The Chirpy Mr. Cipollina

An unsung guitar hero of the San Francisco Flower Power scene

I submitted this prompt to poe.ai:

How did John Cipollina achieve the chirpy, tremolo-heavy electric guitar sound on the Happy Trails album?

Poe replied:

John Cipollina achieved his signature chirpy, tremolo-heavy electric guitar sound on Quicksilver Messenger Service’s Happy Trails album through a combination of unique equipment, innovative techniques, and his distinct playing style. Key elements include:

1. Custom Amplifier Setup: Cipollina used a dual amplifier setup, with one amp for a clean tone and another for effects, blending their outputs. His favorite amps included Fender Twin Reverbs and Standel and Kustom amps.
   
   Cipollina:

   “I like the rapid punch of solid-state for the bottom, and the rodent-gnawing distortion of the tubes on top.”

   

2. Tremolo Effect: Cipollina’s heavy use of tremolo came from both built-in tremolo units on his amps and external effects, creating a pulsing, wavy sound that defined much of his tone.

3. Custom Gibson SG: Cipollina’s guitar, a modified Gibson SG, was equipped with unique pickups and wiring to allow multiple tonal variations, including brighter, more piercing tones.

4. Finger Vibrato and Picking Technique: His expressive finger vibrato and light picking added to the “chirpy” character, accentuating the tremolo’s rhythmic pulse.

5. Steel Picks: Cipollina often used steel picks, which contributed to the sharp, chiming attack of his notes.

This combination of gear and technique gave Cipollina his instantly recognizable, psychedelic tone that defined Happy Trails.

I presented the same prompt to perplexity.ai and was not disappointed:

John Cipollina achieved the chirpy, tremolo-heavy electric guitar sound on the Happy Trails album through a distinctive combination of custom equipment and playing technique. He used Gibson SG guitars wired uniquely with two pickups: one for bass frequencies fed into two Standel solid-state bass amps with 15-inch speakers, and the other for treble frequencies fed into two Fender tube amps (a Twin Reverb and a modified Dual Showman driving six Wurlitzer horns). This setup created a symbiotic blend of low-end crunch and sharp, spiky cleans simultaneously.

Cipollina’s playing incorporated heavy use of tremolo and vibrato effects, notably using a Bigsby B5 vibrato tailpiece that he manipulated continuously to produce warbling, reverb-like sounds. He utilized fingerpicking techniques developed from classical and blues influences, often wearing custom-shaped plastic picks. Distortion, feedback, echo, slide effects, whammy bar vibrato, and tremolo effects were hallmarks of his style, giving the guitar lines a chirpy, psychedelic texture. He also used effects pedals like Vox wah pedals and a Gibson Maestro fuzz to further shape his tone.

This unique rig and technique are showcased prominently on the live version of “Who Do You Love” on the Happy Trails album, which spans almost the entire first side and features nearly every guitar effect known at the time, delivering the iconic sound Cipollina is remembered for[1][7][8][5].

In summary, the chirpy, tremolo-heavy sound was achieved by Cipollina using:

- His Gibson SG wired with bass and treble pickups split to separate amps (Standel bass amps and Fender tube amps)

- A custom amplifier stack mixing solid-state and tube amplification

- Use of Bigsby vibrato to produce warbling tremolo effects

- Fingerpicking technique combined with whammy bar vibrato and multiple effects pedals (wah, fuzz, echo)

- Driving Fender amps to power Wurlitzer horns for additional tonal richness and distortion

This blend of gear and technique created the distinctive electric guitar sound on Happy Trails.

