The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons

Fretboard Journal
Fretboard Journal
  • 4.8 (496)
  • Music History
  • Updated Biweekly

Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp repair, restoration and collecting. Often hilarious and always insightful, it's like no other guitar podcast out there.

  1. 2d ago

    "A Schematic of Life"

    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 podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.

  2. Sep 24

    "Zombie Hoof"

    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, 2026. Stock up! https://www.apexmatching.com Thank you to our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics.  Some of the topics discussed this week: 2:21 Skip hits the road to Pendleton, Oregon and Spokane, Washington: White's Boots (link); the Pendleton Roundup (link) Kirishian rug cleaning (Instagram) 17:22 Why do DC-powered amps need a vibrator, explained!    21:37 Summit recap from Brian McAllister (follow him on Instagram); more Skip road trip highlights    27:01 Figuring out the taper on NOS pots, how does the hum control work on my Bell Pacemaker PM10?, and jalapeno salsa    34:00 I want a tweed 5F1 Champ: Should I build one or buy one?    37:59 What should I do with this Peavey Classic? Ludwig, the TV series    44:54 A K&F pickup restoration (find it on our Patreon)    45:33 Putting a harmonica mic into a guitar?   48:53 Amp tech knowledge gaps; Uncle Doug and cheap solder (YouTube video), Solder Smoke Remover (Amazon link)   56:02 Vintage Sound 50; a potential guest Peter Miller?    1:02:23 Help for my Harmony H306A; 7408 power tubes    1:07:40 Paul Simon guitarist Mark Stewart (Wikipedia); more roadtrip talk (Hwy 395); Christopher Guest in the Fretboard Journal 60 (order it here)    Want to be a part of the show? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.

  3. Aug 31

    "I Only Have a Minute"

    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 170th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields all of your guitar amplification questions (or at least the ones involving tubes).    Thank you to our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics.  Some of the topics discussed this week: :32 What's on Skip's Bench: A Voice of Music 8810 2:40 Jason's Fretboard Summit 2026 report (thanks, https://vintagetubeamplifiers.com!!) 10:13 Recommended reading: Willie Dixon's 'I Am the Blues,' 'Bo Diddley: Living Legend,' and 'Buzz Busby: Father of Washington DC Bluegrass'  12:35 Is this Fender Super Champ safe to use? 20:06  Aotearoa New Zealand Amplifier History Project (support it here); New Zealand pop and punk; building guitars in the Congo (Fretboard Journal #56) 25:19 MusicMan HD130; Sun O))); a typewriter at the 2027 Summit? 33:34 Who made Rickenbacker amps? Talk to me about my Rickenbacker M11 41:14 Bix Beiderbecke's birthday (August 6); conversing with your amp heroes; frozen udon noodles and mushroom stock powder; Red Norvo's "In a Mist"; Donald Brosnac's 'Guitar Electronics for Musicians' 50:06 Warming up a two-pronged amp through a Variac; if a Jenson speaker has been reconed, can I stop worrying about its value?  55:35 Listener recommendation: A cheap Amazon wall outlet meter (link) 57:36 Mark Bartel's prototype line-out interface (see Instagram pic!)  58:24 The magic of purslane  1:00:29 Why a vibrator? (on old DC amps/PAs) 1:04:19 The Savage Croaker amp; Bloodstone's "Natural High;" Mesa Boogie Mark I repairs and Jim Washburn Want to be a part of the show? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.

  4. Aug 14

    "They Always Went to Carl's Jr."

    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   4:06 Special guest: Guitar and amp legend Steve Soest (Soest Guitars)! A meeting of the amp minds, Danelectro tales, Standel heads, David Lindley, G&L, consulting for Fender, Dick Dale tales, and so much more!    1:16:25 A possessed Ampeg, redux    1:18:26 Skip's Disney picks    1:20:57 The Tone Quest Report    1:22:58 Woodinville in the WSJ   1:24:43 Gain knob/master volume 101, cleaning Tolex  1:34:02 Hollywood Bob's Bandmaster  1:39:40 A fire near Skip's!?    Want to be a part of the show? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.

