The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons Fretboard Journal

It's the 125th installment of the Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons!

Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
:51 Skip works on a Jim Kelley Amp, built-in attenuators, the magnetic field caused by a Tweed Bassman speaker 
3:30 Skip needs an RCA MI-12155 schematic 
3:56 Making stuff for the Bay Area Guitar Show
6:51 Our sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, Stringjoy Strings, and Grez Guitars.
8:12 Our 2023 Voltic DTF pedal Dad joke winner: Keith F with "Why did Skip have to marry Mrs. Simmons? From the day he solder, he couldn't resistor."
9:34 A basic servicing check-list of what to do when you get a vintage amp
 
15:36 An early 1960s Tweed Princeton branded Harvard, tensioning the input jack
 
22:22 Modar-branded guitar amps; tube lineup of EF86, 6BQ5, EZ81
 
23:51 Trainwreck amplifiers; the tone difference between a single 8 ohm secondary winding vs four separate 1 ohm coils wired at 8 ohms 
 
25:47 Should I buy this Peavey Triumph 120 combo?; five-pin footswitch replacement 
 
28:15 Dummy load vs speaker when working on amps
 
30:55 How to replace the battery circuit on a Bogen E66 portable PA, ice cream truck-specific amps, the Fretboard Brewery
 
35:45 5Y3 rectifiers, demystified 
 
39:00 Rancho Gordo beans, redux 
 
39:46 An inspiring 1966 Champ and a vegan pumpkin pie 
 
45:24 A hi-fi Eico ST-84/Dynaco ST-70 with the balance way off, RIP Earl Yarrow 
 
55:22 Servicing a Carr Mercury; 12AT7 versus 12ZX7 pre-amp tubes 
 
1:01:04 What to do with a 1980s Fender 30 with a weak second channel? a rare Ampeg B-15N
Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Happy holidays, everyone! 
Love the show? We have a Patreon where you can support it and get exclusive bonus content and surprises: 
https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps

It's the 124th installment of the Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons: Conductive paints, speaker impedance mismatches, pizza hacks and lots of dad jokes!

Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com.
Our sponsors are Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, Stringjoy Strings, and Grez Guitars.

Some of the topics discussed this week:
:57 Skip works on a Jim Kelley Amp
6:30 Rancho Gordo beans, redux
7:49 Converting a SF Champ to the Princeton schematic and recommended plate voltages; Skip makes a tweed Harvard out of a Champ; pilot light washers from Daniel Petrzelka (Instagram: @dpetrzelka)
13:39 The 1970s Whole Earth Catalogs are now online (link)
15:21 What makes a great A/B box?
17:24 A '55 Tweed Bassman with a replaced output transformer and 7025s; Skip finishes the Tweed Deluxe overhaul
25:41 Impedance mismatches in 1950s Fender amps, using the external speaker output
31:26 Did David Lindley play on the Rockford Files theme song? Toots Thielemans
33:43 Eminence, Kentucky and Colonel Sanders
35:07 Can anything other than tubes be microphonic; the one-wire mod to have the reverb and tremolo on both channels on a Fender
37:12 Fuse-eating rectifier tubes on a Victoria Bandmaster clone; 5U4 vs GZ34 tubes
39:38 Converting a '50s Philco record player console for guitar use; Commander Cody; the Louvin Brothers' 'Satan Is Real'
43:26 Bringing up an old amp on a Variac 
48:49 Experiments with conductive paints
 
52:36 Very loud noise floor in a low-wattage amp
 
56:21 A tube amp setup to compliment the Fender Tonemaster Pro
 
1:00:00 Biasing an old record player amp
 
1:05:22 Homemade pizza hacks, pizza stones, buying dough, Don Pepino, Rainier beer
Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. 
Love the show? We have a Patreon where you can support it and get exclusive bonus content and surprises: 
https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps

Today, we celebrate the millionth download of our podcast with one of our favorite conversations to date: Longtime TAVA contributor Larry Chung joins Skip and Jason to talk about the zen and art of early tube amp restoration and so much more.

We also tackle a bunch of questions from our listeners about PAs, field coil speakers, guitar amp finds, and other surprises. Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com.
Our sponsors are Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, and Grez Guitars.

