All Episodes

June 26, 2024 96 mins

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

7:44 The fifth-ever Fretboard Summit: Blake Mills, Adam Levy, vintage amps, new amps, 80 luthiers, JHS and so much more. www.fretboardsummit.org

13:25 One of the greatest boxes of all time: thanks, Ben from Chattanooga!

15:01 Lynn Wheelwright reaches out to Skip

16:33 The very first Standel amp; Tacoma, Washington's Guitar Maniacs 

18:53  Our sponsors: Emerald City Guitars (watch the Dumble video here), Amplified Parts, StewMac, and Grez Guitars

22:10 Thank you, John Ross

23:41 Gibson's GA-45 "Velvet Touch"; Terry Dobbs (Mr. Valco) https://valcoamp.com

27:32 The answer to Ep. 134's Baffler: A Tweed Vibrolux

31:44 A Body & Soul El Pato fuzz giveaway? https://www.instagram.com/bsinstruments/

34:00 The last remaining Big Boy locomotive is moving through California; Skip's hobo days  https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm

37:26 How to satisfy your customer when only one power tube needs to be replaced? CE Distribution; pimento cheese

47:04 A 5E3 build with too much Fender "bacon;" Ken Fischer

49:51 A Rickenbacker M11 with a 60 cycle hum out of V1

57:22 VHT Special Six, redux

1:03:51 A simple cocktail: A Boyhattan; bitters

1:05:15 The history of AIMS amps; 5 ohm amps; The Mosquito Supper Club's boiled shrimp (link)

1:13:34 The pronunciation police; modding a Silver Panel Fender Champ with a Magnatone 213 tone control

1:17:11 Elemental knowledge; California-built Vox amps; Clarkson's Farm

1:25:00 Is variable input impedance worth experimenting with? Bogen guitar amps

1:29:41 Is the two-prong hat offensive? Are fixed-bias amps more touch-sensitive? the phono input in old PAs; GM/IP on tubes

1:33:15 Recommended reading: The All-Music Guide 

Recorded June 21, 2024.

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

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.

24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

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.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.