Podcast Summary: The Truth About Vintage Amps – Ep. 153, "A C in Chemistry"

Date: September 18, 2025
Host: The Fretboard Journal
Guest/Co-host: Skip Simmons
Summary prepared for: Listeners seeking detailed insights, memorable moments, and a natural yet technical recap.

Episode Overview

In this highly engaging episode, guitar amp expert Skip Simmons and the Fretboard Journal team bring a blend of in-depth technical discussion and entertaining anecdotes. They recount recent events in the vintage guitar community, field listener questions on tube amp repairs, and dive deep into the nuances of circuit design, amp restoration, and even food preservation. The episode lives up to its reputation as both hilariously offbeat and informative, making it essential listening for amp nerds, musicians, and tinkerers alike.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fretboard Journal Summit Debrief

• 00:25–06:30
  Discussion opens with reflections on the recent Fretboard Journal Summit, touching on fun community events (Pinewood Derby, amp potluck room), memorable personalities (Chris Benson, Eli from Two Rock), and the spirit of camaraderie in the vintage guitar community.

Quote:
"It was a love fest...everybody was just kind of relaxed and we had a Pinewood Derby. Shout out to Henriksen Amplifiers who put an amp on their Pinewood Derby car." – B (01:47)

2. Losing & Tracking Gear + The Importance of Serial Numbers

• 03:00–05:00
  Skip shares a story exemplifying why tracking serial numbers is crucial in amp repair and collection, referencing a client's panic when he thought his Vibro Verb had been swapped.

Quote:
"I finally sent him home, and he called an hour or two later...He read the serial number...yes, it was his amp." – A (04:29)

3. Sponsors, Shoutouts, and Food Preservation

• 06:30–10:15
  Sponsors are acknowledged, but the standout moment is a tangent on freezing ripe fruit for later use, including food tips best suited for roughing life or gigging on the road.

Pro Tip:
"Cut [papaya] up, put it on a cookie sheet...Now in three months, you can open up one of those bags and just take out a couple chunks..." – A (07:07)

4. Questions from Pros & Amp Industry Anecdotes

• 10:29–14:11
  Skip notes the surprising number of pro techs who ask for advice, illustrating how knowledge gaps persist even in amp companies.

Quote:
"This was like a real amp company that has a website...one of their employees didn't know how to fix their own amps." – B (12:27)

5. Skip’s Repair Log: Rare Gibsons, Valco Amps, and Schematic Talk

• 14:25–23:28
  Discussion on rare amps, including Gibson Maestro reverb units with unusual designs, and comparisons between small amp schematics (Champ with reverb/trem vs. classic Fender).

Technical Insight:

• Small Valco-made amps with features absent from Fender’s lineup offer a playground for modders and DOY techs.
• Introduction to combining oddball tubes and circuits for custom builds.

6. Amp Building with Uncommon Tubes & Salvaged Parts

• 19:47–22:07
  Encouragement for experienced builders to experiment with unique tubes, even those designed for non-musical uses (e.g., underwater cables, TV picture tubes).

Quote:
"A free thinker could make that [strange tube] do something...Just because you found some crazy-ass tube." – A (20:09)

7. Personal History: The “C in Chemistry”

• 25:49–30:15
  A moving personal tale: Skip reflects on how flunking chemistry (and missing choir practice) may have saved his life when a tragic bus crash killed most of his classmates.

Quote:
"At the time, you’re really resilient, and you’re just a kid, and you’re just like, yeah, yeah...But now that I’m older, I just go, whoa." – A (28:42)

8. Musical Recommendations and Choir Geekery

• 29:14–30:42
  Odes to the thrill of choir music and gospel arrangements, especially Edwin and Walter Hawkins.

Listener Q&A and Technical Deep Dives

Output Transformer Impedance: How and Why

• 42:21–47:25 ([42:21]) Listener Maynard asks about calculating and matching output transformer impedance. Skip demystifies the topic and explains why “there are no hard-and-fast rules,” with practical insights and pitfalls.

Quote:
"You can make up your own kind of basics...Most little single ended amps, about 5K. Bigger amps get down to 2K. But I wouldn’t deliberately mess with the secondary just because I didn’t have the right primary." – A (43:32)

Cleaning Tweed – Do’s and Don’ts

• 48:02–49:46 ([48:02]) Skip dissuades listeners from aggressive cleaning of tweed amps, warning that attempts usually worsen the wear and value.

Quote:
"You can’t clean a tweed amp other than maybe just a little rag with some spit on it...Value wise, no one cares if the tweed’s dirty." – A (48:02)

Magnetone Tremolo Varistors & Listener Detours

• 49:59–56:28 ([49:59]) Responding to Sam’s voice memo about unavailable varistors in a Magnetone tremolo, Skip bluntly concludes that the problem lies elsewhere and shares advice for troubleshooting.

