The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp repair, restoration and collecting. Often hilarious and always insightful, it's like no other guitar podcast out there.
Episodes
It's the 150th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! How did that happen?
Thanks, as always, for being a part of the world's finest call-in tube amp repair show.
Want amp tech Skip Simmons' advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
Support our sponsors: Amplified Parts; Grez Guitars; Better Help, and Emerald City Guitars!
Acclaimed guitarist Jim Campilongo joins Skip and Jason to talk about his music and gear journey, vinyl treasures, George Barnes playing "Little Rock Getaway" (link), Vance Terry & Jimmy Rivers, Silverface Princeton Reverb love; Celestion G-10 speakers; Laika and the Cosmonauts; and so much more. Plus frozen meatballs!
Follow Jim Campilong...
We're back with episode 148 of the Truth About Vintage Amps: Jason survives a month in Peru; the schematics of acupuncture; speaker break-in; and more!
Our sponsors: Amplified Parts; Grez Guitars; Better Help, and Emerald City Guitars
Topics discussed:
:00 Jason goes to Peru, Skip gets the new Fretboard Journal
11:20 What’s on Skip’s Bench: A roasted Tweed Harvard
1...
Episode 147 of the Truth About Vintage Amps: Jason is headed to Peru, hemp speakers, resistors, modding PAs for harps, Lilly vs Lily at the Fender factory, kosher sound, and more!
Fluidics: https://acoustics.org/pressroom/httpdocs/132nd/2aaa8.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawJ5wZRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETA4eUxOc0djNTJqWnJRVVBTAR7SSMwDpCna1oRbSpuMLYDJrD1VRKzf8vbj3V6WOi3icH6LldxBvnOYopsKzw_aem_I4XGzFLTK-gXim_txcL4ig
Episode 146 of the Truth About Vintage Amps: Troubled drummers, bulk Gatorade, more typewriter and Rockford Files talk, and a bunch of amp questions. Reminder: Amplified Parts now has amp kits!
Thanks, as always, for being a part of the world's finest call-in tube amp repair show.
Want amp tech Skip Simmons' advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.c...
Episode 145 of the Truth About Vintage Amps: Kahlua brie, replicating Nirvana's In Utero sound, hissy reverb units and more!
Thanks, as always, for being a part of the world's finest call-in tube amp repair show.
Want amp tech Skip Simmons' advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
1...
Episode 144 of the Truth About Vintage Amps: Flashing Flukes, reflections on NAMM, variable plate capacitors, hot buttered rum (and popcorn!), and more!
Need some help with your tube amps? Be a part of our show by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com!
Some of the topics discussed this week:
1:13 Jason goes to the NAMM Show, the Dumble relaunch (watch our Instagram video here); Grit Laskin...
A throwback, lo-fi landline episode just for the purists! Caller waiting beeps, the state of the guitar show, an energized Skip, and more.
Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com.
Recorded on January 13, 2025.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
1:31: The LA fires
3:34: A recap of the Bay Area Vintage Guitar Show; are guitar shows just for eating now? estuaries and...
It's the 142nd episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! Join Skip and Jason as they field all of your pressing guitar amp questions. Plus...recipes, music and book recommendations and more!
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:
:00 Jingle Bell Rock and other Christmas classics
1:14 Our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Gu...
Missing your rambling relatives this holiday season? You're in luck! Tune in to Jason and Skip as they ramble through weather reports, amp fixes, book recommendations, reflective impedance, reverb-driven line-out and more on our 141st episode!
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:
:48 Weather report: Rain in the West, bomb cycl...
It's the 140th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons eventually fields your questions on all-things-tube amps!
As always, use all advice at your own risk.
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:
2:35 What's on Skip's Bench: A modified ES-150 Charli...
It's the 139th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amps!
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:
:48 On the bench: A 1974 Alembic pre-amp, a Showman head in disguise
3:58 Webb's Music and a hang gliding pi...
It's the 138th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amps!
This week, we pay tribute to Angela Instruments founder and former guest Steve Melkisethian (1950-2024); talk resistors and transformers; catch up on the 2024 Fretboard Summit; and much more.
It's the 137th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amps! This week, we talk to special guest, Steve Carr of Carr Amplifiers!
Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com.
Our sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, StewMac,...
It's the 136th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amps!
Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com.
Our sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, StewMac, and Grez Guitars.
Don't forget, we have a Patr...
It's the 135th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amps.
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 time around:
1:24 Another hopeful story; Winters, California
It's the 134th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amp.
This week, we're joined by jazz guitarist Jonathan Stout where we talk EH-150s, field coil speakers and more!
Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com.
Some of the topics...
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 the loose in Washing...
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: Valco amps with a resi...
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 Economy (Instagram); le...
Popular Podcasts
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S. centering Latino stories, hosted by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Maria Hinojosa Every week, the Peabody winning team brings you revealing, in-depth stories about what’s in the hearts and minds of Latinos and their impact on the world. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus