CHIP'S GUITAR AND AMP STACK

"I like the rapid punch of solid-state for the bottom,
and the rodent-gnawing distortion of the tubes on top" John Cipollina

One of the premier musicians of the San Francisco music scene from 1965-1975. John Cipollina's style characterized the individualistic spirit of the era. His sound was unique, to say the least. This unusual sound was achieved by the development of Cipollina's amplifier stack, and it's unique connection to his guituar.

The amp stack was made up of Standel bass amps (each Standel was equipped with two 15-inch speakers), two Fender amps a Fender Twin Reverb with two 12-inch speakers and a Fender Dual Showman that drove six Wurlitzer horns. His guituar was wired so that the bass pickup fed into the two Standel bass amps , and the treble pickup fed the remainder of the stack. Cipollina used a custom foot-switched system to select reverb, tremolo, Astro Echoplex(the unit mounted on the right of the Twin Reverb), Standel Modulux(on the left of the twin reverb) or the horns. Truck running lights indicated which effect was being used. Cipollina also employed a Gibson Maestro Fu, Vox wah-wah and volume pedals. His amp stack is now located in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.