The Sound of The Smashing Pumpkins - Billy Corgan | Guitars
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- čas přidán 7. 11. 2018
- We stopped by rehearsals for The Smashing Pumpkins' 'Shiny and Oh So Bright Tour' to chat with the band about their gear before hitting the road. Here, lead singer and guitarist Billy Corgan talks about his Signature Reverend Guitar, Fender Stratocaster, and Signature Yamaha Acoustic Guitar.
For more info on upcoming shows, go to www.smashingpumpkins.com.
Watch the second half of our time with Billy Corgan showcasing the amps and effects that shape his sound: • The Sound of The Smash...
Watch our video with Jeff Schroeder, guitarist for The Smashing Pumpkins: • The Sound of The Smash...
Watch our video with Jimmy Chamberlin, drummer for The Smashing Pumpkins: • The Sound of The Smash...
Check out the gear Billy mentioned in this video:
Billy Reverend BC-1 Billy Corgan Signature Electric Guitar: www.guitarcenter.com/Reverend...
DiMarzio Billy Corgan Prewired Pickguard: www.guitarcenter.com/DiMarzio...
Yamaha LJ16BC Billy Corgan Signature Acoustic-Electric: www.guitarcenter.com/Yamaha/L... - Hudba
“I call it a cuff, like a huwoah”
- Billy Corgan 2018
I knew what he meant, though.
@@usefulvidiots7869 - Well so did I... It was just a funny noise
@@JcGrubbsFilms It explains a lot about his git tone. That kind of singing formant in fuzz that I've been seeking, without satisfaction. The op amp muff isn't doing it.
alpha numeric - Yeah I wasn’t able to get a great time out of the EH reissue pedal. I’ve been using JHS ‘73 Ram’s Head and have got a lot of versatility out of it
😂
I think billy is one of the cleanest guitar players, he does everything so perfectly and effortlessly
and when his playing is trashy and ugly, its executed so tastefully
So true. He "messes up" better than anyone and it ALWAYS contributes to the song organically
You see how big his hands are!?!?
I am wholly convinced that, much like half the things he's said over the years, Billy Corgan does not for a second believe that a guitar's paint colour makes the slightest bit of difference to its sound, but he firmly believes that at least one person is extremely annoyed that he suggested it.
I think in one interview he did with Apple he said something about saying dumb stuff to mislead people, and people don't know when he's being honest or he's telling bullshit on purpose.
I was waiting for him to talk about how his amp goes to eleven.
He does love to provoke everybody
Paint absolutely affects tone. It isn't the color itself, but the presence or absence of various materials/chemicals in paint and finishes. Viscosity. How many layers. He isn't wrong, he just didn't explain.
sure, but then again maybe he is just that stupid.
He hears colors, I see sound. We should hang out.
What...
you and i...should meet
Synesthesia
LSD has entered the chat
*Paint color changes the sound of the guitar*
Aight Billy
Well, maybe not the colour (but I don't know), but the type of paint or finish on the guitar is touted by guitar tech, luthiers, and makers to have an impact on its tone as it influences how the wood can breathe and resonate and also adds some weight to it. If each colour is made of particular material, then it could be possible that one colour sounds a hair different than others.
With all that said, Billy's opening tone in this video with the distortion, while I can hear that the guitar sounds good, doesn't sound as interesting to me as his classic SP tones.
@@David-ob2gn no
@David Agreed! Light/White colors contain more titanium dioxide (white) in their base which in turn gives it better hide (better coverage with less coats) and Darker/Deeper colors require a clear base (terrible opacity) which require more coats in order to reach the desired depth. Soooo, the more the layers, the more the dampening it PROBABLY creates
he's not the only one who has said something like that. Adam Jones of tool, said the same thing about his silver burst. i think saying the earlier versions of silverburst, the color does something to the sound.
So he's not the only one talking bollocks. Cool.
Damn. Pumpkins is one of the more gifted bands of the 90s and billy shows it here. Can play both lead and rhythm.
The critics never understood
White may sound the best, but red plays faster.
Brown guitars sound like shit.
Turrim Aurea White plays faster... ask Yngwie
my little cheap green 35$ china ebay classical never goes out of tune, 90d in the shade, 20below, now i know
@@ZombieOrchestra I guess completely disregard any legends who play brown gibson sg's...
Da red wuns go fasta
I can’t believe how great Corgan is on guitar and how many people don’t know it, or that he played all the parts on the Siamese Dream album.
