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.

The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons is a music podcast hosted by The Fretboard Journal, with 173 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

The Fretboard Journal hosts The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons, a music show with 173 episodes published.

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  Episode #169

  Ep. 169: "They Always Went to Carl's Jr."

  Aug 14, 20261h 44m

  It's the 169th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields all of your tube amp and life questions. This week, returning guest Steve Soest joins us for a chat about the vintage days of vintage guitar buying; playing alongside Chuck Berry and Dick Dale; Leo Fender's dining habits; and more. Thank you to our sponsors: Grez Guitars ; Emerald City Guitars ; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics . Some of the topics discussed this week: :55 What's on Skip's Bench: A messed-up Masco MA-17 4:06 Special guest: Guitar and amp legend Steve Soest (Soest Guitars)! A meeting of the amp minds, Danelectro tales, Standel heads, David Lindley, G&L, consulting for Fender, Dick Dale tales, and so much more! 1:16:25 A possessed Ampeg, redux 1:18:26 Skip's Disney picks 1:20:57 The Tone Quest Report 1:22:58 Woodinville in the WSJ 1:24:43 Gain knob/master volume 101, cleaning Tolex 1:34:02 Hollywood Bob's Bandmaster 1:39:40 A fire near Skip's!? Want to be a part of the show? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com ! Include a photo, too. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.

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  Episode #167

  Ep. 167: "Little Baby Barbells"

  Jun 25, 20261h 9m

  It's the 167th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields all of your tube amp and life questions. Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars ; Emerald City Guitars ; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics . Some of the topics discussed this week: :00 Skip's refrigerator dies (but lives!), taking the train to the Chicago Fretboard Summit, electronica band Chessie 10:09 The LA vintage guitar show 13:52 'The Angel's Share' movie 16:18 Our sponsors and a great 2026 Fretboard Summit amp giveaway (thanks, Andy!) 19:19 A non-tech tip: Silverface control panel amps with peeling film 21:59 What's on Skip's bench: Magnatone amps; an early Dickerson amp; using a Trace Elliot Velocette shell for a tube amp build 26:38 How long would it take Skip to build a tube amp (on a game show)? 28:31 Starting an amp repair business, redux (Ahuntsic Amplification https://amplificationahuntsic.ca/homepage-en) 32:45 Solder Smoke Absorber Remover (Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3QPSuv6 ) 36:16 Modding a Silvertone Powermaster PA for guitar, dogbone resistors, 6J7 tubes 45:21 Novak hybrid guitars; did I fry my transformer?; AI Skip; cooking with duck 53:51 What to do with my dad's 1959 Gretsch 6161 Electromatic Twin amp?; Uncle Doug on TAVA? 1:00:05 Serge Gainsbourg with a bunch of smoking kids ( https://youtu.be/unYu22Ign1E?si=VkCNtOaDbloJqh63 ) 1:01:03 Warehouse speakers for a 1976 Silverface Vibro Champ (Instagram: @cwg_guitars ) Want to be a part of the show? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com ! Include a photo, too. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.

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  Episode #166

  Ep. 166: "Seattle, Loma Rica, Amsterdam"

  Jun 11, 20261h 33m

  Before talking amps, we talk life! Longtime friend of the show John Vanderslice (Tiny Telephone) joins us to talk about moving to the Netherlands, the life of an expat, the equipment that he moved to Europe (and didn't), staying curious with your gear, and so much more. Around 50 minutes in, we get the answer to last episode's Baffler, field various questions and do the usual TAVA amp troubleshooting. Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars ; Emerald City Guitars ; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics . Some of the topics discussed this week: :00 Special guest: John Vanderslice! 50:28 Our sponsors! 51:47 What's on Skip's bench: A Supro Galaxy 1:01:19 The O.W. Appleton guitar ( link ) 1:02:33 The answer to episode 155's baffler: Two types of hum 1:07:03 The high and low power switch on a Music Man HD150 1:10:34 How can I swap the speaker on my 1949 Spiegel 79-C, pre-heating cast iron 1:14:35 Ranch Style beans, Herdez guacamole salsa, Electro-Harmonix 12AY7 mic-pre, Peavey Valverb, using an iso cabinet, using both jacks in a Princeton 1:24:37 Terry Foster at the 2026 Fretboard Summit 1:26:11 How many speakers can a Silverface Champ drive safely? Why did Fender keep changing the Princeton schematic? 1:31:13 Skip at the Fretboard Summit? Want to be a part of the show? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com ! Include a photo, too. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #165

  "There's an Ethos?"

  May 17, 20261h 38mS0

  <p>Episode 165 of the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons tackles all of your questions about guitar tube amps!  </p> <p>Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics. </p> <p>Some of the topics discussed this week:</p> <p>00 Jason and Nigel</p> <p>6:26 Our sponsors!</p> <p>10:42  A letter, two beers, some washers, and a crossroads: Follow Joe here and on Instagram</p> <p>17:10 1967 Fender Princeton Reverb project with a replaced power transformer; a shorted reverb transformer</p> <p>31:36 A baffler: Two kinds of hum </p> <p>36:16 What are "gett...

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  Episode #164

  "Kern County Wool Growers"

  Apr 24, 20261h 20mS0

  <p>Episode 164 of the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons tackles all of your questions about guitar tube amps!  </p> <p>Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics. </p> <p>Some of the topics discussed this week:</p> :37 The Garnet book and Garnet ponderings (order the book: http://www.garnetamps.com/order_b.htm), bias supply voltage in optocoupler tremolo    6:13 Our sponsors!  <br /> 8:21 Two Fretboard Journal videos to check out: Ryan Richter on playing Coachella with Dijon (YouTube link); Gabe Noel playing a Rickenbacker bakelite tenor guitar with matching amp (YouTu...

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