The Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (Deluxe Edition)

During a Rig Rundown with Premier Guitar, Billy Corgan says [@ 2:50] about his Mesa Boogie Strategy 500 Power Amps:

"Those are run, one channel at a time, to my Strategy 500's which date back to the mid-90's. Those are the power amps I used on Melancholy and The Infinite Sadness as well as the touring rig I had back then."

"This Orange OR120 is from the private collection of Billy Corgan.

This was purchased around the time of Siamese Dream, and was used on the Siamese Dream tour and Mellon Collie tours as a boost. Billy would run a fuzz pedal through this head so he could get an extra boost for volume. It was, by all accounts, hellaciously loud. That said, it wasn't used particularly for solos, but rather as an upper overtone. With the gain dimed on his Marshalls, this would be an extra harmonic overtone over the top. Again, that sounds deafeningly loud, and the stuff of most guitar players dreams.

Cosmetically, this cab is in pretty good shape. It has the tape residue (on the left side) and handful of small scuffs you'd expect from a touring amp. The input jacks have a bit of tape stuck above them, and the control plate has a few tiny nicks. There is dirt worn into the tolex, but nothing grotesque. Structurally, it is solid, with no cracks and perfect corners still. The tube complement seems to be all-original still.

Both inputs and all controls work as they should, with clean pots. This amp can be decliciously clean and articulate at low volumes - it doesn't have to be a face-melter. But slowly turning up the volume and hearing the saturation build will make you smile every time. This is a historic, road-tested, insane rock amp for the serious collector or large venue player. This is 120W with adjustable 4, 8, and 16 ohm settings.

The power cable is attached on this amp head."

In this interview, it says, "He still had his Marshall 1960A cabinets, but Corgan shifted to a Mesa Boogie Strategy 500 and a Marshall JMP-1 preamp (Corgan also notes that he used an Alesis 3630 to drive extra gain into a Marshall)."

One of Billy Corgan's Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness era guitars is a blue 1974 Fender Stratocaster, fitted with Billy Corgan DiMarzio pickups. "It's got a heavier weight to it than most Strats that I like. Generally speaking that means the tone is not going to be very good, but for whatever reason this one works," Corgan said at (9:40). "I talked to somebody once who said the weight has everything to do with where they take the wood in the tree...the deeper in, the heavier the wood, because of the water..."

Throughout the entire video you can see the guitar being used. Billy used this during the Mellon Collie a good amount. Guitar was made by Ibanez with Billy Corgan but never made into a production model. Guitar was listed and sold on Reverb.com with certificate of authenticity and signed by Billy. Guitar was listed with Heritage Auctions at one time. Links provided.

https://reverb.com/item/14094660-smashing-pumpkins-billy-corgan-played-autographed-custom-ibanez-talman-1994

https://entertainment.ha.com/itm/musical-instruments/electric-guitars/billy-corgan-signed-custom-made-ibanez-electric-guitar-total-4-items-/a/7164-89682.s

http://www.spfc.org/band/equipment.html?equipment_id=403

Billy Corgan turned to the Fender Stratocaster Deluxe Plus after losing his "Gish" guitar, drawn to the distinctive sound of its Lace Sensor pickups. This guitar became a staple of his setup during the Smashing Pumpkins' 1992-1995 era, prominently featured in their "Siamese Dream" and "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" albums. Photos and videos from this period frequently show Corgan playing the Strat Deluxe Plus, highlighting its significant role in shaping the band's iconic sound.

Corgan's famous "Bat Strat" is an early 1990s '57 reissue, painted silver and modified to have Lace Sensor pickups. It is one of Corgan's favorites.

“If you said, ‘What’s the guitar you’d want to be buried with?’ I’d have to say the Bat Strat. It’s just beat to living hell. Jimmy keeps telling me to take it back out, so maybe we’ll bring it out for the 20th Anniversary Tour.”

Corgan actually owned another Lace Sensor-modded '57 reissue before selling it on Reverb.com (with an original asking price of $999,999!). Both were Corgan's primary guitars on Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

This is a priceless piece of history. We are taking your best offer into account to find the right buyer.

This Fender Stratocaster is from the private collection of Billy Corgan.

It is the guitar that defined the sound of The Smashing Pumpkins in the mid-'90s and along with it, the sound of a true historical moment in rock music.

There were two primary guitars for Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie.... The number one is referred to as the Bat Strat, which you can see in videos. This is number two, and was equally important having graced not only the album tracks, but also stages around the world.

Nearly every clean guitar sound on those two albums was recorded with this guitar. Almost all of the solos on those albums were done with this guitar. The intro of 'Today,' the 'Cherub Rock' solo (which won Guitar World's best solo of the year) – that is all this guitar.

