Riff Tone

I Am One (Remastered 2011)

The Smashing Pumpkins

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely 1970s, used on Gish sessions)

AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 head with KT88 power tubes, run via ADA MP-1 MIDI Programmable Tube Preamp

PickupsLace Sensor single coils (high output, likely Red or Blue in bridge position)

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb0.5

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1990-1991 (Gish sessions). Billy Corgan ran an ADA MP-1 preamp into a Marshall JCM800 head with KT88 tubes for the main riff tone. This is confirmed for the Gish album, not just live. Guitar is a Strat with Lace Sensors, not a Les Paul or other model. No evidence of Big Muff or RAT for this riff section; those were used on later albums or solos.

Tone Character(10)

tight and saturatedaggressive pick attackpercussive and punchyrich harmonic overtonesfocused midrangeminimal ambiencedry, direct soundlayered for thicknessarticulate riff clarityhigh output, compressed feel

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, fast alternate picking and precise palm muting to achieve the signature percussive attack, with challenging timing and stamina for the main riff groove.

Sources

The Smashing Pumpkins – Gish (Remastered) - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album | Equipboard r/SmashingPumpkinsGear Chasing Billy Corgan's guitar tone.. : r/SmashingPumpkins What do I need to setup a Smashing Pumpkins Guitar sound?

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