Sources

[1] John Cipollina - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cipollina

[2] Wow, heavy man! John Cippolina’s rig : r/Guitar - Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Guitar/comments/n4k1x/wow_heavy_man_john_cippolinas_rig/

[3] JOHN CIPOLLINA of QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE and ... https://www.reddit.com/r/psychedelicrock/comments/18k9b75/john_cipollina_of_quicksilver_messenger_service/

[4] For all you weird rig fans, here’s John Cipollina’s rig : r/GuitarAmps https://www.reddit.com/r/GuitarAmps/comments/xrbn7o/for_all_you_weird_rig_fans_heres_john_cipollinas/

[5] Quicksilver Messenger Service - John Cipollina http://www.johncipollina.com/quicksilver.htm

[6] Hear lead guitarist John Cipollina’s unique rig in action - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/guitarplayermag/posts/hear-lead-guitarist-john-cipollinas-unique-rig-in-action/10160236512331063/

[7] Happy Trails: John Cipollina’s Guitar Rig + Technique Analysis http://doyouevenpsychedelic.blogspot.com/2014/10/happy-trails-john-cipollinas-guitar-rig.html

[8] Happy Trails: John Cipollina’s Guitar Rig + Technique Analysis http://doyouevenpsychedelic.blogspot.com/2014/08/happy-trails-john-cipollinas-guitar-rig.html

[9] John Cipollina’s guitar sound and career - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/johneinarsonremembers/posts/2598423713825767/

[10] JOHN CIPOLLINA - Karl Straub Guitar http://karlstraubguitar.blogspot.com/2009/02/john-cipollina.html

I followed up with another prompt to perplexity.ai:

Was Barry Melton’s guitar style influenced by John Cipollina, and did he make similar equipment modifications?

Barry Melton’s guitar style was influenced but distinct from John Cipollina’s. While Barry Melton played alongside Cipollina in the band the Dinosaurs for about 10 years, he explicitly stated that he did not sound like Cipollina. Melton acknowledged the influence of a “Frisco lick” associated with Cipollina, such as bending the high E string up to a squealing double-octave E—a technique that Cipollina commonly used on his Gibson SG guitar. However, Melton emphasized that each guitarist, including himself and Cipollina, developed very unique and individual sounds.

Regarding equipment modifications, Cipollina was known for distinctive guitar setups, including heavily modified Gibson SG guitars and a one-of-a-kind amplifier stack, which contributed to his signature tone. Melton mentioned playing with modified Fender Princeton and Mesa-Boogie amps but did not note directly copying Cipollina’s gear modifications. Instead, each guitarist sought their unique sound partly through folk influences and personal passion for innovation in tone.

In summary, while Barry Melton was aware of and influenced by Cipollina’s style and incorporation of specific techniques, their guitar sounds and equipment modifications were personal and distinctive rather than directly imitative or duplicated [5][1][2].

Sources

[1] John Cipollina - An Appreciation - Shadaux http://www.shadaux.com/cipollina/

[2] John Cipollina’s guitar sound and career - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/johneinarsonremembers/posts/2598423713825767/

[3] SMART ASS: John Cipollina - Joel Selvin https://www.joelselvin.com/cipollina121010.html

[4] Quicksilver Messenger Service - Toppermost https://www.toppermost.co.uk/quicksilver-messenger-service/

[5] Barry Melton - Vintage Guitar® magazine https://www.vintageguitar.com/2975/barry-melton/

[6] John Cipollina - The Fat Angel Sings https://thefatangelsings.com/tag/john-cipollina/

[7] Barry Melton , aka Barry “The Fish”, co-founder of Country Joe and ... https://www.reddit.com/r/psychedelicrock/comments/1cesxyc/barry_melton_aka_barry_the_fish_cofounder_of/

[8] She Put the Whammy on Me, Pt. 2 - Premier Guitar https://www.premierguitar.com/she-put-the-whammy-on-me-pt-2

[9] John Cipollina - Guitar, Vocals Barry “The Fish” Melton - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/710741457862907/posts/739387731664946/

[10] [PDF] ZAB Staff Report Template - The City of Berkeley https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2024-12-05_LPC_Item%206_2500%20San%20Pablo_Combined%20Staff%20Report.pdf

If you’re still reading, please email me at alan@grahamcreativegroup.com and tell me who your favorite rock guitarist is.