Kimberly Kay
| Kimberly Kay | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Guitar used by Billy Corgan | |
| Also known as | Mayonaise guitar |
| Type | Electric |
| Make | Kimberly |
| Model | Bison |
| Year built | 1960s |
Kimberly Kay (sometimes called the Mayonaise guitar) is the name given to a 1960s Kimberly Bison electric guitar owned by Billy Corgan. It is the "secret weapon" used for the howling feedback famously heard on "Mayonaise", and was also used on "1979", "Panopticon" and "Pissant".[1][2]
Unlike stock Kimberly Bisons, Corgan had the knobs replaced with Stratocaster-style knobs, and the whammy bar is missing.[3]
The guitar was purchased for $65 from a pawn shop in Madison, Wisconsin. As such a cheap guitar, it at the time would emit a whistling feedback sound whenever it was plugged in but not played. The pickups used gold foil, creating a unique bleeding tone. Corgan used this to his advantage, and this is the howling feedback heard during the refrains (i.e. at the ~2:01 mark) of "Mayonaise".[4] The guitar was also used in the same sessions for the recording of "Pissant".
Kimberly Kay was the guitar used to write and record "1979".[2] Beyond that, producer Kerry Brown reported that it was used on "Panopticon", when he referred to it as Corgan's "secret weapon".[2] Reportedly, the guitar was also used during the recording of Zeitgeist.[5]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "1993 Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream". Gearslutz. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 An old friend stopped by the studio today, Kerry Brown's blogspot, September 21, 2009
- ↑ http://www.spfc.org/band/equipment.html?equipment_id=152
- ↑ Harris, Sophie. "Smashing Pumpkins' 'Siamese Dream': 10 Things You Didn't Know". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/SmashingPumpkins/comments/ltuozj/the_guitar_used_to_for_the_whistle_effect_on/