Podcast Summary: The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons, Ep. 158

Title: "Not Just Living in Their Mom's Basement"
Date: December 24, 2025
Host: The Fretboard Journal
Guests: Chris Benson (Benson Amps), Brian Sowers (Sour Sound Transformers), Skip Simmons

Episode Overview

In this lively and information-rich episode, host Jason Verlinde, amp repair legend Skip Simmons, and guests Chris Benson (Benson Amplifiers) and Brian Sowers (Sour Sound Transformers) dive deep into the world of boutique amplifier and transformer creation. Center stage is the audacious, soon-to-be-unveiled 700-watt, 14-KT88 tube “Babylon” amp—a supercollaboration between Benson and Sour Sound. They discuss the technical, practical, and business realities of scaling up amp manufacturing in today’s challenging environment, share hard-earned wisdom, and delight in the sheer absurdity (and glory) of pushing analog technology to new extremes.
Tone: Enthusiastic, technical, irreverent, and candid; filled with admiration for creativity and entrepreneurship.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Portland’s Amp Powerhouses Collab

• Context: Chris Benson and Brian Sowers, both based in Portland, are repeat guests and "most cherished" contributors to the podcast ([01:01]).
• Business Updates:
  • Sour Sound has grown with more employees, increased transformer models (from 18 online to ~250 SKUs), and new clients—including the “new” Dumble company ([05:43]).
  • Benson Amps has expanded to 19 direct employees, with another 10 relying on them indirectly, marking significant company growth ([17:58]).

2. Transforming Tube Amp Technology

• Recent Innovations:
  • Brian discusses custom high-temperature condenser wax for Vox-style transformer impregnation ([06:30]).
  • Materials shortages and tariffs present big challenges: minimum steel order quantities have grown, making it harder for small companies ([12:36], [15:42]).
  • Most Sour Sound parts are American-made, with only minor dependency on foreign wire and steel ([15:42]).

3. The Babylon Project: 700 Watt Tube Behemoth

• Conception & Rationale:
  • A “joke” 700-watt amp with 14 KT88 output tubes—originated as a wild idea during a drive, turned real when a customer placed an order ([19:30]).
  • Both describe it as a “dream” and an “expensive joke” but take immense pride in making it reality ([22:16]).
• Technical Details:
  • Mono, 3-knob, 14x KT88, massive custom transformer (72 lbs of iron!), interstage transformer as phase inverter ([23:02], [26:11], [27:02]).
  • Design Philosophy: Unrestricted, “pure current amplifier” approach, no transmitting tubes (“screw that, that’s dangerous”—Brian, [23:18]).
  • Can run off standard wall voltages (15A circuit), intentionally not maxing out to 1,000W to avoid requiring special power ([33:04]).
  • Protections: Circuit board controls only tube protection and bias; rest is handwired (“point-to-point terminal strip, handwired”—Chris, [39:05]).
• Speaker Array & Use Cases:
  • Accompanies custom 4x12 and three vertical 2x12 cabs per side = 16 speakers ([31:18]).
  • Debuting at the Wood Wire Volts show, January 2026 in Anaheim, CA ([41:11], [55:28]).
  • Potential users floated: J Mascis (“Jesus, sick.” — the reply to a demo invite, [62:38]), Weird Al, Bill Frisell’s pedal steel player ([63:11], [63:20]).

Memorable Quote

“It’s an expensive joke no matter what… it's not a joke. I shouldn't say that, but it's kind of a joke. It's a dream that we're going to realize, but, yeah, very costly one.”
— Brian Sowers ([22:16])

Specs & Design Q&A (Selected Highlights)

• Knobs? “3.” — Chris ([22:51])
• Size/Weight? “Total iron weight is 72 pounds.” — Brian ([27:02])
• Output transformer size? As large as a foot square ([27:01]).
• Speaker count? 16, in a "wall of sound" configuration ([32:12]).
• Fusing? Estimated total draw close to a full household 15A circuit ([33:04]).
• Preamp section? Based on Benson’s Chimera circuit ([35:07]).
• KT88 source? JJ tubes, closely matched, supplied by Eurotubes ([39:36]).

