Riff Tone

Mayonaise

The Smashing Pumpkins

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely 1970s or early 1990s, used by James Iha on Siamese Dream)

AmpMarshall JCM800 (studio recording, Siamese Dream era, clean channel)

PickupsSingle-coil (Fender stock or similar, bridge position recommended for riff/clean part per MusicRadar)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass6

mid6.5

treble6.5

reverb3

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1992-1993, Siamese Dream sessions. James Iha played the clean riff sections. Amp set clean, Big Muff fuzz not engaged for clean parts. Pickup choice and amp settings inferred from MusicRadar and era-typical setups.

Tone Character(10)

dreamy and mellowopen and airychiming cleanslightly glassydynamic and touch-sensitivemildly compressedclear note separationwarm but present highssubtle amp breakup at peakssensitive to picking dynamics

Difficulty

The riff requires familiarity with alternate tunings, precise chord voicings, and dynamic picking to maintain the clean, chiming tone. While not technically advanced, the unique tuning and need for touch sensitivity raise the difficulty above beginner level.