It's the 133rd episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amp! 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: 1:14 Skip's 1950 Ferguson tractor, the Truth About Lawn Mowers 7:28 A zebra on …

No guests or special theme this week...just an all-new, old-school episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amp. 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: 1:31 What's on Skip's workbench: Va…

Illustrator/musician/underground comix legend Robert Armstrong (Mickey Rat, Couch Potato, the Cheap Suit Serenaders!) joins Skip and Jason this week for a very special installment of the Truth About Vintage Amps. Want to support our show? Join our Patreon! Some of the topics discussed: 1:38 NOS military-grade green pilot light jewels from Gary Econ…

It's a very special, all-Canadian episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amp repair! This week, we have special guests Calvin McCormick (Hiwatt) and Mike Watson of The 6L6s along for the ride. Reminder: You should join our Patreon. Some of the topics dis…

Welcome to ep. 129 of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amp repair. This week, it's an (almost) all-Fender episode! Reminder: You should join our Patreon. Some of the topics discussed: :44 Jason goes to the NAMM Show 4:20 Skip is fixing his 1961 Comet 9:04 Wha…

Welcome to episode 128 of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amp repair. The first hour of this show probably belongs on our Patreon, but I'm feeling generous and sharing it with everyone. Reminder: You should join our Patreon. (The amp questions kick in around…

We're closing out 2023 with special guest Bill Krinard of Two Rock! https://www.two-rock.com I won't even attempt to annotate this episode but Bill joins us at 5:36 and fields a bunch of listener-submitted questions on transformers with dissimilar primary windings; Two-Rock's design process; how he uses oscilloscopes; Ampegs; Filmosound mods; poten…

Transformer talk, spaghetti carbonara, goat horn jazz, and more transformer talk...it's the 126th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! Want to be a part of our show? Submit your question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com. Some of the topics discussed this week: :48 Skip types out a tube chart 3:16 This week's sponsors: Emerald City …

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…

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 G…

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, an…

** 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…

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 …

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 A…

It's the 119th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amp. 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 s…

This week, we’re joined by the one-and-only Ben Harper, who has a couple of questions for Skip right before his Lyon, France concert. Ben regales us with tales of a rare Weissenborn spotted on a Disneyland ride, Dumbles, and pre-show skateboarding (which Skip is a little worried about). He also spills the beans on his new touring amp of choice… a T…

It's the 117th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where legendary amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on guitar amps and their repair! 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. And don't forget we now have a Patreon. This week's spo…

It's the 116th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where legendary amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on guitar amps and their repair! 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. And don't forget we now have a Patreon. This week's spo…

It's the 115th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where legendary amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on guitar amps and their repair! 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. And don't forget we now have a Patreon. Some of the top…

It's the 114th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, where legendary amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on guitar amps and their repair. 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. Some of the topics discussed this week: 3:49 Skip gets more gif…

It's the 113th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, where legendary amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on guitar amps and their repair. 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. Some of the topics discussed this week: 4:11 Announcement: The …

It's the 112th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, where legendary amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on guitar amps and their repair. 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. Some of the topics discussed this week: 7:42 David Lindely on D…

We're back and episode 111 has it all: Deep thoughts, a tornado, fried eggs, and power tubes gone bad. Keep the questions coming to podcast@fretboardjournal.com and enjoy! Some of the topics discussed this week: 1:59 The TAVA Big Index page (link) 3:26 A pro chef hack, Rancho Gordo beans redux (link to the beans) 4:34 A '64 Princeton Reverb clone w…

An episode that almost went off the rails (a missing special guest, talk of tragic balloon heroes, street tacos) but somehow gets back to amp basics. Some of the topics discussed this week: 3:56 Skip's decision to quit being a drawbridge operator, Skip visits Eminence 8:58 Austin Ribbon Mics, the Hot Holder Pro (link); book recommendation: 'How to …

Episode 109: A long build-up to the amp troubleshooting, but plenty to discuss, including a new puppy, the realities of vintage guitar shows, grandmothers getting run over by reindeer, and ferrite beads. Some of the topics discussed this week: :34 Meet Junior 5:59 Skip's report from the 2023 Bay Area Amigos Guitar Show; Dr. Elmo buys a Grez (Wikipe…

Episode 108: It's like a best-of episode, but totally new! Pre-amps, typewriters, too many kitchen hacks, transformer talk, Jason reads the tubes wrong, and we even get a little artsy! Some of the topics discussed this week: 2:53 Does Skip want to see your amps right now? See Skip at the January 14-15, 2023 Amigo Bay Area Guitar Show 4:59 A Tweed P…

Episode 107: The genius of Garnet founder "Gar Gillies," Fender reverb controls, fixing Magnatones, and more. **Want to meet Skip? He'll be at the January 14-15, 2023 Amigo Bay Area Guitar Show with stuff to sell (and also picking up amps that need to be serviced).** Some of the topics discussed this week: 3:00 Deluxe Amplification's El Pato Tone A…

Episode 106: No special guests, but plenty of amp questions answered and some recipes! Some of the topics discussed: 1:01 It's good to be anxious 3:59 Our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps 4:18 Any interest in a Seattle amp swap meet / hang on December 31? Message me at podcast@fretboardjournal.com. 4:49 Deluxe's TAVA-tribute El Pat…

