Instruments
Corgan played (during the Gish-Siamese Dream era) a customized '57 Reissue Fender Stratocaster equipped with three Fender Lace Sensor pickups (the Lace Sensor Blue in the neck position, the Lace Sensor Silver in the middle position, and the Lace Sensor Red at the bridge position). It also has a five-position pickup selector switch which he installed himself. This battered Strat became his number one guitar by default. He owned a '74 Strat that was stolen shortly after Gish was completed.
Corgan also used a wide variety of guitars on Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. On "Where Boys Fear to Tread", Billy used a Les Paul Junior Reissue, and on "Tonight Tonight" he used a '72 Gibson ES-335. He is also known to use a '74 Strat that has since then been painted baby blue. That guitar was used on the recordings for "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" and also "Muzzle", because the heavier wood gave it the basic Strat sound with a bit more bottom.
During the recording and tour of the album Zeitgeist, Billy used a Schecter C-1 EX baritone, finished in black with Tony Iommi signature pickups.
Corgan also endorsed Reverend Guitars in his Zwan era, most notably playing a Reverend Slingshot.
In 2008 Billy released to the market his own Fender Stratocaster. This new guitar was made to Corgan’s exact specs to create his famous mid-’90s buzzsaw tone, the instrument features three DiMarzio pickups (two custom for this instrument), a string-through hardtail bridge and a satin nitrocellulose lacquer finish. When playing live he uses both his signature Strats as well as two other Fender Strats one in red with a white pick guard and one in silver-grey with a black pick guard, a Gibson Tony Iommi signature SG and his Schecter C-1, however the Schecter is only used on the Zeitgeist song "United States".
On the official Smashing Pumpkins YouTube channel, a recently uploaded video called 'Stompland' features Corgan revealing an array of the pedals he used on many recordings throughout his career with the Smashing Pumpkins.
Read more about this topic: Billy Corgan
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