He's a underrated 🎸 player, i been saying that for years
Sorry Siamese Dream is packed with James and Darcy, you can even hear the Gibson where it was on Gish that Corgan; for time, convenience, congruency etc, put a lot of the guitar/ bass lines down and you can hear that he just couldn't not use a strat on strat combo, James has some lovely parts in Siamese, his lead memorably shaped disarm and whatever he does during the verses on rocket is good food for nerds, they made good jams together - which is what you do when God gives you smashed pumpkins ☺️
NB* Jam is not the underlying pun [which Darcy hated] for the band name, I personally think it has something to do with joy found in destruction, distortion makes kids smile and jump around, I have my own joke on it
Genius
He plays guitar bass drum keyboard everything in the album.
Always loved how huge the guitar sounded in the intro to Cherub Rock
Intro? How about the solo?! I love the intro too...but that solo on CR is to die for.
When the Pumpkins started to rehearse for the "Shiny and oh so bright" tour, Billy noticed that the sound had been off and James noticed that as well. So James went "Where's your Strat?" because the classic Smashing Pumpkins sound is James' Les Paul and Billy's strat.
And Billy went "My Reverend model is based on my strat, it SHOULDN'T make any difference!" But no matter what he did, it wasn't happening, so he asked one of the crew to fetch him his blue Strat, plugged it in and THERE IT WAS!
one of the greatest artists of my generation
NOPE
@@CelestialWoodway you are either trolling or willfully ignorant
painted my blue strat silver. now it sounds great :)
I just painted my Yamaha, now it sounds like a Fender.
Dude you too? I thought it was just me.
Since he's easily one of the best and most influential guitarists of the past 20 years, he can say whatever the hell he wants.
ytsucks22 Sure he can, but we can also criticise him for making such a stupid statement as 'paint colour effects tone'.
@@zoocraft_official listen to his solos man. not to mention the sound design and songwriting. he destroys 90% percent of all the guitarist out there.
@@wastewoodrockers5526 weird bald dude😁😁
@@wastewoodrockers5526 some other guy explained that it’s the viscosity/chemicals, not the color itself.
So glad I got to hear him play all of these live first-hand recently! Hearing him give his explanations of each really adds an extra dimension of appreciation for the performance. Although, during the performance I saw him in, he played a black Reverend instead of a white one; I wonder why that is...?
Wow Billy has changed from Smashing Pumpkins to A Perfect Circle
I thought the same thing listening to the new album.
"Only four of these guitars were ever built" "Highly recommend for all musicians"
He never said that only four were ever built
@@mikkonurmi5201 yes he did.
@@barrydillon584 He said "which has been specially painted for the tour, they've only made four of these" referring to the paint job :)
He meant they only made four of that specific kind with that special paint job
@@mikkonurmi5201 Yes, but he also said that paint affects the tone, so different painted guitars are a completely different instrument. 😂
"Hoh"
LOVE YOUR SOUND BILLY, THANKS MORE THAN I CAN SAY...
I love that his signature is Yamaha, very underrated brand
I got one, love it. Very nice even if you’re not a performer
Yamaha solid
Morris Eaddy jealousl! Maybe someday!
Best drums in the game too IMO classic made
I bought a Revstar a couple of years ago, it's a great guitar, especially for the price.
Authentic. Enjoyed.
Until recently, I didn't know Billy was such a great player and I know what he means about the sound of a chambered guitar, Tommy Victor did that too. It has a certain honk and warmth but still is crunchy and cuts through. It's hard to explain.
Nice and smooth legato. Sounds beautiful
"Whoever was the designer on this guitar got it right. The only significant modifications I made were these brass pegs. I would say it improved the sound of the guitar by about ten percent."
Set up guitars in production 15/day for 2 years and I can for sure say that everything the same within human tolerences 1 out of every 10 pops and stands out from the rest. Billy might call it the paint, but he got the 1 in 10
I have always wondered why each guitar sounds different. Pick up a strat play it, play the one next to it and I'll be damned-sounds different. Les Paul, Teles, you name it. Now after 55 years of playing I have learned it is the paint that causes the difference. That said, I have one guitar that sounds amazing. I am going to paint the rest of them to match. Hey Elias, share those meds please. I think I need them
Les Paul’s sound different from strat shaped guitars because of the weight. Les Paul’s are heavy and strats are lighter. Also different stock pickups.
Different wood as well
@@godzillasimpson8357 strats have a cutting tone, meant for lead. les pauls have a more rounder sound, meant for rhythm.
to me that is the easiest way to decipher.
and then theres the woods they are built from, pickup choices installed, and even the strings used. all of these things add up in some little way or another. all before we even get to pedals, pre-amps, heads and cabs.
Wow! Billy I love more now , you are wonderfull...come to Colombia...please!
cool dude mad talent !
I'm sure Rob Chapman could hear the difference in the colors :')
and tell by smell what guitar... :)
@@archibaldikowski3646 gibson guitars do have a certain vanilla-like smell cause of the nitrocellulose finish lol
Loool, probably
@@MamaTrashPandit and the smell!
