Podcast Summary: The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons

Episode 161: "Tremolo Thursday"
March 2, 2026 – The Fretboard Journal

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode dives deep into the world of vintage guitar amps, focusing on the quirks, history, and technical challenges of tremolo circuits. Skip Simmons, resident amp guru, shares project stories, takes listener questions on repair and restoration, and offers insights into amp design and tone. The episode is rich in amp geekery and good humor, with detours into Western swing history, unique guitar gear, tech advice for isolated locations, and even salsa (the food) recipes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Remembering Phil Upchurch

[00:41 - 03:13]

• Skip opens with a tribute to musician Phil Upchurch, recently passed, recalling a rare kids’ book capturing Upchurch’s early career, his family, and his days jamming in his parents’ laundry room.
• “He played on a million recordings, he wasn’t super super famous, but he played on a lot of stuff...” – Skip [00:48]
• The segment celebrates musicians’ humble roots and the breadth of Upchurch’s career.

2. Tremolo Talk & Technical Woes

[03:19 - 08:53]

• Skip talks about building a scratch-made outboard tremolo unit—a challenging circuit that still isn’t working after hours of effort.
• Explains various classic tremolo designs (bias-modulated, cathode-modulated, grid-modulated), referencing Fender Falcons, Vibro Champs, and an experiment inspired by obscure circuits.
• Tremolo unit woes: “You’d think I could make an outboard tremolo unit... that sucker just does not work at all.” – Skip [03:23]
• Historical pedals mentioned: DeArmond tremolo, a mechanical volume control effect.

3. Listener Question: Tremolo in a Bassman 100

[08:54 - 09:37]

• A listener wants to add tremolo to a Bassman 100 amp. Skip points to the Traynor YBA-1A bias-modulation circuit as inspiration.

4. Amp and Guitar Store Shoutouts & Giveaways

[09:56 - 14:24]

• Multiple sponsor promos (Amplified Parts, Grez Guitars, Emerald City Guitars).
• T-shirt Giveaway: Listeners are challenged to decode cryptic “LR” numbers (hinted to be relevant for tube amp enthusiasts).
• Explains value retention in boutique and vintage gear vs. most new purchases.

5. The Roberts Mandolin & NorCal Western Swing

[14:44 - 19:26]

• Skip tells the story of a rare “Roberts” Bigsby-style mandolin built in Yuba City in the ’70s.
• The instrument’s historical backdrop: Sacramento as a Western swing hotbed due to Bob Wills’ presence, the Will’s Point club, and stories from local legends.
• Dream idea: A budget 5-string electric mandolin in the Danelectro style.
• “It’s just ultra, ultra Bigsby. And they’re called Roberts. And I’ve never even heard of one...” – Skip [16:20]

6. Tales from the Shop: Abandoned Amps and Lax Storage

[22:09 - 24:49]

• Colorful anecdotes about old repairs left unclaimed, friends with “storage problem” gear, and amps with stories spanning decades.
• Skip’s casual approach: “About three years ago, I saw a Masco and I flipped it upside down and it was signed and I'd done it seven years ago.” – Skip [23:24]

7. Listener Question: How to Learn Amp Repair Far from Resources (Guam)

[28:16 - 35:47]

• Glenn from Guam asks how to start repairing amps in an isolated setting.
• Skip’s advice:
  • Start with basic digital meters, a Variac, and DIY mindset.
  • Begin work on personal/non-customer equipment.
  • Use Jack Darr’s “How to Fix Amplifiers” as a starting text.
  • Emphasizes learning by doing, not being overwhelmed by big books, and leveraging whatever old military or audio gear may be available.
• “Don’t be overwhelmed and think you need to have a laboratory and start today with something you own, not something you’re going to take money for fixing because you don’t know nothing.” – Skip [31:00]

8. Listener Question: Johnson “Celestian” Amp Design

[36:10 - 39:55]

• John asks about early amp circuits placing volume pots before the first tube. Skip explains:
  • This layout is cheaper and less versatile, mostly found in old/low-gain amps.
  • True preamp-first designs offer better interactivity and tone shaping.
• “It just duplicates the controls on the guitar...It’s just a lot more versatile to have the guitar go into a tube and then have volume and tone controls.” – Skip [38:50]

9. Listener Question: Best 6V6 Tubes for a Vibro Champ

[40:24 - 41:59]

• Top tube picks for tone and durability:
  1. RCA (classic but expensive)
  2. GE or Sylvania (“my favorite”)
  3. Tung-Sol, Ken-Rad (rare)
• “Don’t pass up Canadian-made tubes that say Marconi 6V6...” – Skip [40:24]
• Advice: Old tubes are often more robust for higher voltages in blackface amps.

