It’s the 112th installment of The Truth About Vintage Amps, in which legendary amp tech Skip Simmons answers your questions about guitar amps and repairs.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
7:42 David Lindely on Dumble: Audio interview on our Patreon (link)
8:07 Greetings to August from Otis Amps
8:46 Rancho Gordo Beans, Redux (Link), Herdez Salsa Casera, Juantonio’s Chips
11:42 What’s on Skip’s workbench: A Stromberg PA head; a 1910 Hammond multiplex typewriter
16:39 More on David Lindley
19:31 A muted tweed bass man with hissing in V2 tests test equipment; a brownface deluxe at the flea market
27:15 What is the difference between Silverface ’60s Fender Pro Reverbs (drip edge or not); the cars; the Pro Reverb is the beginning of the “lumber truck” status
33:53 amps using 2A3/6A3 triodes as power tubes
40:01 ChatGPT wrote a poem about TAVA
43:11 Rob Robinette’s recommendation to put a 1N4007 diode in series after the AC high voltage secondary and the rectifier tube plate; “Junior Bonner” with Steve McQueen; Better call Saul; Hollywood gossip
47:49 Light up your workbench, a dedicated filter circuit for testing amps?
50:39 waking up amps that haven’t been used for a long time; first use of multimeters; Inconsistencies in the volt reading on a Variac
56:12 Does a variac offer the same surge protection as an isolation transformer?, the Silvertone 1485 circuit, Hillbilly Rueben’s recipe
1:02:52 hearing Skip’s voice in your head while you go about your job; a 1940’s Navy sound system with a Dynamotor
1:06:15 Fixing the crack in a 1972 Fender Deluxe reverb box, troubleshooting dropped amps, index pins
1:13:13 The sound of octal tubes; the Baxandall EQ circuit explained; Why did my Ampeg start smoking with a pungent odor when turned on?
1:17:38 A Fender Hotrod Blues Deluxe muted until it warms up for 30 seconds, input jacks
1:22 Kenny Burrell’s ‘Soulero’, a 2006 Fender Tweed Twin (no reverb) with intermittent drop in volume
1:28:46 Balancing family life with amp projects, Redux
Recorded March 15, 2023.
Hosted by Amp-Tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Fretboard Journal’s Jason Verlinde.
This week’s episode is sponsored by Stringjoy Strings, Amplified Parts and Grez Guitars. You can also use discount code FRET10 to save 10% on your Izotope purchase.
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The Truth About Vintage Amps is hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons. Co-hosted and produced by the fretboard journal’is Jason Verlinde.
Above and below: Larry Chung’s 2A3-powered Automatic Sound Systems Power Amplifier: 57 pentodes into a 56 triode driver into an interstage phase inverter into a pair of RCA dual plate 2A3s, 5Z3 rectifiers, about 8-10 watts.