From Tom DeLonge to Brian Setzer and Noel Gallagher, Reverb's musician shops are always big news and Billy Corgan opening his Smashing Pumpkins vault is for the second time is no exception. So let's take a look at what he's dusted down for you to buy…
The Official Billy Corgan Reverb Shop will feature over 100 pieces of music gear used on Pumpkins and Zwan albums and tours over the years, including acoustic and electric guitars, synthesizers, amps and pedals, and more. We're presuming the clearout was partly inspired by Billy now embracing digital modelling with the Line 6 Helix in his rig, as he explains in the video below.
Our eyes are immediately drawn to a key element of the classic Corgan tone; not one but three 1980s ADA MP-1 preamps are up for sale, two of which were used on The Smashing Pumpkins’ debut album Gish.
“I would run it into a Marshall head. That was my main sound from ‘89 or ‘90 through ‘92,” says Corgan.
The Kurzweil K2500 synthesizers for sale were key to another evolution in the band's sound on the Adore and the Machina albums (Machina/The Machines of God and Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music).
The synths were also used on the tours for Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Adore, and the Machina albums.
Ten guitars are up for sale this time, including a 1976 sunburst Fender Strat (complete with Wizard Of Oz stickers), Yamaha custom-made SA2200, a Harmony Rocket used on the Oceania album and tour.
There's also a Taylor 855 12-string used in both the studio and live for songs from the Machina albums.
Even gear from the band's most recent album CYR is represented with a Sequential Circuit Prophet 10 synthesizer. Corgan confirms it was also used on the Adore and Machina albums.
The Drawmer 1960 stereo compressor comes from Corgan's home studio. “I used it on all my home demos, from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness to the Machina albums,” he said.
Likely to be the greatest draw for fans and collectors are two gold Marshall JMP-1 preamps, another crucial element of the classic Corgan '90s Pumpkins guitar tone. Alongside the ADA, it's a classic tube preamp.
“These vintage pieces are straight out of the ‘90s and were used in the studio and on tour to support Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,” says Corgan.
This isn't an auction, each item has a set price so everyone will get a fair chance when the Official Billy Corgan Reverb Shop opens on September 29… if they're quick on the draw. Visit Reverb to be notified when it goes live.
