Riff Tone
Bullet with Butterfly Wings
The Smashing Pumpkins
Guitarrock1990s
Original Gear
GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely 1970s or early 80s, as used by Billy Corgan in studio)
AmpMarshall JCM800 head with KT88 tubes into Marshall 1960 4x12 slant cab
PickupsDiMarzio HS-3 single coil (bridge position, as per Corgan's typical Strat mod in this era)
Amp Settings
gain5.5
bass5.5
mid6
treble6.5
reverb1
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1995 (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness sessions). Clean sections likely used the Stratocaster with single coil pickups into the Marshall JCM800 set clean or edge-of-breakup. No evidence of Big Muff or heavy fuzz in clean sections. No confirmed pedal use for clean tone in studio.
Tone Character(10)
glassy and articulateclear note separationslightly compressed attackdynamic and touch-sensitiveminimal breakuppercussive strummingtight low endpresent but not harsh highssubtle amp reverbno audible modulation or delay
Difficulty
The clean riff requires tight, syncopated strumming and dynamic control for clarity, but uses basic chord shapes and moderate tempo, making it accessible to most players.
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock1990s
Original Gear
GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely 1970s or early 80s, as used by Billy Corgan in studio)
AmpMarshall JCM800 head with KT88 tubes into Marshall 1960 4x12 slant cab
PickupsDiMarzio HS-3 single coil (bridge position, as per Corgan's typical Strat mod in this era)
Amp Settings
gain5.5
bass5.5
mid6
treble6.5
reverb1
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1995 (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness sessions). Clean sections likely used the Stratocaster with single coil pickups into the Marshall JCM800 set clean or edge-of-breakup. No evidence of Big Muff or heavy fuzz in clean sections. No confirmed pedal use for clean tone in studio.
Tone Character(10)
glassy and articulateclear note separationslightly compressed attackdynamic and touch-sensitiveminimal breakuppercussive strummingtight low endpresent but not harsh highssubtle amp reverbno audible modulation or delay
Difficulty
The clean riff requires tight, syncopated strumming and dynamic control for clarity, but uses basic chord shapes and moderate tempo, making it accessible to most players.
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