The Truth About Vintage Amps, Ep. 145

Episode 145 of the Truth About Vintage Amps: Kahlua brie, replicating Nirvana’s In Utero sound, hissy reverb units and more!

Thanks, as always, for being a part of the world’s finest call-in tube amp repair show.

Want amp tech Skip Simmons’ advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too.

Some of the topics discussed this week: 

1:17 Skip makes even more stuff for John Vanderslice & Tiny Telephone; Skip’s take on the MTI Tubes pedal

8:18 Skip’s Premier 90-inspired reverb unit

15:20 Our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts! Get the Amplified Parts’ Spring Reverb Kit here.

19:06 What’s on your bench: A Fender Deluxe and Pro; how to work on old Tweeds; orange drop caps

26:20 The Joyo American Sound pedal, redux; SansAmp pedals; Kurt Cobain’s ‘In Utero’ sound (hear listener Brian play the Joyo on YouTube)

27:27 Vintage amps and PAs at the 2025 Fretboard Summit (register here)

28:32 Adding a resistor to bump up the values when measuring on a Fluke multimeter?

31:49 Using a carb cleaning kit for octal sockets (Amazon link); working on Filmosound 385s

34:19 Skip’s car restoration; the Swamp book (Amazon link); Benny Hill

40:20 No delete on typewriters; Mitch Hedberg and steamboats (YouTube link)

41:37 A 1965 Ampeg Reverberocket with a hiss

45:21 Skip made the ticking go away; a 5F2A build inspired me to buy a 1961 Fender 6G4-A Super; Kahlua brie with pecans

54:02 A noisy 1970s tube Fender Reverb unit, the magic of NOS pre-amp tubes in single-ended amps

59:02 To be continued: What’s the deal with this amp cabinet on Reverb? (Reverb link)

1:01:00 The Garnet amp book (link), the Gibson Amp book on Blue Book’s site (cheaper than Amazon!), Gibson Falcon talk, the doldrums of being a flight service specialist (or drawbridge operator)

1:10:21 Recommended reading (at least for the Canucks): Robert Dayton’s ‘Cold Glitter: The Untold Story of Canadian Glam’ (Amazon link)

1:13:15 A Rockford Files baffler

1:14:12 Why do the English have all the better TV shows? ‘Stath Lets Flats’

1:17:33 Sacramento’s Delta Breeze Records; Skip has SF Fender Champs for sale

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

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Above pic: Listener Brian’s PA stash, which he’ll be bringing to our Truth About Vintage Amps room at the 2025 Fretboard Summit.