Ep. 146: "Where the Spot Is"

Episode 146 of the Truth About Vintage Amps: Troubled drummers, bulk Gatorade, more typewriter and Rockford Files talk, and a bunch of amp questions. Reminder: Amplified Parts now has amp kits ! 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: :43 The Ampeg book ( Amazon link ), George Barnes and 'Guitars Galore' 3:43 A 1982 black panel Fender Champ 4:43 A Super Reverb that sounds like a dying motorcycle 6:09 Jason goes to Peru, vicuñas, alpacas 10:23 Some TAVA announcements: Sam Plecker has a new album ('So True'); congrats to John Vanderslice; RIP to Michael Hurley; thanks to Tin Can Valley Letterpress printing ( link ) 14:37 Ep. 150 idea: Skip's amp guru on the podcast?; servicing a hybrid Standel 18:24 Our sponsors: Save $20 off Amplified Parts' new MOD vintage amp kits with the discount code TAVA20! (expires April 30, 2025); Grez Guitars ; and Emerald City Guitars 25:40 Recommended pedal: The Catalinbread Topanga reverb pedal (note: Skip said "Tropicana," but it's the Topanga) 27:45 Replies to last week's Rockford Files Baffler; Jim Gordon, 'Drums & Demons' ( Amazon link ); Hal Blaine's 'Buh-doom!' comedy album (it's on Spotify) and other Hollywood gossip; more Rockford Files (and letterpress!) 35:46 Accidentally injecting positive feedback into a Precision single-ended amp; tools for measuring plate current 40:23 Cleaning motor oil off of tubes and a vintage microphone; Gatorade and Tang; running a Traynor off of a gas generator 47:37 A smoking 1980s Fender Super Champ and fried resistors 52:51 A 6-watt Princeton Reverb / Vibro-Champ clone in a custom beetle-kill pine tree cabinet 59:02 An amp cabinet with sympathetic strings ( Reverb link ), explained! Vulture Amplification video one and two ; Treehaus field coil speakers ( link ) 1:05:08 Hooking something up: Experimenting with a speaker outside of a cabinet 1:06:29 Servicing an all-original Vibrolux Reverb to sell 1:09:58 Giving the gift of an El Pato Tone practice amp (order yours here ); Typewriter Revolution; typewriter ribbons from Baco Ribbon & Supply Co. 1:18:52 Reverse audio taper potentiometers 1:22:37 Come get a free SVT speaker 1:23:13 Sacramento's Delta Breeze record store, redux; not all capacitors are created equal; always use a test speaker; Amplified Parts' Hammond enclosure for short reverb tanks 1:27:22 Recommended reading: Hampton Sides' 'The Wide Wide Sea' ( Amazon link ) 1:28:51 Homework: Check out the Maestro GA-2RT schematic Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. Don't forget, we have a Patreon page . Support the show, get behind-the-scenes updates and get to the front of the line with your questions.

You can listen to Ep. 146: "Where the Spot Is" online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Ep. 146: "Where the Spot Is" is an episode from The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons by The Fretboard Journal.

This episode is 01:30:00 long.

This episode was published on Apr 7, 2025.

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