Ep. 138: "Check for Ticks"

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.

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Some of the topics discussed this time around:

:58 R.I.P. Nick Gravenites (Electric Flag, Mike Bloomfield)

3:08 Our sponsors: Amplified Parts, Emerald City Guitars, and Grez Guitars. (Watch Emerald City Guitars' Fretboard Summit video here.) 

5:32 The 2024 Fretboard Summit in a nutshell 

10:29 R.I.P Steve Melkisethian (Angela Instrument); read our tribute here

18:42 R.I.P. Stephen Fitzstephens, member of our Kegger Facebook group

19:18 What was Skip listening to as a kid?

22:08 Skip’s Music vintage gear headed to auction 

24:42 When to use old, mismatched resistors? 

26:39 The 2003 interview in Vacuum Tube Valley with Steve Carr (PDF link)

27:41 Removing surface rust from transformers 

30:27 A 1964 Ampeg Reverberocket that pops when you turn it off

31:10 You all need a Variac 

33:03 A pig farm mini-baffler; Papa Murphy’s in a Weber grill

36:56 Dropping the B+ with a solid state rectifier 

39:47 Flattening a Fender eyelet board, redux; how to flatten a ‘70s Fender grill cloth frame? 

42:52 Aux phono input on a tube amp; replacing plastic knobs; movie recommendation: 'As It Is In Heaven' 

46:48 An original 1963 Fender Vibroverb in the UK with a switchable voltage panel; John Kelly amps; Rainer Ptacek 

52:33 How to select an output transformer for an amp when you don’t know its specs 

1:00:55 The wrong tube in Danelectro amplifiers (12AU6 vs 12AV6)

1:04:02 What’s on Skip’s bench? An Alamo amp; kudos to Larry Chung 

1:05:43 Recommended reading: 'The Feather Thief' (Amazon link); TAVA listener and winemaker William Downie (link)

1:10:36 Using Meguiar’s Convertible Top Cleaner to clean up a Premier amp

1:11:35 A Pepco Riviera 725; Frazey Ford 

1:14:04 Posters by Serifs & Whiskey (link)

1:15:10 Blossom Valley Foods' Pepper Plant sauce (link)

1:15:37 Fixing a reverb tank by changing the transducer; Fender’s specific use of European tubes

Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Jour