10. Listener Question: Restoring a Super 60 with Distortion Issues

[43:29 - 48:30]

• Skip diagnoses a Fender Super 60 with unwanted distortion:
  • Speaker and preamp checks indicate the issue is in the output stage.
  • Possible causes: Underpowered tubes, phase inverter tube issues, bias problems.
  • Cautions on printed circuit board amps—harder to service, run tubes very hot.
• “You brought me that amp, I’d be going, oh my God ... I’d be pushing the limits.” – Skip [48:33]

11. Technical Deep-Dive: Super Reverb Power Transformer & Bias Switching

[51:10 - 55:34]

• Franklin in Kirkland, WA describes wiring his Super Reverb for lower and higher voltage, seeking “best of both worlds” with switchable headroom.
• Skip unpacks technical options:
  • Possible but complex to switch both B+ and bias voltages, may require custom wiring.
  • Suggests targeting a “middle ground” for bias if possible, or devising a switchable dual-bias setup (advanced).
  • General endorsement of repurposing “too powerful” vintage amps by reducing B+.
• “What a nut. But you’re our nut.” – Skip [55:32]

12. Food Break: Franklin’s Salsa Recipe

[56:03 - 57:58]

• Boil or roast tomatoes and peppers, blend with raw garlic, lime juice, salt, pepper. (See transcript for full recipe.)

13. Restoring Powerful Silverface Amps

[58:12 - 59:13]

• Skip recommends lowering B+ with aftermarket power transformers to make high-wattage amps (Twins, Pros) more usable.

14. Music & Book Recommendations

[59:19 - 60:33]

• Skip endorses Proper Records’ “Hillbilly Boogie” box set for fans of ’40s-’50s Western swing and boogie.
• Jason recommends YouTube short film “The Life We Have” for an inspiring, emotional story featuring a musician/runner.

15. Listener Voice Memo: Amp Comparisons & Buffalo Wings

[61:46 - 69:12]

• Jeff Chicatano calls in about comparing Webster Chicago and Voice of Music small combo amps (similar to Fender Harvard).
• Circuit tips: 6AV6 and 6AT6 tubes can be swapped for different gain amounts.
• Bonus: Jeff shares detailed technique for the best homemade Buffalo wings.
• Skip notes these oddball amps are tricky but rewarding projects.
• “A tip of the pizza stone to Chicatana, who leaves his pizza stone in the oven all the time...swears that’s the hot ticket.” – Skip [68:35]

16. Closing Stories: Free Sci-Fi with Every Amp

[69:12 - 70:08]

• Skip now ships vintage sci-fi mags with amp repairs—retro art and pulpy stories as fun packing material.

Notable Quotes

• “Don’t expect your first thing...to just work perfect. You think you know something, but you don’t know jack, supposedly.”
  —Skip [08:06], on the humility of learning amp repair

• “Don’t buy something that loses half the value that you paid as soon as you walk out the door... Barry’s stuff holds its value really well.”
  —Skip [13:57], on boutique/vintage guitar gear value

• “Anybody can change a resistor. It’s figuring out which resistor, that’s the thing.”
  —Skip [31:00], on the art of troubleshooting

• “If you want to select, if you want to change the actual bias supply...then you’d need another switch...Franklin, what a nut. But you’re our nut.”
  —Skip [55:18 / 55:32], in admiration of a deeply technical listener

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Phil Upchurch tribute: [00:41 – 03:13]
• Tremolo circuit woes & theory: [03:19 – 08:53]
• Listener Q: Bassman tremolo mods: [08:54 – 09:37]
• Boutique/vintage gear value: [13:57 – 14:24]
• Roberts mandolin & Western swing history: [14:44 – 19:26]
• Learning amp repair on Guam: [28:16 – 35:47]
• Amp circuit design Q&A: [36:10 – 39:55]
• Best 6V6s for Vibro Champ: [40:24 – 41:59]
• Diagnosing a Fender Super 60: [43:29 – 48:30]
• Super Reverb power modding: [51:10 – 55:34]
• Franklin’s salsa recipe: [56:03 – 57:58]
• Hillbilly Boogie box set/music recs: [59:19 – 60:33]
• Jeff Chicatano’s amp & Buffalo wings call: [61:46 – 69:12]
• Sci-fi mag freebie with every amp: [69:12 – 70:08]

Tone and Style

The episode is relaxed, playful, and extremely knowledgeable—Skip’s “old shop guy” grittiness meets Jason’s affably nerdy hosting. The show joyfully oscillates between hard technical wisdom, funny side stories, and genuine affection for community and music. The language is plainspoken, practical, and endearingly digressive, with running themes of humility, sharing, and deep amp geekery.

For Further Exploration

• Sponsors/Resources:
  • Amplified Parts (TAVA10MOD discount code on MOD kits)
  • Grez Guitars (affordable, custom builds)
  • Emerald City Guitars (vintage amps and instruments)
• Books Mentioned: Jack Darr’s “How to Fix Amplifiers”, Garnet book on Canadian amps
• Music: Proper Records’ “Hillbilly Boogie”, Billy Jack Wills, Tiny Moore, Delmore Brothers
• Recipes: Franklin’s fresh/roasted salsa, Jeff’s Buffalo wings

Closing

An episode rich in technical troubleshooting, amp history, irreverent stories, and “amp therapy”—the perfect showcase for Skip’s rare blend of encyclopedic amp knowledge, humility, and humor.
Send questions, photos, and even recipes to: podcast@fretboardjournal.com – or follow along on Instagram for news and amp oddities.