** We are doing another run of Truth About Vintage Amps t-shirts. Pre-order your shirt now by clicking here: https://silkshopstores.com/tavamerch/shop/home ** Just in time for the holidays: A bonus Truth About Vintage Amps episode! This week, no listener-submitted questions. Instead, we introduce you to Joshua Dejaen, a.k.a. jdflyback on YouTube. T…

Episode 104: No special guests, but plenty of amp questions answered, plus lots of schematic talk, A/B/Y boxes, a recipe or two, and a parenting tip! Some of the topics discussed: 1:03 A 1954 Fender extension cabinet (tweed, but spray painted black); Fender Amps: The First 50 Years (Amazon link); asbestos in amps 7:04 Why are the PA amps I'm restor…

The 103rd Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast. Special guest Mason Stoops (Jackson Browne, Marcus Mumford) walks us through his crazy Marcus Mumford live rig! Plus: Dutch potatoes, shorting jacks, vintage road cases, and more. **Get a glimpse of what Mason is talking about by watching this video: https://youtu.be/TH-bixpr-EQ and then listen to his exp…

Special guest Bryan Sours (Soursound transformers) joins us for an epic talk all about transformers! Note: This is the longest episode of TAVA to date, and one of the most information-rich. I didn't attempt to make complete show notes for all the topics Bryan covered as it would be impossibly long. For our listeners who like to get into the weeds, …

Episode 101 of TAVA: Gain, flux, gochujang and more! This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don't forget to get a subscriptio…

Our 100th episode! To help us celebrate this milestone, Skip and Jason are joined this week by friends of the show Nels Cline (Wilco), Barry Grzebik (Grez Guitars), Jesse Quitslund (Acme), Steve Melkisethian (Angela Instruments), and Colleen Fazio (Fazio Electric). We tackle a few amp questions, get the first-ever ambient remix of our podcast, catc…

Episode 99 of our podcast and Skip has one more surprise in store... yet another giveaway prize for our 100th episode! This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content…

With Skip's internet down, we recorded our 98th episode the old-fashioned way. Once you get past the distorted land line telephone, you'll hear about how you can win some truly amazing gear on our 100th episode (including a new Grez Mendocino Junior guitar!), plus what inspires Skip, screen resistors on power tubes, center taps on resistors, and on…

Are we really running out of vacuum tubes? This week, special guest Thomas Cravener of Amplified Parts joins us to talk about the 2022 new tube shortage, plus a lot more. Reserve a new TAVA t-shirt here. This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET…

It's the summer solstice and seemingly everyone is in the kitchen, dishing out amp problems and recipes. This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occas…

It's the 95th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! Despite some technical / Zoom difficulties, Skip and Jason talk about replacement transformers, smoking Earthsound amps, bias, and more. This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 1…

This week, we welcome special guest Tony Teixeira from Tex Amps onto the show! http://texamps.com We frequently get questions about Filmosound conversions. During this episode, Tony talks to us about his process when using Filmosounds, the magic of Bernie-built amps, his own circuit designs and a lot more. This week's episode is sponsored by Calton…

It's the 93rd episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! Strain relief, stubborn Champs (and Randalls!), blanched kale with sunflower seeds, and plenty more. This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Suppor…

It's the 92nd episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! Harvesting capacitors, recommended reading, Fred Astaire and more. This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase. Support us on Patreon.com for added cont…

It's the 91st episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! We talk about the great tube shortage of 2022, blue molded caps, boutique amps, parenting tips, kale chips and more. This week's episode is sponsored by Calton Cases, Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope …

It's the 90th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! John Smith serves us a chorizo lasagna dish; we hear the demented sounds your tubes are making on their own; the answer to last week's baffler and much more. This week's episode is sponsored by Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to…

Special guest Max Hart joins Skip and Jason to talk about working with Melissa Etheridge (and Katy Perry), using vintage tube amps on the road, his pedal board and more. Plus, all the usual listener submitted questions, recipes and more. This week's episode is sponsored by Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use th…

Chokes, scalloped potatoes, Monoprice amps, phase inverters, and more! It's the 88th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps. This week's episode is sponsored by Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase and, if you head over to BED|STÜ shoes and use the …

It's the 87th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! Plenty of amp tips for newbies, some deep Ampeg talk, music recommendations, amp tips for steel guitar players, and more. This week's episode is sponsored by Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise. Some of…

It's the 86th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps featuring special guest, Joe Halliday of Hello Sailor Effects (@hellosailoreffectsofficial)! This week's episode is sponsored by Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise. Some of the topics discussed this wee…

It's the 85th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps featuring special guest, Calvin McCormick (Hiwatt, @ampfreek)! This week's episode is sponsored by Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise. Download the 2021 TAVA Cookbook here. Some of the topics discussed …

It's the 84th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! This week's episode is sponsored by Jupiter Condenser Co., Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise. Some of the topics discussed this week: 1:52: Full transcription of Ep. 83 on our Patreon (yay or nay?) 4:14 Skip's recommended g…