Jake Cinninger
Encyclopedia
Jake Cinninger, born Jacob Alan Cinninger, December 16, 1975 in Niles
, Michigan
, is an American
musician. He has risen to fame as one of two lead guitar
ists, in the Chicago
-based jam band Umphrey's McGee
.
, Michigan
where he says his parents' extensive record collection influenced his eclectic tastes in music. Cinninger began playing in many different bands by the age of 12, ranging in styles from jazz fusion
to country music
. After spending some time in the Berklee School of Music, he took classical guitar
lessons from Gerry Zubko in Roseland, South Bend, Indiana. In 1997, he started his own band, Ali Baba's Tahini
and regularly played shows alongside of another local band, Umphrey's McGee. Cinninger chose to learn his chops by playing with others rather than attend a college musical curriculum, as many of his friends did. Eventually, Ali Baba's Tahini disbanded in 2000 and Cinninger accepted an offer to join as a professional musician and a full-time member of Umphrey's McGee in 2000.
Since joining the band, he has, along with founder Brendan Bayliss
, become one of the group's main songwriters.
In 2001, Cinninger released a self-titled solo album released on the Monkey Fuzz Records label. Several of its tracks developed into Umphrey's McGee songs, such as "Blue Echo," "Utopian Sky" which became "Utopian Fir," and "Aster Heights" which contained parts of "Roulette" and "Last Man Swerving."
In 2004, five years after their initial split, Cinninger reformed Ali Baba's Tahini
to record an album in the North Carolina
mountains.
JCM 800, endorses Marshall
Vintage Modern amps, OldField amps, and also uses Fuchs Audio Technology, and with Umphrey's McGee
endorses Moog synthesizer
s, Morley
effects pedals, Source Audio
effect pedals and BBE Sound effects.
Jake also incorporates an unusual type of tremolo
arm on his G&L
guitar. The arm itself is a small piece of metal which is conformed to a specific shape. It is used as a palm rest to actuate the vibrato. This device is called the "Jake Blade" and was custom made.
The "Jake Blade" is now available on the Umphrey's Mcgee website in the merchandise section.
Jake's pedal board circa 2006, according to Brett Saul.
Keeley Compressor>Morley Bad Horsie Wah> Boss SD-1> MXR 2 band Distortion>BBE Fuzz Face>Moogerfooger Analog Delay>MD2>Banzai Cold Fusion Overdrive>Boss Phase Shifter> Boss chromatic tuner
In a January 2008 Guitar Player
interview, Cinninger said the following were his gear:
[A Moog Prototype has been added in 2008]
Strings: D'Addario .0105-.048
FX: Morley Bad Horsie wah; Clark Gainster, Banzai Cold Fusion (Clean boost mode), and Tonebone Classic overdrive pedals; Marion Henry Electric Fuzz Bucket, BBE Fuzz;Boss Phaser and Pitch Shifter; Guyatone and Moogerfooger delay pedals; Source Audio Hot Hand Motion Controlled Wah Filters
Accessories: Pedal-Racks True Bypass Strip pedal switcher, HBE Bytchn Swytchn A/B/Camp switcher, Mogami (instrument), George L(pedalboard), and Monster (speaker) Cables.
Niles, Michigan
Niles is a city in Berrien and Cass counties in the U.S. state of Michigan, near South Bend, Indiana. The population was 11,600 at the 2010 census. It is the greater populated of two principal cities of and included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician. He has risen to fame as one of two lead guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ists, in the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based jam band Umphrey's McGee
Umphrey's McGee
Umphrey's McGee is an American progressive rock jam band based in Chicago whose music is often referred to as "progressive improvisation", or "improg" ....
.
History
Cinninger was raised in NilesNiles, Michigan
Niles is a city in Berrien and Cass counties in the U.S. state of Michigan, near South Bend, Indiana. The population was 11,600 at the 2010 census. It is the greater populated of two principal cities of and included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
where he says his parents' extensive record collection influenced his eclectic tastes in music. Cinninger began playing in many different bands by the age of 12, ranging in styles from jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
to country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
. After spending some time in the Berklee School of Music, he took classical guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
lessons from Gerry Zubko in Roseland, South Bend, Indiana. In 1997, he started his own band, Ali Baba's Tahini
Ali Baba's Tahini
Ali Baba's Tahini is a South Bend, Indiana quartet that incorporates everything from jazz and fusion to rock and avant garde. The band, which formed in 1997, made a name for themselves on the Midwest club circuit and began sharing gigs with an up and coming Umphrey's McGee.The original group...
and regularly played shows alongside of another local band, Umphrey's McGee. Cinninger chose to learn his chops by playing with others rather than attend a college musical curriculum, as many of his friends did. Eventually, Ali Baba's Tahini disbanded in 2000 and Cinninger accepted an offer to join as a professional musician and a full-time member of Umphrey's McGee in 2000.