Some of the topics discussed this week:
1:43 Thanks to you all, our Truth About Vintage Amps just hit a million downloads!

2:21 Our millionth download giveaway: Voltic Electronic Devices DTF fuzz (Instagram). Enter by November 1, 2023!

4:17 Special guest Larry Chung: Getting electrocuted on his first amp repair; Skip's OG appearance on Fretboard Journal Podcast #224 (link); a love for '30s and '40s PAs and amplifiers; the intrinsic joy of working on amplifiers; 'How to Repair Small Appliances' by Jack Darr; 6N6/6B5 tubes

29:43 Radio's Master and the hidden value of old catalogs

33:12 Why was the dark art of speaker reconing never documented?

35:20 Larry's unique approach to components when it comes to antique amplifiers; not rushing amp restorations

40:54 A not-so-stock blonde Tremolux; a White amplifier found at the dump; Soursound transformers (link) 
48:08 The tone circuit in Gibson EH-150s with the high/low settings, collecting amps as a reference library

51:03 The sound of a field coil speaker vs. a standard speaker with the same amp

53:17 Do field coil speakers need maintenance beyond the actual speaker? the upper response of field coil speakers

57:58 Field coil into ground amplifiers

59:07 A Skip-serviced Masco Audiosphere 10 for sale in Amsterdam

1:00:15 How to dry out an amp that's been soaked by a storm; Kenny Vaughan's "Mysterium" (YouTube)

1:04:23 A Precision Electronics PE-25 PA head that sounds terrible

1:15:04 What is this Marshall 100-watt head?

1:19:17 Do I need to replace all the resistors on my 1940s Masco MA-25; SF's Kilowatt Bar (link) 
1:24:45 Baking butternut squash as per the 'Joy of Cooking'

1:25:54 The magic of vintage pots, Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series; the Bros. Landreth 'Let It Lie'

1:32:31 Adam Levy's 'Spry' (link)

1:35:28 Troubleshooting a Masco MA-25/ME-27 with a loud hiss

1:44:13 Larry's book recommendation: Norman Maclean's 'Young Men and Fire' (Amazon link)
Recorded October 9, 2023. 
Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. 
Love the show? We have a Patreon where you can support it and get exclusive bonus content and surprises: 
https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps

** Note to the Amp Purists: There is virtually NO amp talk on this episode. If that's what you're seeking, stay tuned for TAVA episode 123, out tomorrow, where we'll have two hours of deep amp knowledge with special guest Larry Chung. Everyone else: Enjoy a very special TAVA featuring Skip's son, Will!**

What's it like to have amp tech Skip Simmons as your dad? We find out on the 122nd episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps featuring special guest Will Simmons!

Will shares tales of growing up alongside a bunch of amps; Skip's parenting style; Will's love for art; and his his current work as an art critic. Also discussed: Drawbridge tales; photographer Laurie Simmons (Wikipedia link); Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture (Wikipedia link); Wynton Marsalis' "Blood on the Fields" (YouTube link); Brice Martin; Lo Moon (link); "Are You Awake?" by Lauren Mayberry (YouTube link); Wood Belly (link); Dean & Britta; Lady Gaga vs. Lana Del Rey; and so much more.
All-told, it's a very sweet father & son (& podcast cohost) chat. Plus: Jason learns about diet pills!

Amp related topics:
1:19:27 Soursound transformers
1:20:09 Are there any classic Fender amps that Skip hates?
1:21:51 Congratulations, John Vanderslice!
1:22:34 MTI Tubes effects unit, redux
1:26:55 A Peavey Mace 2x12, what are matched tubes? 
 
1:32:31 Recommended: Replica tweed cabinets by Armadillo 
 
As always, keep the amplifier questions and voice memos coming to podcast@fretboardjournal.com and thanks to everyone who listens to our show. If you love it, leave us a five-star review over on Apple Podcasts.

Join our Facebook group, 'A Rustic Kegger in the Woods':
https://www.facebook.com/groups/164889374531738

Join the TAVA Patreon Page:
https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps
Our sponsors are Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, and Grez Guitars.
Recorded October 6, 2023.
Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. 