Quote:
"It’s not the varistors. It’s that you don’t know what you’re doing. So don’t replace the varistors. Learn more about how it works." – A (55:49)

Boutique Amps in Vintage Clothing: Buyer Beware

• 56:53–59:47
  Story: someone buys a "Gibson GA20" from Guitar Center, only to find it’s a gutted chassis with a modern circuit inside.

Quote:
"Caveat emptor—at a place like that you’re not going to know…they’re not going to say, this is like a cool boutique amp built in this old cab." – A (58:43)

Attenuators, Power Scaling, and Solid-State Tube Replacements

• 81:20–84:17
  Peter asks about modern solid-state replacements for tubes ("Octal" from Verellen Devices) and how power scaling works in amps like the Benson Monarch Reverb.

Quote:
"What’s the goal? Why do you want a solid-state tube for $150 each?...Don’t believe the hype till all these cool people that are musicians and know a lot love it." – A (82:47, 83:46)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Tangents (with Timestamps)

• On being asked for endless advice:
  “At some point… pretty soon they’re on like the eighth email in the last couple days, and I gotta head that up with like a round turn.” – A (13:21)

• On experimenting with rare parts:
  “You just have to find out what it is, figure out how to heat it up and get it to work. Most every… a lot of strange tubes could do that.” – A (20:05)

• On choir, music, and close shaves with fate:
  “If you hadn’t forgot your keys, that guy would have T-boned you at the intersection and you’d be dead, right?” – A (28:42)

• Classic Skip on DIY culture:
  “Did you grow those tomatoes or did you buy them from a can? …There has to be a difference in components or any fool could build a 5E3 that sounds like a real one and any fool can’t. I can’t.” – A (75:01)

• Community spirit, rustic kegger stories:
  “It was humbling to be heard and supported by strangers—now friends—who share a common interest… a heartfelt thanks to the Rustic Kegger in the Woods group.” – Listener Nick (62:30)

Fun & Offbeat Segments

• Food tips: Flash-frozen fruit, scratch Hostess pies, and the virtues of Coleman’s Hot Mustard in coleslaw (31:05, 31:30).
• Motorcycle talk: The fate of a classic Honda Scrambler handed down between hosts.
• Antique Whistles and Trap Drummer Novelties: A digression into rare musical effects devices from early 20th-century drum kits (32:01–34:20).
• Local California Color: Skip’s knowledge of NorCal towns (North San Juan, Marysville, Malakoff Diggins); quirky local museums, and what it’s like living in a tight-knit rural community (51:26, 92:45).

Music and Book Recommendations

• Gospel and Choir Essentials:
  – Edwin Hawkins’s "Oh Happy Day"
  – Walter Hawkins’s "Going Up Yonder" (29:14–30:42)

• Obscure RCA Reading:
  – RC30 Tube Manual, highly recommended for amp builders and learners (88:15–89:53).

• Vintage Swing:
  – Noel Boggs and His Day Sleepers, "Steelin Home"
  – Texas Alexander & Lonnie Johnson’s "Crossroads" (85:10–86:15)

Community, Projects, and Listener Shoutouts

• Amp Techs Across the World: From Brazil’s Raphael to Michigan and Alaska, evidence of a vibrant global DIY scene.
• Facebook Group “A Rustic Kegger in the Woods” as a resource for peer-to-peer aid, amp pickups, and positivity.

Time-Stamped Key Segments

• 00:25 – Fretboard Summit Recap
• 05:09 – New Faces and Backline Providers
• 10:29 – Pro Techs Writing In ("Kind of fun")
• 14:25 – What’s On Skip’s Bench: Standel Era, Rare Maestros
• 22:32 – Building With Odd Tubes, Salvaged Parts Philosophy
• 25:49 – "A C in Chemistry" Story
• 42:21 – Output Transformer Impedance Q&A
• 48:02 – On Cleaning Tweed Amps
• 49:59 – Magnetone Varistors Q&A
• 81:20 – Attenuators/Octal Solid-State Tube Discussion
• 85:10–86:15 – Music Recommendations and Local Radio

Closing Notes & Takeaways

• Keep Projects Fun: Whether rehabbing a barn or resurrecting a 305 Scrambler, pace yourself—Skip endorses letting projects “marinate” (93:20).
• Respect the Oddball: Unique circuits, unconventional parts, and odd tubes can lead to truly distinctive gear.
• DIY With Care: Use what you have, take your time, and appreciate craftsmanship.
• Amp Community Rocks: Don’t underestimate the generosity and resourcefulness of the antlered herd—sometimes, small acts are the most meaningful.

Final Words

"I never do anything for the podcast except do it… Maybe elevate the tension from like 1 to maybe 2.2." – A (90:15)

This episode is a microcosm of what makes the show special: deep expertise, love for discovery, quirky storytelling, and a reminder that the journey is as important as the destination—whether you’re fixing amps, playing music, or just figuring out how not to screw up a tweed.