Solo Tone

Porcelina Of The Vast Oceans (Remastered 2012)

The Smashing Pumpkins

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster 'Bat Strat' (mid-70s, DiMarzio pickups, modded, used by Billy Corgan)

AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 head into Marshall 4x12 cab (Soul/Mars combo, studio recording)

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge), DiMarzio HS-3 (neck/middle), single-coil sized humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain7

bass6

mid7.5

treble7

reverb2.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

fuzzElectro-Harmonix Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi (Op-Amp, V4)

Notes

Studio recording for Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness (1995). Billy Corgan's main solo tone was Strat → Big Muff → JCM800. The solo was tracked in the studio, not live. Corgan used the Bat Strat with DiMarzio pickups, and the classic Soul/Mars JCM800 head/cab setup. No evidence of live rig or modern amps for this recording.

Tone Character(10)

singing sustainfuzz-saturated leadliquid sustainaggressive upper-midsrich harmonic feedbacksmooth, violin-like solo tonewall of fuzzcutting lead presencedynamic pick attackclassic Pumpkins Big Muff fuzz

Difficulty

The solo requires advanced control of sustain and feedback, fast picking, and expressive bending, all while managing a high-gain fuzz tone. The phrasing and dynamic control make it challenging for most players.