Appraising this guitar's "condition" in the traditional sense seems like a fool's errand. Given its place in rock history, I think it's fair to say that no one is going to be splitting hairs over the finish, the stickers, or the non-original parts. If you're curious, this guitar started its life as a 1988 '57 AVRI Strat (according to the neck date) with a metallic candy apple red finish and white pickguard. At some point it was spray painted black and the pickguard was painted red, though the original finish has worn through in places and the pickguard paint has mostly been picked away. There are thirteen star stickers and six dot stickers on the front, along with a faded "Organic" sticker and an iridescent pig sticker on the headstock. The original pickups have been swapped out for Lace Sensors. The original bridge saddles have been swapped out for graphite versions, and the string tree has been traded for a roller-type tree. It should be noted that, although Corgan's later signature Strat models were hardtail, this historic Strat that defined him as a guitar hero had a traditional vibrato bridge, with all five springs left in place. The backplate has been removed and discarded.

This is without question one of the nicest playing Strats you'll ever lay hands on. It is road-tested and settled in, with hundreds of hours of intense playing that shaped its resonance and character. Despite the spray paint finish (which can feel a bit sticky in humid conditions), the neck and playability are incredibly comfortable. Everything plays as it did when Corgan last took it out on tour. As for the sound, well...you wouldn't be looking at this guitar if you didn't already know what it sounded like. If you need a reminder, stop what you're doing and listen to the Siamese Dream LP right now.

This guitar ships in a vintage-type Fender hardshell case, with the original pickups included. Also in the case you'll find an All Access Pass from the June 9, 1991 Underworld event and a sticker ad for something we'll just call less music-related.

Weight: 8.2 lbs. (3.7 kg)

This item will ship with a physical Certificate of Authenticity from Reverb.com.

Billy Corgan used the Fender Coronado II on an untitled track from The Smashing Pumpkins' greatest hits album, as detailed in a Reverb News article.

"The drum machine used on 1979 and other songs on Mellon Collie..."

Sold on Corgan's official Reverb.com shop.

The Drawmer 1960 Compressor & Mic Preamp was sold on his official Reverb.com shop. Corgan stated that it was utilized during the production of Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness and Machina, as well as in many of his home demos.

"A 1969 Gibson EB–3 Bass in Walnut dubbed the Mountain Bass used as a 'secret weapon' on everything from Mellon Collie to Machina."

"Kurzweil K2000r auctioned a few years ago on eBay by Official SP Memorabilia. Used by Billy Corgan in studio with the Smashing Pumpkins from Mellon Collie to Machina. You can definitely recognized the presets used on those classic SP albums, especial on MCIS and Adore. This was mainly used for pads and classical instruments : the synth strings on To Forgive, Appels + Oranjes, Blank Page, the strings on Tear, the oboe on Lily, the fx and pads on Beautiful...if you're a Smashing Pumpkins fan, you'll hear them at some point and discover other ones while browsing the K2000r presets.

The K2000R is n very good condition but shows obvious signs of wear (see pictures) due to years of following the Pumpkins in various recording facilities all around the world."

"This Noble Atom Accordion is from the private collection of Billy Corgan.

This specific accordion was used the recording, 'We Only Come Out At Night' from Mellon Collie.

This vintage accordion is in great shape for its age, with no major blemishes or chips.

All keys and buttons work as they should, with bellows that are holding up just fine. It recently had a repair, so this accordion is go to go, ready to play out of its case.

This accordion will ship in its original wooden case."

James used a Fender Twin Reverb amp on MCIS, which was used on some tracks for the cleaner tones.

James began using a Digitech Whammy II in his live setup starting with the touring for MCIS. In an April 1996 interview with "Guitar School" magazine, Billy states "...there is a bunch of Whammy on the record. James uses a Whammy for his solo in Zero."

James also said the following in a December 1995 interview with The Guitar Magazine (TGM) magazine "We tried to be a bit more obtuse, varied, and interesting. Like on XYU I was using a whammy pedal and I kept getting these intermittent breakups-like dang-dan-dan-dan-dang-dan-dan-dan-dang-fllllplplplplplsh! You just step on the pedal and it destroys the sound! It's like a tape machine going haywire or something."

Yamaha endorsee from 1994 to 2010. Jimmy used rock custom and recording custom before using a maple custom for the recording of Siamese Dream in 1993. He used differents maple custom kit, one black maple in studio then, a black piano, and then a white marine pearl for lollapalooza tour and the first half of Mellon Collie era. He still has this kit. Then he used an another kit by the end of his time of Mellon Collie tour.