He did one time. I can’t remember what blindfold video it was, but in one he guessed the color of I think an orange guitar and got it right by chance.
Man is brilliant and crazy
Billy knows his craft, cool!
Pure Genius!
Love and Respect OGC
I always like different colored instruments. Especially burst and flamed maple, but his signature Reverend looks awesome!
i remember when on ebay billy corgan sold many things from Smashing Pumpkins. I remember a Digitech Valve Fx sold for about 700 usd
Great Musician amazing entertainer!!🤘😎🤘
I didn't know he was such a skilled guitarist in addition to being a vocalist.
He used to play solos all day and still can he just is more about the songwriting instead of playing solos all day. He used to be obsessed with soloing like Van Halen. I find it funny that people still don't know he can play like that.
0:53 "People think I'm a bit goofy"
classic Billy
Pickups are so key to his sound because if you watch Zwan live from 2003. He is playing some strats and even a jaguar some with stock pickups and the tone collapses a little to easy vs his others shown here.
Is he wearing a onesie?? LOL!!!
Long zip sweater/hoodie thing
Corgan's fashion sense has gotten wackier as he gets older.
i was doubting the fact that he was insane but after watching this video he might be...
🤘🏻
Lots of guitarist insist the major part of tone comes from the fingers. I could play on Billy's rig and play the same material but it would sound different even if played perfectly. Tone is something guitarists will always chase.
I like listening for subtle differences in gear.. for instance the OCD pedals by fulltone. Those do have subtle difference but paint color and thickness? The differences would be so minimal no one would ever notice at all.
my boy looking like bill bur if he knew how to play the guitar! love your music!
My electric guitar was an olp/misicman billy signature. Had the hottest dimario humbucker I ever heard.
Damn! My Strat is black....guess I will have to paint it white now. Cheaper than getting new pickups though.
I wonder if his E flat guitar aka the blue stratocaster has a 7.25 radius fretboard.
Is he wearing his Signature Billy Corgan Snuggie?
Upload Guitar center The Sound of Santana By Carlos Santana Please thank you
love his work...but does nail polish color change the sound when you finger pick the strings?...
i want more nerdy stuff like this
Any way I can buy a version of that guitar?
My first thought: "holy shit he's amazing!"
Second thought: "oh yeah I have it on 2x speed..."
That acoustic with the star on it looks a lot like the one Robert Smith uses too?
What are those strap locks on the BC-1?
When you see Billy shredding, you kinda figure out why it was so easy to let James Iha go. Billy really only needed a capable touring guitarist. And I say that as a fan of Iha’s.
The Big Boss! #piedpiperofhighland
Paint color affects the sound of an electric guitar. Brass pins account for about 10% of the tone of an acoustic. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense...
I didn't expect Lord Varys was this talented.
how does he cut the feedback from the acoustic without losing the quality? is there a trick or something?
Never have been impressed quick fingers in non melodious noise. Unique Chord Progressions and authentic lyrics. Feel like the Smashing Pumpkins 3 hour show is worth 2 trips to pee.
I've been trying to nail Billy's tones for years. Apparently I need a guitar with a cuff and a "hawh".
Still trying to figure out what that c-shape with his hand was supposed to mean (not hating btw, I love Billy Corgan and his music).
Does he just mean a bigass bump in the low mids?
He said in his Rig Rundown that he's not technical at al as far as gear goesl. He just has a sound he likes but he obviously doesn't know the tech terms or how to describe it.
What is the name of the blue on the strat???
He used the strat on Howard stern show.
Musicians are pretty weird when it comes to what makes their tone better, just look at Kevin Shields!
A hardtail Fender kinda guy. Good choice.
Saying that different colors makes different sounds is not far fetched at all because certain colors do in fact have more weight than others due to their molecular composition and molecular levels and shit. That’s why in high school science lab many schools do an experiment where they use multiple of the same object in different colors to see which ones will float in water and which ones will sink and which will kind of stay in the middle somewhere. So anyway in regards to the paint on the guitar, if you put a paint with a heavier molecular composition then the sound of the guitar may just be dampened and not sound as good in comparison to other paints. It also has to do with how much light a color absorbs and since white reflects the most light instead of absorbing it it’s definitely possible that white paint could allow guitars to have more sustain and stuff while black might make the guitar sound dull and rounded.
I dont think the fact that it reflects light would have an effect on the sound
I think it's more of an effect that if the colour of the guitar reflects the mood you are trying to play it works better. Blue is associated with melancholy, so he uses a blue guitar for melancholic pieces. Being heavier and tuned to Eb will also make a greater effect. The only way to test his conjecture is to get a guitar in one colour and strip off the paint and repaint it and do a prerecorded sound test with the original and the repainted version.
