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The Truth About Vintage Amps, Ep. 38 with Special Guest Steve Melkisethian

The elusive, highly influential Steve Melkisethian of Angela Instruments joins us on this week’s episode for what is quite possibly our most entertaining episode to date. For decades, Angela has provided DIY tube amp and hi-fi enthusiasts with tubes, parts, and brutally honest advice. Melkisethian tells us about the history of the company, his love for music (from John Fahey to Roy Buchanan and Fugazi), and shares plenty of stories from the vacuum tube frontlines.

Submit your tube amp questions to Skip here: podcast@fretboardjournal.com or, better yet, leave us a voicemail or text at 509-557-0848.

This episode is sponsored by Grez Guitars.

Some of the topics discussed:

0:00 Addendum: The tubes on Springsteen’s Mesa Boogie
3:25 Why Steve Melkisethian of Angela Instruments, this week’s guest, is important
7:58 The Danelectro DM-25 reverb trick, redux
13:41 What’s on Skip’s bench?
17:02 Jason buys a Garnet
18:50 Pronouncing Tony Chachere, again; El Pato and Herdez
23:05 Speaker driven reverb schematic
29:06 Special guest: Steve Melkisethian of Angela Instruments (www.angela.com)

Pictures of Ian MacKaye’s Marshall courtesy of Ned Oldham, from his feature on Ian’s gear in the Fretboard Journal‘s second Electric Guitar Annual (order here to reserve your copy).

Want to see all the former topics discussed on the TAVA Podcast? Click here for all the show notes on one page.

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Special thanks to the presenting sponsors of the Fretboard Journal: Gibson, Martin and Carter Vintage Guitars.