“My friend Grey Gersten called me out of nowhere and said "you've got to come over and play my new guitar" - I played it and it changed my life - I'd never played a guitar that felt like holding a human heart in my hands. The next time I was in Brooklyn I visited Flip's shop and begged him to build me one. He said "I don't think so, my friend gave me four old Guyatone pickups that are impossible to find and I built four guitars with them, end of story." I said well I don't think I can live without one, and can you paint it gold with a butterfly wing texture? He said "I don't think we'll find those pickups man, but maybe." That "maybe" was the beginning of a friendship, and a few weeks later Flip wrote me to say he had found the rare Guyatone and that there was a strip of gold sparkle down the magnet. So it was meant to be and he built me a guitar.
The Flippercaster achieves the "6 GUITARS IN ONE" you might see in an old catalog from the 1950's - though in a parallel reality. This guitar sounds like 6 different guitars, all with the impact of a familiar archetype, while somehow existing on their own unparalleled planes.”
Convertible
Guitar Made for Mary Halvorson
For many years Flip Scipio has been repairing and setting up my vintage and new electric basses; he has an amazing knowledge of guitars and basses and the insight to adjust the instrument for my particular needs...when I pick up a bass from Flip I can go directly to a gig or into any studio knowing the instrument is going to work properly and also be fun to play. There’s no one better...
Gurian Style Guitar Made for Edie Brickell
About 15 years ago I met Flip for the first time and asked him to repair a couple of my favorite guitars. The care he took to make me and my guitars ‘happy’ led to us to becoming the closest of friends. He was able to take unplayable valuable guitars like my 1939 CF Martin D28 herringbone and finally make it a dream to play. It took about four years for us to toil through all my valuable instruments. He was building one for our dear and mutual friend Larry Tarica inspired by one of Paul Simon’s favorite guitars that he occasionally worked on; a Gurian S3.
It was a perfect instrument building commission for me. Michael Gurian and I have been great friends since the late sixties and I am a huge Paul Simon fan. To think that my good friend Flip would build me a custom instrument that pays tribute to two of the most influential people in my life, Paul for his music and Michael for his great guitar innovations and friendship was an extraordinary twist of fate.
Everything about the instrument he made is special to me. Seeing a picture of it would speak only to its visual beauty. Playing it or even better, hearing from across the room is where the real beauty lies. I am so fortunate to have Flip in my life, I can’t imagine anyone else tinkering with one of my guitars.
Gurian Style Guitar Made for Jim D'Addario
Flip Scipio is a master bladesmith, and in this guitar he has given me a razor sharp knife. His instruments allow the player to siphon maximum resonance and dynamic response from even the slightest gesture. This is the result of an exceedingly rare degree of depth of understanding of the electric guitar, beginning with the recognition that it is first and foremost an acoustic instrument. But it is also the product of a lifetime of exploration and a relentlessly creative mind that draws inspiration from all over the map.
I could never have imagined an instrument more tailored to my needs, and especially not one that also simultaneously pushes me to grow as a player every time I pick it up. When I play this guitar, it feels like an extension of my mind and body, allowing me to focus entirely on the music.
Flip Scipio has been an essential part of my music for over twenty years. I own a lot of guitars, from vintage Fenders and Gibsons to $99 Squiers. Flip cares about them all equally. Whatever instrument is on his bench is the most important instrument in the world to him at that moment. Flip has an uncanny ability to intuit what any guitar he touches can become, and he has the skill to bring forth that potential.
Not only is Flip a master craftsman, he is a creative partner. Flip understands not only what I need my instruments to do, he is full of suggestions about how they could work better for me. When I acquire a new instrument, I don't feel that it's totally mine until Flip has set it up. He makes my guitars feel like they are an extension of my hands.
Maybe the best way to describe Flip's work is that it's transparent. You can see straight through to the music without ever having to think about your guitar. That's a blessing.
When you're under pressure, your guitar has to be right. It's the first mechanical link in the musical signal chain after your heart and your hands. Flip gets it right. And his work lasts too. I can pull any one of my instruments out after not playing it for six months, change the strings, and it's ready to go. I've taken instruments straight to the studio or the gig from his shop without even playing them first. That's how much trust I have in him.
There are many fine repair people: there is only one Flip Scipio.