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The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons


Nov 27, 2019

A back-to-basics episode: No special guests, no recipes. Once again, Skip Simmons is fielding guitar tube amp questions from around the world. Submit your questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or by leaving us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

* SUPPORT TAVA & ANGELA INSTRUMENTS*
Order a PDF download of Steve Melkisethian's tweed Princeton amp project here

Some of the topics discussed on this episode:

9:49: This week’s sponsor: Grez Guitars (link)

10:35 The Fretboard Journal’s Electric Guitar Annual, Vol. 2 (pre-order here)

11:56 The TAVA First Year anniversary celebration: Win a Tweed Champ kit from Stew-Mac (Instagram link) !!!

15:26 Who wants to order a TAVA hat like this one? Email us…

18:36 Skip on our Angela catalog reprint

24:36 Transformer 101  

35:35 Amps for harp players

43:26 Building your first bass amp

51:54 Using an ART tube pre-amp in front of a guitar amp

55:18 A Traynor YBA-1 Bass-Master with a sensitive master volume

59:18 British vs. American amp tone

1:04:22 Another listener recommended amp tech: Tyler at Boss Organ in Somerville, Mass.

1:10:11 DeArmond amps

1:16:57 Bringing a Gibson EH-150 back to life

1:22:34 Kenny Burrell’s Midnight Blue

1:24:17 Craig Korth on the Fretboard Journal Podcast and the Ray Butts EchoSonic amp (link

1:25:58 Salvaging stuff from a dead RCA film projector for a Princeton Reverb clone

1:34:32 A 1972 Fender Super Reverb with a weak tremolo; plus, what is an opto-coupler? 

1:41:54 Trying different tubes on a Music Man Sixty-Five Reverb

1:48:35 KTNN: The Voice of the Navajo Nation

Like the show? Share it with your friends, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and stay tuned for next month, when we unveil even more surprises for our one year anniversary.