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The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons


Jun 18, 2021

Episode 72 of the Truth About Vintage Amps, where amp tech Skip Simmons reminisces about cheap regional beers, smooth trailin' and Brazilian cocktails. As always, he also fields your questions on all-things-tube-amp. So keep the questions coming... 

This week's episode is sponsored by Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars

Some of the topics discussed this week: 

2:46 Sam Plecker from Pulga 

4:51 Skip's music recommendations: Jim Hall & Paul Desmond; Chuck Wayne; Kenny Burrell; Luiz Bonfa; Phil Baugh; Pat Martino

8:24 Skip's Red Foley Guitar, a Vox book giveaway

16:06 Analog Outfitters, redux

17:11 Funky tremolo on a 6SL7 Ampeg Rocket

23:44 Vingtor amps, Part Fire (that's "four" in Norweigan); East German PAs

27:45 What does the cathode follower do?

31:20 Magnatone 480 reverb fix , NPN transistors (thanks Chris at guitaramptech.com.au)

34:40 Premier 100R; Vega and Ampex amps

37:12 RIP Ned Beatty, Fat (not Short) Monroe

37:38 The magic of Kalamazoo Model 2's, Fender-style inputs

41:37 A 1970 Traynor YGM-3 with howling reverb

47:01 Why the plus in B+ voltages

50:35 Recommended reading: Allen Furst's Night Soldiers

51:50 Skip needs an horologist

53:20 WD-40, again; moisture on a Mesa Boogie PCB board

1:00:39 The Oroville McDonalds

1:03:11 A Yamaha EM-100 mixer (free), a Remington Model Five, California Typewriter

1:07:08 An in-person taping of TAVA? Jason heads to California; the Crumb Brothers from Reno

1:10:21 Booze talk: Leblon Cachaca from Brazil; caipirinhas

1:13:17 Recommended replacements for Astron caps; Mallory 150s; regional cheap beers

1:17:23 Josh Yenne's extended family?

Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde.

Support the show as a TAVA Patreon patron (yes, Skip does get the money) and get bonus episodes, in-depth articles on amp circuitry and other surprises.

Email or send us a voice memo to: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. And don't forget to share the show with friends.