  5. Jul 26

    "Mustard on Your Tie"

    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! 30:57 What's on Skip's bench: Magnatones; a Sears 40XL Danelectro; Traynors 34:07 Jonathan Richman, charming singer-songwriter and stone mason 36:17 An early National Dobro amp for sale; where's Larry Chung? 38:51 The Fretboard Summit, August 20-22 in Chicago (register here); this year @vintagetubeamplifiers is bringing out a bunch of old & rare amps along with various other contributors/listeners!  39:50 A kitchen cleaning tip, Dutch ovens, Skip's typewriter repair 44:07 Optocoupler repair in a classic Fender 45:57 The BBC's Shipping Forecast (link: https://www.bbc.com/weather/coast-and-sea/shipping-forecast)  48:54 Rattlesnake Milk's 'Midnight Train', quick Asian rice, and TAVA buzzwords 50:54 Output tubes for Skip's Mega Champ amp build (Champ with Soursound transformers) 54:38 A demonic Ampeg B-18N  59:04 A new caster for my 1966 Fender Pro Reverb, 'The Magnificent Charlie Parker' compilation; homemade gumbo; Mike Watt  1:06:12 What should I do with this Masco A-10 project? using a Hammond 166M12 as a Variac; do old black metal pre-amp tubes like the 6SJ7 have glass inside?  1:12:02 A tie story; how can I slow down the tremolo on my modded Silvertone 1484?   1:17:46 Gourmet dog treats    Want to be a part of the show? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.

  6. Jun 25

    "Little Baby Barbells"

    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)   Want to be a part of the show? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.

  7. Jun 11

    "Seattle, Loma Rica, Amsterdam"

    Before talking amps, we talk life! Longtime friend of the show John Vanderslice (Tiny Telephone) joins us to talk about moving to the Netherlands, the life of an expat, the equipment that he moved to Europe (and didn't), staying curious with your gear, and so much more. Around 50 minutes in, we get the answer to last episode's Baffler, field various questions and do the usual TAVA amp troubleshooting. Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics.  Some of the topics discussed this week: :00 Special guest: John Vanderslice! 50:28 Our sponsors! 51:47 What's on Skip's bench: A Supro Galaxy 1:01:19 The O.W. Appleton guitar (link)  1:02:33 The answer to episode 155's baffler: Two types of hum 1:07:03 The high and low power switch on a Music Man HD150 1:10:34 How can I swap the speaker on my 1949 Spiegel 79-C, pre-heating cast iron 1:14:35 Ranch Style beans, Herdez guacamole salsa, Electro-Harmonix 12AY7 mic-pre, Peavey Valverb, using an iso cabinet, using both jacks in a Princeton 1:24:37 Terry Foster at the 2026 Fretboard Summit  1:26:11 How many speakers can a Silverface Champ drive safely? Why did Fender keep changing the Princeton schematic? 1:31:13 Skip at the Fretboard Summit?  Want to be a part of the show? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.

  8. May 17

    "There's an Ethos?"

    Episode 165 of the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons tackles all of your questions about guitar tube amps!   Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics.  Some of the topics discussed this week: 00 Jason and Nigel 6:26 Our sponsors! 10:42  A letter, two beers, some washers, and a crossroads: Follow Joe here and on Instagram 17:10 1967 Fender Princeton Reverb project with a replaced power transformer; a shorted reverb transformer 31:36 A baffler: Two kinds of hum  36:16 What are "getter" and "wings"? The Barkely Marathon (Wikipedia) 40:31 Has anyone put the tweed Princeton tone circuit in a guitar? swaddled meat is tender meat, cast iron 44:15 A Fender Super Reverb that kept blowing fuses; the 1972 Sacramento Farrell's Ice Cream parlor plane disaster (Wikipedia) 53:33 Federico's pizza dough recipe on the TAVA Patreon; the Tone Quest Report; Tin Can Valley Letterpress 55:08 Replacing the foam gasket on my Traynor YGM-3 reverb's tank; Vacaville's Pacific Hardware 1:00:04 Rickenbacker M-11 thoughts; King Sunny Ade  1:04:51 What's on Skip's bench: Slim Dossey's Tweed Bassman and another Bassman 1:08:59 Skip's potential barn sale ponderings  1:12:29 Once an amp has replaced caps, do you still need a Variac? rice balls 1:15:28 Skip still needs a wooden Epiphone Electar Zephyr schematic (all-octal tube with vibrato) schematic! 1:17:01 1964 Fender Princeton 6G2 with non-working trem  1:20:16 Adding a stereo headphone jack to a Princeton clone  1:24:04 Jenson transformer website schematics (link) 1:27:38 What should I do with this untouched 1976 45-watt Fender Pro Reverb?; cornbread Want to be a part of the show? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.

See All (176)

4.8
out of 5
496 Ratings

About

Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp repair, restoration and collecting. Often hilarious and always insightful, it's like no other guitar podcast out there.

Information

More From Fretboard Journal

You Might Also Like