Billy Corgan Stratocaster
| Billy Corgan Stratocaster | |
|---|---|
 Chicago Sun-Times | |
| Guitar used by Billy Corgan | |
| Also known as | Billy Corgan Signature Stratocaster |
| Type | Electric |
| Make | Fender |
| Model | Stratocaster |
| Body | Alder |
| Neck |
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| Fretboard |
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| No. of frets | 22 |
| Pickups |
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| Controls |
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| Pickguard | 3-Ply |
| Length | 25.5” (648 mm) |
| Produced | June 2008 – June 2012 |
| First played | 2008 |
The Billy Corgan Signature Stratocaster was released in June 2008, after two decades of Billy Corgan devoting himself to Fender. Boasting a hardtail bridge, 1970s-style headstock, and three DiMarzio humbucker pickups, the guitar was "made to Corgan's exact specs to create his famous mid-’90s buzz-saw tone."[1] Reportedly, he built it to re-create his Gish guitar which was stolen after a 1992 show.[2]
Early prototypes of the guitar were used in recording Zeitgeist. During the Zeitgeist tour, he used his signature Strat "every night."[3] Come the The Other Side of the Kaleidyscope tour (2011), he was using one of three all-white signature guitars. One had a "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" with an octopus sticker and was used for standard-tuned songs. Another used for E♭ tuning featured "76" / "BURBANK" stickers, while the third had a glittery "X" and several red Devo "energy dome" stickers used for songs in drop D.[2]
| “ | I’m playing music from over a 17-year period of the Pumpkins’ history. So I’m playing everything from what would be, you know, early, kind of spacey Pumpkins to grunge to complete cyber-metal to ballads, and anybody who knows the Pumpkins’ music knows that there’s a lot of versatility in the guitar playing and the sounds. So I really need an instrument that can very easily provide me … you know, I don’t have time to switch guitars between every song. It’s like, I have to be able to make quick decisions about how to make things work, and I’ve been very satisfied with these guitars. | ” |
| — Billy Corgan, Fender interview, July 2008[3] | ||
The Billy Corgan Stratocaster was in production from 2008 through 2012, with its listing on their website removed by June 2012.[2] In a 2018 Instagram Q&A, when asked if he'd work with Fender again, Corgan said "Never. They disrespected me and I would never go back." Pressed for details, he replied that it's "too petty to get into."[4]
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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with X / Devo energy dome stickers (drop D tuning)
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with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea & octopus stickers (standard tuning)
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with Burbank/76 stickers (E♭ tuning)
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Headstock
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References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Billy Corgan Stratocaster". Fender. Archived from the original on February 25, 2009.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Billy Corgan – Fender Stratocaster – Billy Corgan Signature Model". SPFC. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The alt-rock founding father on his smashing new signature Stratocaster® guitar". Fender. July 2008. Archived from the original on December 4, 2011.
- ↑ "Billy Corgan Says No More Fender or Gibson Signature Models After Feuds with Both". Reverb. August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2023.