I would strongly suggest that any differences are beyond the sensitivity of human hearing.
'due to their molecular composition and molecular levels and shit'. that sounds scientific :)
The pigments in different colors would cause a difference in weight. White should weigh the least. The sheen also causes a big difference in weight, with gloss weighing the most and matte weighing the least.
@@Arctic_Falcon most pigments are synthesized. they weigh the same.
“Ya the owner of the company made me this according to the original specs but with a few mods” is literally what every pro guitar player says in these videos lol
The Sound of The Smashing Pumpkins ?
This could easily be a 6 part series, each segment an hour long, and such would only cover the Amps and Effects Billy used both in studio to their live sound, beginning from Gish all the way up Zeitgeist...
Just get a bunch of shit and use too much of it. More crap that might be remembered for one, maybe two songs.
…said the man caught red handed!
It sounds good because he likes how white looks on that guitar. If it was the exact same guitar and painted neon pink, he might not like it as much. Call me crazy.
Tonepaint debate from now to eternity.
he a guitar supremacist
"Listen ! just Listen for a minute" "the sustain! Listen to it!" -"I'm not hearing anything" -"you would though if it were playing"
-Yeah, I've noticed too color maters... my white pick sounds way better than my red one.
Love Reverend guitars.
I like some of them, I don't like all the pickguards on Billy's. It looks too busy. The guy who runs Reverend also comes across as a huge douche. But one of these days I'm going to get a Reverend.
@@Vichedges I have a Super Rev 69 in Lime Green. It's an amazing guitar .
Billy Corgan's such a sell out....he sold out record stores, stadiums, and he's still awesome.
Fun fact: fender used to get their paint from auto factories so they used to be coated with car paint.
I wonder if his nail paint also effects the sound
Definitely. If it makes his nails stronger and he plays fingerstyle (no idea if he does) the the nail paint has a lot to do with the sound.
Insane but a genius
So it's not the different blocks of wood it's the different paint colour.. right bill
It's both.
thst Eb blue strat is doing naughty things to me...
Cue up the "tone paint" investigative videos.
This guy and Jack White have got NODES...
I don't get the trend of adding pickguard material (in detached pieces) in totally unnecessary areas, like the upper horn...
His hands are fuckin huge
Painted My Fender black, now it sounds like an ESP
That baby would sound great with Toneforge Misha Mansoor!
Is he from daredevil?
His right hand is more red that his left hand.
Why is his one hand so red?
birth mark
The colour affects the guitar tones/sounds?.....🙄 there you said it Corgan... but agreed with him about the chambered guitar giving that nasal voice. I’ve got my ‘70s heavily chambered Ibanez Les Paul copy and that thing rips
I’m pretty sure he means the colour....being a big fan of him all these years I’m not surprised at all
Yep it goes with & complements his nasal singing 😂 😂
Well some finishes are easier to apply than other colors, and this may influence both the thickness and the composition of the finish.
Billy "I started touring the Smashing Pumpkins again to buy NWA" Corgan
easy414 SP has been touring since 2007.
I didn't realize he liked rap.
@@steven_uk I see what you did there, sir
2:40 Billy channels his inner Todd Howard
Too bad guitar center now blocks those outside of the USA with us military addresses from their website. Can't buy from them any more...
Too bad? More like the best thing that ever happened to you. Try sweetwater.com, zzounds, Amazon even, the list goes on all at better quality and prices than guitar center.
@@michaelinglis8516 he meant blocks the videos.
I’m sure you’re aware of it, but reverb.com is a great place to shop too.
Thomann.de
Brian no they block their web store.
no one:
absolufely nobody ever:
not a single soul:
Billy: "paint color affects guitar tone"
No amps? No effects? Sorry but I'm very sad....After a video with Jeff I expected something like that... :(
czcams.com/video/YZemTcTyJKs/video.html
@@MrClearme :) Ok, but this is all deep history... same like this (but Billy still use this Salvation Audio preamps): czcams.com/video/_eVH5vUR8u8/video.html
Yea this was pretty pathetic
blame guitar center.
Damn he's so hold now !
he's 51! Damn
You'll be old one day, too.
Ikr. I saw him with A Perfect Circle last month and boy has he changed
The best people are older.
No he is not. If he was 135 and could not lift the guitar, maybe.
Why is his left hand so red
Birthmark
William is full of himself lmaooo
yeah sooo full of himself, that’s why he always says honest, self deprecating things like how he stole Eb tuning from Jimi Hendrix /s
My guitar is brown, is that why I sound like shit when I play it??
See what I'm up against?