It's the 121st episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amp. 
This week: Special guest Jim Kelley joins us (around the 28-minute mark)!
Want to be a part of the show? Keep the amp questions for Skip coming to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Voice memos or emails are welcome.

Don't forget we now have a Patreon if you'd like to support the show featuring weekly installments of what's on Skip's bench, random eBay finds, and surprise content: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps
Some of the topics discussed in this episode: 
5:31 What's on Skip's bench: A Bogen mixer from the 1940s
6:35 What to do with a vintage MTI Tubes overdrive preamp stompbox
10:02 What's the deal with Fender Ultra Linear amps?
14:33 Australia's National Vintage Guitar Show (link, October 7-9, 2023); the Amigo Bay Area Guitar Show in January (link; Skip will be there!)
17:26 Repurposing old power transformers
22:16 Jazz guitarist Peter Bernstein; Russell Malone; Adam Levy; RIP Sammy Ash
23:17 A "brown" Deluxe that needed repair from San Quentin State Prison! 
25:56 What to do with a 1973 Fender Princeton Reverb ground switch?
28:39 Special guest: Jim Kelley! 4x6V6s, plate voltages, Fortune Amps, Line, using a great reference speaker; Dumble; the Kelley prototype head at Emerald City Guitars; Jim's preferred parts; Vince Gill
1:26:00 Tubes for a Marathon amp clone
1:27:50 Building a point-to-point wired amp inside of a PCB Vox AC15VR chassis
Our sponsors are Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, and Grez Guitars.
Recorded September 20, 2023. 
Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. 

It's the 120th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amp. 
This week in a nutshell: Is this the Fender Yale?; lots of Fretboard Summit love; Skip sneaks a mower across the border; magnifiers; tomato gravy; and rumblings of a possible Oregon Truth About Vintage Amps meetup! 
Special Note: Our friends at Amplified Parts are having a Labor Day Sale right now. Use the code LABOR10 to save 10% off your order, but act fast.  https://www.amplifiedparts.com/
Want to be a part of the show? Keep the amp questions for Skip coming to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Voice memos or emails are welcome.

Don't forget we now have a Patreon if you'd like to support the show featuring weekly installments of what's on Skip's bench, random eBay finds, and surprise content: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps
Some of the topics discussed in this episode: 
:00 Fretboard Summit recap (thanks, Kevin!); a gift of Del Cabo mangos; Rob Abernathy's robots (https://rodabernethy.com/); our sponsors (Emerald City Guitars, Stringjoy Strings (use the code FRETBOARD to save 10% off your first string order), Amplified Parts, and Grez Guitars.
10:30 Donny Hathaway plays "The Ghetto" (YouTube link); Skip brings a Tweed Deluxe back from the dead (and possibly a Princeton Reverb), lousy amp repair people
16:22  A Fretboard Summit recap; a transitional Gibson Falcon find
21:40 An Ampeg SVT CL that sounds sort of like the opening to the Beastie Boys' "Intergalactic" when you turn it on
24:46 Offshoot amp brands we can spot in the wild
26:43 Magnifiers, redux! Recommended: YOCTOSUN Head Mount Magnifier on Amazon (link, on sale for just 16 bucks right now); LED garage lighting (Costco link)
29:55 How do self-split output stages work? Kalamazoo KEA amps
32:30 Help me make sense of this Bell PM33 Pacemaker schematic
37:53 Speaker-driven line out and reverb, together; a Seattle TAVA meetup?; an Oregon Coast TAVA meetup at Pelican Brewing?
41:01 Skip's contraband riding lawn mower
49:01 Is this the Fender Yale? John Peden's Sidetrack Liner Notes podcast (Apple Podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sidetrack-liner-notes/id1162344630)
53:05 Kate Wolf; Eminem
56:25 Transformer windings and tomato gravy
1:02:12 The Silvertone 1484 TwinTwelve input section; Fender Musicmaster Bass amp mods
1:06:17 The Gibson tone-sucking circuit in the GA19RVT Falcon (Instagram link)
Recorded August 31, 2023. 
Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. 
Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscription to the Fretboard Journal (link). Digital subscriptions start at just $30.  
Submit your amp questions, recipes, and life hacks to podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don't forget to share the show with friends on social media.