Since joining the band, he has, along with founder Brendan Bayliss
Brendan Bayliss
Brendan Bayliss is an American musician, the founder, a lead guitarist alongside fellow guitarist and band member Jake Cinninger, and primary vocalist for progressive rock band Umphrey's McGee. He formed the band in 1997 and took its moniker from the name of a distant relative he met at a wedding...
, become one of the group's main songwriters.
In 2001, Cinninger released a self-titled solo album released on the Monkey Fuzz Records label. Several of its tracks developed into Umphrey's McGee songs, such as "Blue Echo," "Utopian Sky" which became "Utopian Fir," and "Aster Heights" which contained parts of "Roulette" and "Last Man Swerving."
In 2004, five years after their initial split, Cinninger reformed Ali Baba's Tahini
Ali Baba's Tahini
Ali Baba's Tahini is a South Bend, Indiana quartet that incorporates everything from jazz and fusion to rock and avant garde. The band, which formed in 1997, made a name for themselves on the Midwest club circuit and began sharing gigs with an up and coming Umphrey's McGee.The original group...
to record an album in the North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
mountains.
Guitars
Jake uses a G&L S500, G&L ASAT, a G&L S500 deluxe, a Babicz Identity Series Jumbo Cutaway Acoustic, and various custom Becker guitars. He also uses an early 80's MarshallMarshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
JCM 800, endorses Marshall
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
Vintage Modern amps, OldField amps, and also uses Fuchs Audio Technology, and with Umphrey's McGee
Umphrey's McGee
Umphrey's McGee is an American progressive rock jam band based in Chicago whose music is often referred to as "progressive improvisation", or "improg" ....
endorses Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
s, Morley
Morley Pedals
Morley Pedals is the name of a guitar effects pedal company, famous for manufacturing wah-wah pedals and other treadle type effects for guitar. Morley pedals use electro-optical circuitry rather than a potentiometer to control the effect. The foot treadle controls a shutter inside the pedal that...
effects pedals, Source Audio
Source Audio
Source Audio is a guitar effects pedal company based near Boston, Massachusetts. They are the creators of the Hot Hand Motion Controlled Wah Filter as well as Soundblox and Soundblox Pro effect pedals.-History:...
effect pedals and BBE Sound effects.
Jake also incorporates an unusual type of tremolo
Tremolo
Tremolo, or tremolando, is a musical term that describes various trembling effects, falling roughly into two types. The first is a rapid reiteration...
arm on his G&L
G&L
G&L is a guitar design and production company founded by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Dale Hyatt in the late 1970s. Fender sold his company named Fender in 1965. He designed and produced instruments for Music Man in the 1970s through his company CLF Research. When relations with Music Man...
guitar. The arm itself is a small piece of metal which is conformed to a specific shape. It is used as a palm rest to actuate the vibrato. This device is called the "Jake Blade" and was custom made.
The "Jake Blade" is now available on the Umphrey's Mcgee website in the merchandise section.
Equipment
Keeley Compressor>Morley Bad Horsie Wah> Boss SD-1> MXR 2 band Distortion>BBE Fuzz Face>Moogerfooger Analog Delay>MD2>Banzai Cold Fusion Overdrive>Boss Phase Shifter> Boss chromatic tuner
In a January 2008 Guitar Player
Guitar Player
Guitar Player is a popular magazine for guitarists founded in 1967. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print since the late 1960s and during the 1980s, under editor Tom Wheeler, the publication was...
interview, Cinninger said the following were his gear:
- Guitars: Becker Custom Retro-Grad, Three G&L s-500's, circa '85 Kramer American, Babicz acoustics
[A Moog Prototype has been added in 2008]
- Amps: Fuchs OD-50 and Marshall Vintage modern heads, Fuchs 2x12 cabinets loaded with Electro-Voice speakers
Strings: D'Addario .0105-.048
FX: Morley Bad Horsie wah; Clark Gainster, Banzai Cold Fusion (Clean boost mode), and Tonebone Classic overdrive pedals; Marion Henry Electric Fuzz Bucket, BBE Fuzz;Boss Phaser and Pitch Shifter; Guyatone and Moogerfooger delay pedals; Source Audio Hot Hand Motion Controlled Wah Filters
Accessories: Pedal-Racks True Bypass Strip pedal switcher, HBE Bytchn Swytchn A/B/Camp switcher, Mogami (instrument), George L(pedalboard), and Monster (speaker) Cables.