About this episode
Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp buying, restoration and repair. Co-hosted by the Fretboard Journal 's Jason Verlinde. Submit your guitar amp questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or by leaving us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848. Some of the topics discussed on this episode: 8:00 Cloning vintage knobs ( video link , h/t John from Australia!) 9:34 This week's sponsors: Grez Guitars , Roberto-Venn 11:01 An open call for our first live caller 13:39 Bartell guitar history ( site link ) 14:49 Skip's schedule 16:49 More Solder-gate 17:15 Single-ended, parallel twin power tube amps 21:18 WD-40 to the rescue, again 23:28 Unwanted noise from an Echoplex 32:02 Lower B-plus voltage on a Blackface Fender 37:38 Tweed Princeton with a choke vs a resistor 44:18 Speaker cable vs guitar cable (and a sad bird tale) 53:46 Skip's soup tips 56:43 The story behind the TAVA intro music 57:44 Sal Trentino and a Standel 80L15 schematic 1:05:22 Asking boutique makers for their schematics 1:10:37 Dr. Z's new Jetta amp and the story behind the 7591 power tube 1:15:25 Figuring out what's original in a 1953 Fender Tweed Deluxe (5B3) 1:18:14 How noticeable are bad caps? 1:26:06 A solid state Peavey Firebass 700 that won't stop power cycling 1:29:00 An AmpRX BrownBox for a Brownface Deluxe 1:31:57 Skip's picks: Treme ; Aretha Franklin's Amazing Grace ; Harlan County, USA ; The House That Trane Built ; the Recordium on YouTube; "Wherever You Go" by Skip Mahoney 1:37:00 Cheap Amazon variacs 1:39:41 Mystery tubes in a 1960 Lafayette tape deck 1:44:16 Putting the 5U4GB back into a 1969 Fender Princeton 1:51:29 Cooling off an amp that runs hot PS: The reason Jason is preoccupied: https://www.myballard.com/2019/10/07/2-alarm-fire-on-market-st/