Fretboard Journal

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Channel • 6 Shows

Music History

Music History

Updated Biweekly
Music Interviews

Music Interviews

Updated Biweekly
Music Interviews

Music Interviews

Updated Bimonthly
Music Interviews

Music Interviews

Updated 08/24/2022
Design

Design

Updated Biweekly
Music Interviews

Music Interviews

Updated 08/20/2021

2D AGO

"TAVA, Again...Exclamation Point"

Episode 159 of the Truth About Vintage Amps: Beans, two-prong ASMR, peeling diodes (and faceplates) and more! Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts. And honarary mention to Rancho Gordo beans. Some of the topics discussed this week: 1:32 Rancho Gordo beans in the WSJ, corn sticks 8:13 What's on Skip's bench: All the early Fender Princetons; a baffler! 11:20 Our sponsors: and (unofficially) Rancho Gordo beans 15:15: What should I do with this extra Bell Sound 2122-C hi-fi amp?; hear the TAVA All-Stars: Bob Armstong, Keith Cary, Charles Batey, Leff Jeffries (YouTube link, audio only) 25:20 How can I remove and save my tube chart when I replace the baffle? 30:09 Comparing a 5F2A kit schematic to the original; cargamanto beans (see below) 40:34 What does Skip always replace? Sello Rojo coffee; Lustre Craft pots 47:48 A Tweed Vibrolux with rusty faceplate; WEST amps transformers? 55:48 A broken, yet soothing two-prong plug question; Stephen King's 'It' 1:01:57 Are the diodes in my Premier B-220 Custom Bass amp okay? Can Switchcraft jacks go bad? 1:10:50 Real death caps; Fantastic Fungi 1:13:05 Kraft dinner; replacement transformers for 50-watt Rickenbackers; WD-40 for joint pain 1:19:28 Homemade (mostly) pizza hacks Danny G's carmanto bean recipe INGREDIENTS: 1 can cargamanto beans rinsed and drained avocado oil in the pan 1⁄4 green pepper chopped 1⁄2 yellow onion diced 2 garlic cloves minced 1 can El Pato hot tomato sauce 1⁄2 tsp. cumin 1⁄2 tsp. paprika salt & pepper to taste Heat oil in the pan Add pepper, onion, garlic Saute for about 5 minutes until softened Stir in the beans, El Pato, cumin, paprika Season with salt and pepper Add 1 cup water or broth Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer Reduce for about 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally to preferred consistency Serve over rice with some avocado or sour cream This is great as is, but carnivores may want to add some meat. Living in the Polish neighborhood that I do, I first sliced up and browned some fresh made Kielbasa from the local smokery and put it aside before softening the veggies in the fond, then adding it back again during the simmering process. Multicultural chef's kiss. - Danny Want amp tech Skip Simmons' advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Want to share your top secret family recipe? Need relationship advice? 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.

2d ago

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1h 26m
3D AGO

Podcast 533: Shane Parish

Guitarist/composer/improviser Shane Parish is about to release a truly astounding project, Autechre Guitar. The Athens, Georgia-based guitarist has transcribed and recorded an entire album of acoustic guitar arrangements featuring the music of electronic music duo Autechre. This is no small feat. Autechre's atmospheric compositions were made with layered synths and drum machines. Shane has somehow distilled them to their essence and arranged them for solo guitar. Best of all, they sound great. On the podcast, we hear all about this Mt. Everest of a project, the Taylor 214-GE he used for the task, Shane's background as an arranger and so much more. The full Autechre Guitar album comes out on February 27, 2026 via Bandcamp: https://shaneparish.bandcamp.com/album/autechre-guitar-2 Watch Shane play Aphex Twin's "Avril 14": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC49znc2Swc Our next Fretboard Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. https://fretboardsummit.org Our 58th issue of the Fretboard Journal is now mailing. Subscribe here to get it. We are brought to you by Peghead Nation: https://www.pegheadnation.com (Get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription with the promo code FRETBOARD at checkout). Stringjoy Strings: https://stringjoy.com

3d ago

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1h 24m
JAN 10

Author John Stubbings

On this week's podcast, UK-based author and guitar fanatic John Stubbings returns to tell us all about his new book, 'The Guitar Detective.' The follow-up to his monumental 'The Devil Is In It' publishing project, 'The Guitar Detective' is a "non-fiction novel" based around a riveting guitar mystery. We discuss the format John chose for this book, his inspiration for the story, and so much more. https://orpharionpress.com/ Our next Fretboard Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. https://fretboardsummit.org Our 58th issue of the Fretboard Journal is now mailing. Subscribe here to get it. We are brought to you by Peghead Nation: https://www.pegheadnation.com (Get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription with the promo code FRETBOARD at checkout). Stringjoy Strings: https://stringjoy.com