More Notable Quotes

“We called Brian the bomb killer, the bill of materials killer. He will just throw it all at the wall. And then I have to make it.”
— Chris ([29:48])

“...it is such a monster. I just... there's just so many things floating through my head about how crazy this project is.”
— Brian ([40:48])

“We were going to call it the Hubris, but I think we settled on Babylon… Benson Babylon.”
— Chris ([61:32])

4. The Practical and Entrepreneurial Side

• Company Growth & Culture:

  • Chris reflects on hiring, training, and managing at scale—moving from a “pirate ship” to organized divisions ([48:34]).
  • Few employees start with amp-building experience—training is in-house ([47:28], [48:24]).
  • Both express awe at having become bosses not by intent, but necessity (“I thought I was going to be wiring out some of my underwear in my garage for the rest of my life.” — Chris, [54:33]).

• Custom Transformer Requests:

  • Brian fields constant oddball requests, but must balance feasibility, personal standards, and education of clients ([50:21]).
  • Quotes:

  “...it has to be the Sour Sound. I had to do it.” — Brian ([50:42])

5. The Future and Takeaways

• Pedals and Pro Audio:
  • Benson is releasing the new Redland amp in early 2026 and developing tube preamps and compressors for studio use—collaborating with Sour Sound on the pro audio side ([45:14], [46:07]).
  • Pedal releases come and go, described as “tonal GI Joes” ([46:37]).
• Can lessons from Babylon be applied to smaller amps?

  “I'm going to say no.” — Chris ([42:57])

  • Only minor things like current limiting may filter down; Babylon is truly its own beast ([43:26]).

Notable Moments & Quotes with Timestamps

• Sour Sound’s Growth & Dumble Transformers:

  “We developed a lot of the new stuff for the new Dumble company…” — Brian ([05:43])

• Material Sourcing Headaches:

  “I had to order about 650 pounds. Now I've got to order close to 1200.” — Brian ([12:36])

• Babylon’s Conception:

  “I called Brian with this idea. I think maybe a year ago. I was just driving around thinking of funny things we could do with our businesses, and I was like, oh, I bet Brian could actually make me these transformers…” — Chris ([19:30])

• On Technical Safety:

  “…when you cross an 800 volt, you know, approximate threshold, so many things change. I mean, we already have to sleeve a lot of wiring… but creepage distances become, you know, life or death…” — Brian ([23:20])

• Life as a Boss:

  “Like, I never wanted to be a boss or have a bunch of employees. I thought I was going to be wiring out some of my underwear in my garage for the rest of my life.” — Chris ([54:33])

• On “Practice Amp” Irony:

  “Benson Babylon. The practice amp you didn't know you needed, but absolutely.” — Jason ([61:44])

• User Candidate’s Classic Response:

  “We were trying to get J Mascis but I, I texted him about it and he wrote back ‘Jesus, sick.’ But then no other information, so I don't know what that means.” — Chris ([62:38])

Important Segments & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|----------------------------------------------------| | 02:09-05:01 | Skip and Brian discuss custom Champion amp & transformers | | 05:43-07:40 | Brian: Sour Sound nearly quadrupling model output, Vox wax, Dumble collaboration | | 12:21-15:19| Materials/tariff problem deep dive | | 17:58-18:56 | Benson’s team size & company growth | | 19:30-22:44 | Conception and technical challenge of the “Babylon” amp | | 23:02-28:06 | Deep dive: design/tech questions about Babylon | | 31:18-32:42 | The “wall of cabinets”: speaker configuration | | 35:07-36:16 | Preamp design (Benson Chimera section) | | 39:05-40:47 | Point-to-point assembly and protection circuit | | 45:14-46:37 | New amp model (Redland), pro audio projects | | 47:28-48:24 | Finding/hiring/training amp builders | | 50:21-52:55 | Custom transformer requests & Brian’s design philosophy | | 61:32-61:44 | Naming the Babylon amp | | 62:38-63:20 | Celebrity users: J Mascis, Weird Al |

Closing Thoughts

The episode is a rollicking, nerdy celebration of pushing boundaries in amplifier design and boutique manufacturing. Chris Benson and Brian Sowers embody the spirit of relentless curiosity and risk, uniting technical mastery with business grit. Their 700-watt “Babylon” amp stands not just as a technical marvel, but as a symbol of the audacity and passion shared by creators who "aren’t just living in their mom's basement."

Final Word:

“You guys built it because you can. And so some, some lucky people will get to see the end result of some fired up loonies. Gotta love it.”
— Skip ([61:58])

Listen for:

• A master class in going beyond vintage amp cloning, with real-time engineering banter
• True tales of the modern American boutique amp/transformer business
• Wild stories: building a “practice amp” that could light the atmosphere on fire!

[For more from these guests, check out the “Amplified Nonsense” podcast—mostly “fart jokes and irrelevant information” ([65:01]).]