About this episode
Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on tube amp buying, restoration and repair. Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal 's Jason Verlinde. Special thanks to our sponsors: Mono Cases and Grez Guitars . Submit your guitar amp questions to Skip here: fretboardjournal@gmail.com or by leaving us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. Some of the topics discussed on this episode: 2:05 Skip works on a barn-find 1960 Fender Tweed Bassman 6:10 Parenting tips – get a riding lawn mower 7:50 Jason confesses to Skip that he got a Stew-Mac Champ kit; DIY amp tips 12:33 Skip's music picks 16:05 Building a tube stereo amp (Dynaco Stereo 70, for music playback) versus a guitar amp 19:39 A synth repairman gets a contact high thanks to LSD residue 20:33 Disgusting things found in old amplifiers 21:16 Last week's Baffler (a noisy Princeton Reverb, listen to episode 11) responses and answer 27:37 This week's Baffler (view the image on our new Instagram page): What is the thing used for? 28:45 A listener in a hurry fixes his Les Paul thanks to Skip's tube amp advice 30:34 Preserving (sloppy) originality on a CBS-era Fender or making it better than original 35:13 A non-reverb Silverface Fender Princeton with a weak vibrato 40:48 A reissue '63 Fender Vibroverb that needs more clean headroom 45:42 How do amp circuits get named? 47:40 Cleaning vintage pots 49:49: An '80s Tusc amp with EQ 51:06 What to do with a '70s Silverface Champ with no maintenance history 54:14 A '66 Ampeg Reverberocket with an unusual distortion sound 1:01:18 A '69 Fender Bassman with both fixed and cathode bias 1:05:20 Rebuilding an amp found in a Hammond M-3 organ and melted wax on power transformers 1:07:52 A glimpse at the Fender Musicmaster Bass amps 1:11:40 Differences between an amp schematic and layout 1:13:24 A bargain Ampeg cabinet with four Altec 417 speakers 1:15:28 Sleeper pedal steel amp recommendations 1:17:00 An '80s Mesa Boogie SOB amp with a red-plating 6L6BC tube 1:20:01 Alternatives to the 6C10 tube on a '82 Fender Super Champ 1:22:40 Negative feedback: What is it? Adjusting it. 1:29:21 A 1963 Gibson Discoverer Tremolo (GA-8T) amp with too much treble 1:32:01 Skip's brief tutorial on speaker efficiency