Riff Tone
Geek U.S.A.
The Smashing Pumpkins
Guitarrock1990s
Original Gear
GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely 1970s, stock single coils)
AmpMarshall JCM800 head with KT88 tubes, Marshall 1960 4x12 slant cab
PickupsFender single coil (stock Strat pickups, 1993 era)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass6
mid6.5
treble7
reverb1
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1993 (Siamese Dream sessions). Clean sections likely used the Stratocaster into the JCM800 with low gain, as per era and Corgan's known setup. No evidence of alternate amp for cleans. Pickup position inferred from typical Corgan clean tones and forum discussion.
Tone Character(10)
glassy and articulatechimey top endtight low endclear note separationslightly compresseddynamic responsepresent midsminimal breakuppercussive attacksubtle amp reverb
Difficulty
The clean riff requires fast, precise picking and tight rhythmic control at a high tempo, making it challenging for most players.
Sources
Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear
Create Free AccountGuitarrock1990s
Original Gear
GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely 1970s, stock single coils)
AmpMarshall JCM800 head with KT88 tubes, Marshall 1960 4x12 slant cab
PickupsFender single coil (stock Strat pickups, 1993 era)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass6
mid6.5
treble7
reverb1
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1993 (Siamese Dream sessions). Clean sections likely used the Stratocaster into the JCM800 with low gain, as per era and Corgan's known setup. No evidence of alternate amp for cleans. Pickup position inferred from typical Corgan clean tones and forum discussion.
Tone Character(10)
glassy and articulatechimey top endtight low endclear note separationslightly compresseddynamic responsepresent midsminimal breakuppercussive attacksubtle amp reverb
Difficulty
The clean riff requires fast, precise picking and tight rhythmic control at a high tempo, making it challenging for most players.
Geek U.S.A. settings for your amp
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.
More The Smashing Pumpkins tones
- Mayonaise · riff
- Cherub Rock · riff
- 1979 (Remastered 2012) · riff
- Bullet With Butterfly Wings (Remastered 2012) · riff
- 1979 (Remastered 2012) · riff
- Today · riff
- Geek U.S.A. · riff
- Mayonaise · riff
- Drown (Edit) · riff
- Quiet · riff