It’s the 117th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where legendary amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on guitar amps and their repair!
Want to be a part of the show? Keep the amp questions for Skip coming to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Voice memos or emails are welcome. And don’t forget we now have a Patreon.
This week’s sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Stringjoy Strings (use the code FRETBOARD to save off your first string order), Amplified Parts, and Grez Guitars.
This week’s topics:
1:18 Jason goes to NYC (and Montana)
4:43 Special thanks: Listener Doug, QSL cards, Micah
9:18 Skip’s movie, music and book picks of the week: ‘Little Miss Sunshine,’ an Arhoolie Records box set (link), “A Hero’s Death” by Fontaines D.C., “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” by Eminem; ‘Fire in Sierra Nevada Forests’ by George E. Gruell
16:34 The amps Skip has seen the most often and why
21:51 When to NOT just service it first, should I gut this Stromberg Carlson AU-42? Daniel Romano; Premier Amps
29:45 Can I actually use the AC outlet on the back of my vintage Fender?
32:43 Extending the leads on a Mojotone Tweed Princeton kit, what are turret boards made of?
38:08 Do I need to replace all the resistors on my 1953 Gibson GA-20?
42:52 Coupling cap orientation, redux
44:30 Sourcing a parts kit for vintage amp servicing
51:17 John Vanderslice visits Skip, Gibson resistors again
54:02 Using the vintage speakers found in the walls of my midcentury modern home’s intercom system
59:06 Hope for the Fender Musicmaster bass amp, GSS Speaker Repair Services in Los Angeles
1:05:50 Plate voltage versus screen voltage on a power tube; @thevalvinist on Instagram; a Hohner / Sano combo amp for sale; the 2023 Fretboard Summit (link)
1:14:14 Modding the tone control on a Silvertone 1482, using a tip ring sleeve jack to bypass a cap
1:22:40 Fat Tire Amber beer
Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.
Support us on Patreon.com for added content and the occasional surprise and don’t forget to get a subscription to the Fretboard Journal (link). Digital subscriptions start at just $30.
Submit your amp questions, recipes, and life hacks to podcast@fretboardjournal.com and don’t forget to share the show with friends on social media.
Photo: A 1965/1966 Fender Deluxe Reverb for sale via our newest sponsor, Emerald City Guitars. Go ahead, use the AC outlet.