Jan 10

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1 hr
12/24/2025

Ep. 158: "Not Just Living in Their Mom's Basement"

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 our Instagram for a sneak peek at the creation. https://www.bensonamps.com/ https://soursound.com/ and honorable mention to... https://bottosbbq.com/ Hear the Babylon in person at the 2026 Wood, Wire & Volts festival (or anywhere within a mile or two radius of the show). https://www.woodwirevolts.com/ Deep cuts: Bryan's first appearance on our show can be found here (it's pretty epic) and Chris originally appeared on our 30th episode. Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts. And happy holidays to all of our listeners and Patreon members for their support! We'll be back in 2026. Want amp tech Skip Simmons' advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Want to share your top secret family recipe? Need relationship advice? 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.

12/24/2025

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1h 6m
12/18/2025

"Coyote and Deer"

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: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts Some of the topics discussed this week: :42 Atmospheric rivers 3:52 Skip's appearance at the Bay Area Guitar Show (Jan 10-11, link) 8:46 Fretboard Journal 58 (coming soon!) 9:57 Unsung electronics hero (and possible con man) Lee De Forest (read his memoir here); 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 22:44 What's on Skip's Bench: A clean early 1969 SF Fender Vibro Champ with a trem that didn't want to go slow; an Ampeg J-20 29:11 Advice on an amp road trip (New Orleans, Phoenix, LA, and Denver) 34:25 What's louder: Two 50-watt halves or one full 100-watt stack of amps 37:29 Using the potentiometers in hi-fi speaker units from the 1950s; the Christmas Jug Band; ukuleles 42:10 What's up with this Winson combo amp? EL84s vs 7189s; garlic bread; Roy Buchanan's The Messiah Will Come Again (YouTube link); Roy Clark and Joe Pass; Van Morrison's "You Are My Sunshine;" The Fretboard Journal's You Are My Sunshine project (link) 50:29 Gigging a 1947 Fender Deluxe 5A3, Brookwood leather 55:40 6L6s in Deluxe Reverbs and Princetons? wild mushrooms 1:00:43 Are all trebles created equal? 1:05:38 Greetings from Canada; Slow Horses (redux); Life on the Line featuring John Travolta (Wikipedia link); chicken curry 1:13:26 Questions re: a Knight 93SX670 PA amp and the phono wiring 1:17:23 WD-40 musings 1:19:33 Just completed my Mojotone Tweed Princeton kit, but what's with this hum? 1:22:50 An RCA MI12155 PA head with no output; Chuck Prophet; Mosquito Coast cocktails; recommended book: 'The Night Train to Nashville' (Amazon link) 1:26:40 The Whole Earth Catalog; Stewart Brand (Amazon link) 1:30:30 Vacuum Tube Valley Want amp tech Skip Simmons' advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Want to share your top secret family recipe? Need relationship advice? 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. Don't forget, we have a Patreon page. Support the show, get behind-the-scenes updates and get to the front of the line with your questions.

12/18/2025

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1h 34m
12/31/2025

The Fretboard Journal's Year-End Wrap Up

To wrap up this year, Fretboard Journal editors Jason Verlinde and Sofia Wolfson talk about some of their favorite moments from 2025. We discuss the inner workings of the magazine, our favorite articles, the 2025 Fretboard Summit, some of our favorite records and shows of the year, and so much more. On behalf of all of us, we hope you have a very happy New Year. Our next Fretboard Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. https://fretboardsummit.org Our 58th issue of the Fretboard Journal is now mailing. Subscribe here to get it. We are brought to you by Peghead Nation: https://www.pegheadnation.com (Get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription with the promo code FRETBOARD at checkout). Stringjoy Strings: https://stringjoy.com

12/31/2025

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1h 7m
12/29/2025

109. Juha Ruokangas

For episode 109 of Luthier on Luthier, we're joined by Juha Ruokangas, a Finnish guitar maker pushing the boundaries of instrument design. We dive into his innovative Valve Bucker pickup, the Captain Nemo guitar prototype, and his use of local Arctic Birch and wood torrification to create unique guitars. Juha shares his journey from student to professional luthier and his vision for the future of guitar making, blending tradition, technology, and artistry. Link: https://ruokangas.com/ Luthier on Luthier is hosted by Michael Bashkin of Bashkin Guitars and brought to you by the Fretboard Journal. This episode is sponsored by the Looth Group, Dream Guitars and StewMac.

