# John Cipollina Pedalboard 1984: Full Gear & Pedal List

> The 1984 John Cipollina pedalboard, pedal by pedal: Tube Echoplex, Solid-state Echoplex and 6 more. Signal-chain order, settings and cited sources.

- Canonical page: https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/john-cipollina/stereo-split-effects-rig-1984/
- Machine-readable index of the archive: https://pedalboardarchive.com/llms.txt
- Evidence and reconstruction conventions: https://pedalboardarchive.com/methodology/

## At a glance

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Artist | John Cipollina |
| Board | Stereo split-effects rig |
| Date | 1984-04-01 — Documented April 1984 rig (month precision) |
| Context | Nick Gravenites / Quicksilver-era touring setup |
| Scope | Touring-period rig |
| Signal path | 8 units · Guitar to amplifier |
| Routing | Split output path |
| Unit evidence | Documented |
| Order evidence | Source-described |
| Status | Artist-described dual-pickup effects system |
| Audited | 2026-07-18 |
| Sources | 2 |

John Cipollina wired his guitar in stereo and split it by pickup in 1984. The treble side ran two Echoplexes, an Ampeg Scrambler, a rotary module and a fast phaser; the bass side took a Maestro phase shifter, an MXR Blue Box and a modified Vox wah.

## Signal chain

**Order evidence — Source-described.** A source states the sequence.

| # | Unit | Role | Zone | Unit evidence | Position evidence | Catalog page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Tube Echoplex | Begins the documented effects inventory on the treble-pickup branch and supplies one of two contrasting tape-echo voices. | Treble pickup path | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/tube-echoplex/ |
| 2 | Solid-state Echoplex | Pairs with the tube Echoplex so Cipollina can use a second tape-delay and preamp character on the same pickup branch. | Treble pickup path | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/solid-state-echoplex/ |
| 3 | Ampeg SC-1 Scrambler | Supplies the dedicated fuzz voice on Cipollina's treble-pickup effects branch. | Treble pickup path | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/ampeg-sc-1-scrambler/ |
| 4 | Standel-style "Module" rotary effect | Adds the brittle rotary-organ voice to the treble-pickup branch. | Treble pickup path | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/standel-style-module-rotary-effect/ |
| 5 | Roland "Bi-Phase" unit | Runs on the treble-pickup branch at twice the speed of the Maestro phase shifter on the bass-pickup branch. | Treble pickup path | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/roland-bi-phase-unit/ |
| 6 | Maestro PS-1-series Phase Shifter | Provides the slower phase movement on Cipollina's bass-pickup branch for counter-motion against the treble-side phaser. | Bass pickup path | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/maestro-ps-1-series-phase-shifter/ |
| 7 | MXR Blue Box | Feeds Cipollina's modified wah on the bass-pickup side to create the dirty, growling fuzz described in the interview. | Bass pickup path | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/mxr-blue-box/ |
| 8 | Modified Vox wah | Shapes the bass-side octave fuzz into the dirty, growling voice described in the 1984 rig interview. | Bass pickup path | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/modified-vox-wah/ |

## Reconstruction note

Musician's April 1984 profile quotes Cipollina's current split-amplifier method and enumerates the processors assigned to each pickup branch. Its wording establishes branch membership and the speed relationship between the two phasers, but not a jack-to-jack order inside either branch; the visual order therefore follows the article's enumeration. Guitar Player independently confirms the stereo pickup split, Standel/Fender amplification and Cipollina's use of echo, Standel rotary modulation, fuzz and Vox wah. The transcribed name "Roland Bi-Phase" and the product Cipollina called a "Module" cannot be matched to a dependable exact chassis, so both remain explicitly unresolved rather than being silently replaced with better-known models.

## Questions

### What pedals did John Cipollina use in 1984?

This dated entry lists 8 units: Tube Echoplex, Solid-state Echoplex, Ampeg SC-1 Scrambler, Standel-style "Module" rotary effect, Roland "Bi-Phase" unit, Maestro PS-1-series Phase Shifter, MXR Blue Box, Modified Vox wah. This is the recorded inventory, not a claim that every connection or model identification is confirmed; see the evidence and routing notes.

### What order were John Cipollina's pedals in?

A cited source states the order. See the diagram and routing notes for the separate paths and any unconfirmed connections.

### Is this John Cipollina's full guitar rig?

No. This dated entry covers 8 units in the effects path, not every piece of gear John Cipollina owned or used. Floor pedals, rack units and routing devices are included only where recorded; omitted equipment and uncertain connections are explained in the notes. It is not a complete or current rig inventory.

### When and where was this pedalboard used?

Documented April 1984 rig. Nick Gravenites / Quicksilver-era touring setup. This is the rig documented for that touring period, not a career-wide gear list.

### How does the archive know what was on this pedalboard?

2 cited sources, listed above with the date each was read, including Musician, Guitar Player. Among them an interview and a written article. The units are recorded as documented equipment, and the page was last audited on 2026-07-18.

## Sources

2 cited sources across 2 independent groups. Two sources sharing an independent group report the same observation and count once.

1. [John Cipollina profile and effects interview](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Musician/1980/1984/Musician-1984-04.pdf) — Musician (Primary source · interview), published 1984-04-01, accessed 2026-07-18, independent group `musician-cipollina-1984`
2. [Watch Acid Rockers Quicksilver Messenger Service Perform Their Celebrated Show Opener, "Fresh Air"](https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/watch-acid-rockers-quicksilver-messenger-service-perform-their-celebrated-show-opener-fresh-air) — Guitar Player (Specialist source · article), published 2022-12-03, accessed 2026-07-18, independent group `guitar-player-cipollina-rig`

## Related pages

- Every documented board by John Cipollina: [John Cipollina board history](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/john-cipollina/)
- [Eric Johnson — Ah Via Musicom four-amp system](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/eric-johnson/ah-via-musicom-four-amp-rig-2018/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Filter & EQ, Modulation, Delay & Echo, Gain)
- [Danny Gatton — Redneck Jazz Explosion remote-effects rig](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/danny-gatton/redneck-jazz-explosion-remote-effects-rig-1978/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Filter & EQ, Modulation, Delay & Echo)
- [Jimi Hendrix — Woodstock effects chain](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/jimi-hendrix/late-live-rig-1969/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Filter & EQ, Modulation, Gain)
- [John Squire — Stone Roses era board](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/john-squire/stone-roses-era-board-1989/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Filter & EQ, Modulation, Gain)
- [John McLaughlin — Fourth Dimension touring effects](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/john-mclaughlin/fourth-dimension-touring-effects-2010/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Modulation, Delay & Echo, Gain)
- [Dave Navarro — Jane's Addiction split-path board](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/dave-navarro/janes-addiction-split-board-2024/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Filter & EQ, Modulation, Delay & Echo, Gain)
- Previous board in archive order: [Joe Walsh — Eagles Staples Center touring board](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/joe-walsh/eagles-staples-center-board-2006/)
- Next board in archive order: [John Fogerty — Two-drawer offstage effects rack](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/john-fogerty/two-drawer-offstage-effects-rack-2015/)