I have heard that said for a long time (again pre-Wikipedia!), but it seems you are right about his live rig. It sounds like you are correct that each amp did receive the full signal in the live rig, but he did use multiple different amps from most the footage I've seen starting in the 70s up until the end, so it is an easy mistake to make! It seems like he usually had a combination of different Fender amps or a Sunn and a Fender until he started using the SVTs...I would still argue that the stereo use of the bass is a part of his signature tone (ex- Starship Trooper!), but thanks for clarifying this common misconception!
from the Yesworld website:
Do you still use the bi-amping technique with Rickenbacker? If yes, do you use guitar amplifier or bass amplifier for the high frequency sounds?
Yes, my stereo circuitry that I’ve used since the since the seventies, has always been purely so I’ve been able to route effects through different pickups. After the effects have been routed—sometimes on the bass pickup, sometimes on the treble pickup, and sometimes for both—the signal is then recombined and is then fed into my two amplification systems—my 100 watt Marshall bass amp, which in actual fact has more high end than most Marshall lead amps, and a standard Ampeg SVT Pro Series amplifier, which I also use.
Read more at Ask YES – Friday 26th April 2013 – Chris Squire - Yes