12/29/2025

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1h 25m
11/26/2025

"A Hoop and a Stick"

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: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts 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' (Amazon link) 46:17 The Magnatone Triplex; ultralinear output stages, redux; Bob Wills' The Tiffany Transcriptions 47:35 Raising kids and running a small business; tractor rollovers 51:13 A cooking baffler: Potatoes cooked in resin 52:30 Will my Airline 9003 amp kill me? 55:11 Traynor YGL-3A amps 56:43 Is it possible for a fuse to blow when the amp is fine? Best-case scenarios for a speaker mismatch? Jerry Portnoy's autobiography, 'Dancing with Muddy' (Amazon link) 1:03:02 Movie recommendations: Come See Me in the Good Light; The Lost Bus 1:05:28 The greatest Thanksgiving side dish of all-time? A corn-bread concoction; the 2026 Fretboard Summit (www.fretboardsummit.org); the TAVA Cookbook (Dropbox link) 1:07:37 Good goo: Oxalic acid/wood bleach (Amazon link); Permalac sealer 1:10:43 Using a 6SL7 as a long tail pair 1:13:03 Amps made with 6N2P pre-amp tubes and 6N6P power tubes? Ashen amps 1:15:16 The resurrection of Australia's GoldenTone amps? https://goldentone.com.au/ 1:18:39 What should I do with this West Mini IR combo amp? 1:23:37 Hopefulness and despair with a reissue Twin Reverb and a Silverface Champ 1:31:06 What should I do with my Wilcox Gay Recordio recorder 1:38:31 A Califone SP-30 powered speaker; chili Want amp tech Skip Simmons' advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Want to share your top secret family recipe? Need relationship advice? 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. Don't forget, we have a Patreon page. Support the show, get behind-the-scenes updates and get to the front of the line with your questions.

11/26/2025

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1h 47m
11/01/2025

"Realistic Carnival"

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 (link); do banjos belong in the Fretboard Journal? 5:16 Recommended music: Ned Boynton's 'The North Beach Sound;' The No-Mads (nomadsband.com) 7:54 Our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts (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 A listener baffler, answered (speaker re-coning); Vintage 47 amps (link) 26:18 Skip's ep. 154 baffler, answered: What does Skip do when he's modding the second input of a Fender Champ? Supro Spectators 32:51 New Accutronics reverb tanks by Revisit (link) 34:52 What's the low input doing in a Marshall JCM800; green chile on everything 39:20 Lowering the B+ on a 1971 Fender Bassman 10 project; ultralinear transformers; cactus salad 48:43 The long-awaited dog story 51:35 Colin Hay's "Overkill" with Choir! Choir! Choir! (YouTube link); Traynor amps 54:52 Should I treat the pitting on a Soundmaster 600 PA? 1:00:17 Lab Series amps 1:03:39 Smoke-damaged MusicMan HD-130 1:09:20 The dangers of old tractors (and drawbridges) 1:15:34 Modifying the power section of a Twin Reverb for lower volume playing; fixing a Filmosound 385 with hum; Evan Crafts (Instagram) 1:21:26 TAVA listener spotlight: Children's book author Matt James! (Order his new book, The One About the Blackbird (Amazon link) 1:23:56 How to raise kids and run a small business; Mae Ploy curry paste 1:31:16 Barn finds: Spring-loaded input jacks; a 1947 Fender Princeton amp and matching lap steel Want amp tech Skip Simmons' advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Want to share your top secret family recipe? Need relationship advice? 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. Don't forget, we have a Patreon page. Support the show, get behind-the-scenes updates and get to the front of the line with your questions.

11/01/2025

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1h 46m
12/20/2025

Breedlove Guitars' Pete Mroz and Shannon Pollard

Nearly every guitar player has daydreamed about running their favorite gear company. On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we hear from two individuals who are currently living that dream: Nashville's Pete Mroz and Shannon Pollard. Earlier this year, these two guitar fanatics and businessmen became the new owners of Bend, Oregon's Breedlove Guitars. During our chat, we talk about the realities of running a guitar business in 2025, the surprises they weren't anticipating, what changes they are implementing at the 35-year-old company, and where they see growth in the guitar space. Whether or not you're currently a Breedlove owner, Pete and Shannon's enthusiasm for guitars is downright infectious. We think you'll love this chat. https://breedlovemusic.com Our next Fretboard Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. https://fretboardsummit.org Our 58th issue of the Fretboard Journal will mail later this month. Subscribe here to get it. We are brought to you by Peghead Nation: https://www.pegheadnation.com (Get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription with the promo code FRETBOARD at checkout). Stringjoy Strings: https://stringjoy.com

12/20/2025

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1h 3m

The Fretboard Journal channel of podcasts: Smart guitar storytelling for acoustic and electric musicians around the world.

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