Show Notes
It's the 172nd episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions about tube amplification...and life. Thank you to our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
1:53 What's on Skip's Bench: A Silverface Vibro-Champ with all-new parts; the importance of capacitors, even for tremolo; a Gibson Falcon with no reverb
8:25 How many people fix amps thanks to this show?
11:33 Jason goes for a neighborhood stroll and spots some free tube gear
14:57 Garnet amp book nuggets (order the Garnet book here); schematic art; Jason's Land Cruiser; Skip's boots, redux; managing expectations
21:48 Barn finds: A Sunn PA head; an Ampeg V4B bass amp; a guitarron; and more! 24:56 Skipapalooza update 29:30 Ampeg: The Story Behind the Sound by Gregg Hopkins & Bill Moore (order it here); the Ampeg R12RT
33:57 Bill Krinard and the new Divided by 13 BW 1969 amp (six position rotary switch that changes the gain of the pre-amp) 40:02 What should I do with my 1973 Traynor YRM-1? 50:44 Purslane and a Hammond homebrew amp 59:39 Martinelli's Sparkling Cider 1:00:40 Selling or keeping a 1962 Brownface Princeton? Why would a power transformer need to be replaced?
1:04:50 An AI apology; keyboard monitors; boneless chicken; an RCA MI-38480
1:13:16 Amp tech tips: Speaker spade connectors and #11 / #12 switchcraft jacks; simple tofu
1:15:58 A vintage Silverface Vibro-Champ in a head cabinet; a Harmony 303 and more 1:22:12 A mystery Tweed Deluxe Want to be a part of the show? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to [email protected]! Include a photo, too. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.
More from The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
Skip is back from a long-overdue road trip and has tales to tell and amps to fix. We also hear about the Fretboard Summit's vintage amp room (watch that baby Leslie video), Christopher Guest in the new Fretboard Journal and so much more.
New Truth About Vintage Amps discount from Amplified Parts on all Apex matched-tube products: TAVAAPEX10 gets you a one-time discount of 10% off Apex products now through October 31. So stock up! https://www.apexmatching.com
It's the 169th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields all of your tube amp and life questions. This week, returning guest Steve Soest joins us for a chat about the vintage days of vintage guitar buying; playing alongside Chuck Berry and Dick Dale; Leo Fender's dining habits; and more. Thank you to our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics. Some of the topics discussed this week: :55 What's on Skip's Bench: A messed-up Masco MA-17
It's the long-awaited episode 168 of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields all of your tube amp and life questions. This week, we kick things off by interviewing one of Skip's clients, Sebastian from Vintage Inspired Pickups! Also: possessed Ampegs, shipping forecasts, and Fender repairs and so much more. Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics. Some of the topics discussed this week: :00 Special Guest: Sebastian Gruenberg of Vintage Inspired Pickups (link); molecular biology; winding pickups, making potentiometers; cryo-tuning magnets; Emerald City Guitars; Gibsonette input jack ground issues; and more!
It's the 167th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields all of your tube amp and life questions. Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics. Some of the topics discussed this week: :00 Skip's refrigerator dies (but lives!), taking the train to the Chicago Fretboard Summit, electronica band Chessie 10:09 The LA vintage guitar show 13:52 'The Angel's Share' movie 16:18 Our sponsors and a great 2026 Fretboard Summit amp giveaway (thanks, Andy!) 19:19 A non-tech tip: Silverface control panel amps with peeling film 21:59 What's on Skip's bench: Magnatone amps; an early Dickerson amp; using a Trace Elliot Velocette shell for a tube amp build 26:38 How long would it take Skip to build a tube amp (on a game show)? 28:31 Starting an amp repair business, redux (Ahuntsic Amplification https://amplificationahuntsic.ca/homepage-en) 32:45 Solder Smoke Absorber Remover (Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3QPSuv6) 36:16 Modding a Silvertone Powermaster PA for guitar, dogbone resistors, 6J7 tubes 45:21 Novak hybrid guitars; did I fry my transformer?; AI Skip; cooking with duck 53:51 What to do with my dad's 1959 Gretsch 6161 Electromatic Twin amp?; Uncle Doug on TAVA? 1:00:05 Serge Gainsbourg with a bunch of smoking kids (https://youtu.be/unYu22Ign1E?si=VkCNtOaDbloJqh63) 1:01:03 Warehouse speakers for a 1976 Silverface Vibro Champ (Instagram: @cwg_guitars)