The Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream (Deluxe Edition)

He was involved in the making and promotion of this reissue pedal (the orange color is probably a reference to Smashing Pumpkins) with Electro Harmonix. He used his Op Amp Big Muff to get the Siamese Dream sound, so a standard Big Muff won't quite get the same sound. It'll get you close, but the Op Amp version is the one you want if you're trying to get the same gear he used. This video shows him using the pedal & talking about it.

"Oh, the original 'pumpkins' Electric Mistress... Gish/Siamese era. (I'm) still rocking that." - Billy Corgan at 3:20.

"MXR Phase 100, for those of you looking for the Siamese Dream lead sound. you just pick one of these (modes) and turn the speed all the way down. It gives you a little bit of movement there." - Billy Corgan at 2:38.

At 0:40 minute mark, Corgan shows his EHX PolyPhase pedal. This one was used on the "Siamese Dream", according to him.

At 1:39 in this video taken from documentary about making of Siamese Dream, Butch Vig (album producer) says: "This is one of the secrets to our seret sound - this is the MuTron Bi-Phase. We run everything through it, everything... it's fabulous". (In the same video Vig calls Gish "sad" and Siamese Dream "happy, with a lot of happy songs", so I don't know how much can we trust him about anything else in the video)

"His photo of the actual Big Muff used showing his exact settings confirmed it was a V4 op-amp (IC) Big Muff. The graphics match second edition V3 and V4 Big Muffs, but the tone and sustain pot sweep as Billy set them were only possible on a stock V4."

-www.kitrae.net

In the YouTube video titled "Stompland," uploaded by The Smashing Pumpkins' official channel, Billy Corgan introduces and discusses the JMI Professional MKII Tone Bender pedal at the 0:58 mark, confirming its use in Smashing Pumpkins recordings.

The Fender Jaguar was used by Billy on the recordings of Siamese Dream. They call it the “sad guitar” for “sad” tones. Check 9:16 in the video.

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.

Used by Billy in 1991-1992 before he bought the Bat Strat. Also the Jazzmaster was used in the studio for the recordings of Siamese Dream.

According to an article by Peter Burditt on American Songwriter, Billy Corgan used the Teisco Kimberly Greenburst guitar to achieve the distinctive squeaking sound in the Smashing Pumpkins song "Mayonnaise."

According to the "Q and A" section with Butch Vig, producer of the "Siamese Dream", Billy used a Shure SM7 to record his vocals.

"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 June 11, 2012 article from Guitar World, Corgan discusses his amplifier tone stating:

AMPS

[BC]: "Experimenting with different amps is one of the hardest things for a guitarist to do. It's virtually impossible to walk into a music store and crank up one amp, let alone a bunch of them. I recommend that young guitarists with a lack of amp experience buy rack-mountable amps and preamps because their sounds are generally very consistent and easy to tailor to different applications. I used an ADA MP-1 preamp for all of "Gish." I'd written the songs on that unit, and I couldn't imagine them being played any other way."

"If you end up with a tube amp, make sure the tubes are working properly. Also, if possible, experiment with different power tubes. I'm a huge fan of using KT-88's in my Marshall. Most people prefer EL-34's, but I hate them. The "Gish"/"Siamese Dream" guitar sound has so much to do with KT-88's, which add a round, fat bottom to my sound."

"Before buying any amp, be nosey. Talk to as many guitarists as you can, get different opinions and see what other people like and don't like. I've always done that, and it's always been helpful."

Featured in this December 16, 2022 Laney blog article.

After purchasing a Laney LA100SM Head on the 2nd hand market and searching for a Laney LA412 Cabinet, Billy Corgan reached out to our family-run company, based in the West Midlands UK, to get more of “that God-like power” as he so puts it.

Of course, we were happy to help him out!

[...]

In addition, Billy also has two Laney LA412 cabinets which he has fallen in love with, so much so that he has pushed aside the same cabinets he had been using since the early 90’s Siamese Dream days.

[...]

WHICH LANEY AMPS IS BILLY CORGAN CURRENTLY USING ON TOUR IN 2022/2023?

Billy’s current Laney amp setup includes two 100-watt Laney LA100SM Super Modified hand-wired tube guitar heads alongside a variety of other amps. Billy also runs all of his amplifiers through Laney LA412 4 x 12″ Celestion G12H loaded cabinets.

[...]

“I’ve always chased vintage Laney cabinets. I don’t know if anybody knows the market but you cannot find vintage Laney cabinets anywhere. I’ve looked and they are nowhere!

I saw that Laney had put out these cabinets (LA412 4 x 12″) and they all sold. I was able to find a used one and the minute we put it in the recording chain, Howard Willing (record producer, engineer and mixer) whom I’ve worked with for years since ‘97 starting with the Adore album and Smashing Pumpkins, looks to me and says “well I like that better!” so immediately the vintage Laney cabinet superseded the same Marshall that I’ve been using since Siamese Dream.

It kicked it out of the recording line. So all those amps have been put away and I started using that Laney cabinet. For the first time since ‘93, I’m using new cabinets on tour. I’ve literally used the same cabinets since 93’ and now I’ve replaced those with the Laney vintage cabinets.”

James Iha has used various Gibson SGs throughout his career. Notably, a black Gibson Custom Shop SG Custom Reissue VOS was employed during the Siamese Dream tour and the Machina tour for C-tuned songs. A TV Yellow model, part of the 30th Anniversary series limited to 300 units in 1991, featured in the "Cherub Rock" video and was sold by Iha in July 2010. Additionally, a red SG was seen during his 2012 solo tour promoting "Look to the Sky." This information is documented on spfc.org.

According to this page, James used a Fender Bronco during Gish and Siamese Dream era.

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.