

1:04:06 A '67 Fender Bassman that was plugged into a DI box

1:09:14 More output transformer talk: Ampeg Reverberocket

1:11:26 A vintage Niviko MA120X Japanese amp

1:19:06 A 1968 Fender Super Reverb with a rattle

1:25:34 The "trimmer" in a '60s Silvertone 1431

1:28:40 Dirty power, an electric fence and an early '60s Gibson Skylark

1:34:33 Changing the head gasket on a Subaru Forester

1:35:25 More on the trimmer on a Silverton 1431

1:38:28 Car talk

1:43:36 A Fender Hot Rod Deluxe with a busted volume pot

1:47:52 A clean, high-headroom, low volume steel amp

1:52:15 A Fender Silverface Champ vs Blackface Champ

Ep. 18: "Walk the Dog Backwards" Aug 21, 2019

Show notes

Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp buying, restoration and repair. Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde.

Submit your guitar amp questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or by leaving us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

2:40 Jason brings home a Marshall Mercury

13:40 Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere & the Raiders

17:47 A request for a deeper dive into the Fender Champ schematic

24:34 Skip sells his Fender Tremolux head; an Ampex 960 reel-to-reel for free

27:45 Pat Boone's recording console

30:45 Putting a VU meter in a Champ?

34:10 Truth About Vintage Amps shirts update: Shipped!

34:34 This week's sponsor: Grez Guitars

37:20 More soldering advice

38:42 Scratchy pot tips (spoiler alert: WD-40)

41:43 An '80s Fender Concert

47:08 A Vibroluxe Reverb versus Deluxe Reverb and the sonic difference between 10" and 12" speakers

57:25 Ray Massie's The Vibe amp

59:30 18-watt Marshalls and a listener's clone attempt using a Rauland PA amp platform

1:06:34 A 1955 Tweed Bassman with nearly all-new parts

1:10:32 When to replace drifted resistors

1:12:30 Converting a Fender PA-100 into a guitar amp

1:14:16 How many watts from a 6L6?

1:17:40 The Vingtor amp from Norway (and fixing a tremolo)

1:23:53 More Champ kit tips (wiring tube sockets)

1:25:22 A proposed Skip certification program

1:26:52 Coffee advice (Amazon link for the lazy)

1:29:40 Soap advice (Amazon link for the lazy)

1:31:50 Getting a 1965 Fender Princeton Reverb reissue rewired by Alessandro

1:37:45 Bad solder joints and troubleshooting a DIY 5F1 that stopped behaving

Ep. 17: "One Good Solder Joint" Aug 15, 2019

Show notes

Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp buying, restoration and repair. Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde.

Submit your guitar amp questions to Skip here: fretboardjournal@gmail.com or by leaving us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:57 Skip's A/B box update 2:50 Skip's music picks: Curtis Mayfield!, Larry Norman!, Stryper! 10:11 Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer, "Redemption Song" 12:00 TAVA shirt updates 12:22 Skip's amp packing recommendations 14:05 Jason asks all the dumb Champ build questions you're scared to ask 32:33 A higher-powered single-ended amp recommendation (a contemporary Supro Comet) 39:36 The 18-watt WEM Dominator V and a plug for David Minter's Marshall and UK Made Pre Owned Amplifiers Facebook group 45:22 The amps built inside Fender Rhodes 48:12 "Blackfacing" a 1975 Fender Bassman 51:03 A unique 5F1 build and a question about speakers with whizzer cones 58:59 A Model 21 National-Dobro-made amp-in-case 1:02:54 Cloning the DeArmond R5 amp 1:08:52 Oddball European tube amps 1:11:34 The pros and cons of FX loops 1:17:38 The sonic differences between octal and 9-pin pre-amp tubes 1:25:03 Does a 2x12 speaker need a baffle 1:29:48 Uncle Doug videos 1:31:17 Harmonic tremolo 1:34:48 The rare Fender Vibroverb 1:46:20 A terminal board rattle

Special thanks to the presenting sponsors of the Fretboard Journal: Gibson, Martin and Carter Vintage Guitars.

Ep. 16: "Glue on the Windshield" Aug 02, 2019

Show notes

Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp buying, restoration and repair. Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde.

Submit your guitar amp questions to Skip here: fretboardjournal@gmail.com or by leaving us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

1:50 Jason starts his Stew-Mac Tweed Champ kit, Skip offers soldering tips 9:33 Skip offers some new surplus aluminum amp chassis 11:05 An A/B box update 13:50 Skip's latest projects: A Blackface Fender Bassman and a Blackface Bandmaster 15:52 An eBay score: A bargain Park-branded Marshall JTM45 20:16 TAVA t-shirt updates 22:25 Sponsors: Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery & Grez Guitars 24:30 Any female amp techs out there? (Shoutout to @fazioelectric!) 31:20 Finding an amp's EQ sweet spot via hearing the greatest amount of change on the knobs 41:30 Higher-wattage single-ended amps 48:30 A 1960 Epiphone Pacemaker that breaks up too soon 54:15 What type of wire(s) for a vintage-style Fender clone? 1:01:00 The next steps after building a Champ 1:10:05 The horrible distortion on an Ampeg V4 1:16:20 Damage from powering a tube amp without a speaker 1:21:28 Two amp reverb from vintage Gibson, Gretsch and Supro amps 1:28:24 Fender combo speaker output 101 1:35:47 Skip's cheap speaker cabinet tips 1:42:24 Noisy filament wire in Filmosound conversions 1:47:48 Oldies.com 1:50:19 Digging deeper into the Champ schematic

Special thanks to the presenting sponsors of the Fretboard Journal: Gibson, Martin and Carter Vintage Guitars.

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