Billy Corgan has magic hearing

sp3k · Post by **sp3k** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 5:12 pm

That or he's just a big cork sniffer...

[youtube][/youtube]

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 5:41 pm

I enjoy listening to the videos I have seen of him going through stuff. I do like that he seems to be trying to use amp sounds vs relying on pedals. It is a neat concept. I do agree with him that different guitars and pickups drive sounds and amps differently. If you are picky about your sound, it makes sense to me that you would want to try to replicate what you have as best as you can in a live setting.

Big bad Billy from ZZ Top has custom equalizer settings for all his live guitars to make them sound sonically like his favorite guitar. His tech tryied to mimic the soundwaves his favorite guitar makes using a rack EQ.

With sound being what it is, I totally understand that what is needed to get a sound in a huge venue is going to be different than a small studio space. The way sound bounces and carries is going to be different and you have to adjust if you want the sound to be as true to the original as you can.

The "amp sound" vs "pedal" sound also makes me think of Tom Morello and Billy Jo Armstrong because early Green Day and Rage stuff was supposed to be mostly amp driven. Billy's amp was modded and Tom Morello has said many times that his distortion is from his amp vs a pedal.

Cool stuff.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 6:38 pm

Billy Corgan: Sounds like Kermit, looks like Miss Piggy

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 6:41 pm

Obligatory Dirks comment

Concretebadger · Post by **Concretebadger** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 7:23 pm

It's an interesting vid, although I've not really listened to the new record. Personally it was all about everything up to and including MCIS, but the guitar sounds of the later stuff didn't inspire me.

I'm not really surprised that his amp array is HYUGE though...when you're at that level of stardom I guess you have the finances and manpower behind you to build an extensive rig and carry it around. Even so, I don't think my own amp rig would change much, no matter how much more cash I'd have at my disposal. I might swap my DRRI for a Twin and get an extension cab for my Boogie but TBH I can't understand the need for more than two or three amps excluding backups.

Proof that I've not been following Corgan's rig lately: the biggest surprise was the lack of loads of custom Muffs and other fuzzes. Maybe I ought to give Oceania a listen and see how different it is...

sholkham · Post by **sholkham** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 11:32 pm

I think guitar techs start putting stuff like that together out of boredom

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 3:10 am

Randall MTS!

Very great idea.

GODDAMN, i saw VAMP on the pedal board and was hoping to god that it wasn't/was a real fucking VAMPOWER head. I lust for one so hard.
http://www.vampower.com/home.html

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:08 am

I IRL LOL'd when he said he uses the "Fender Billy Corgan Strat with Special Dimarzios".

Other than that I thought it was a good watch. I always enjoy hearing known players get sentimental about their early guitars and gear. On the other hand, I wonder was there really only ONE other strat that reminded him of his Gish strat in tonal characteristics? Like out of ALL the strats out there that Billy Corgan has access to?

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:28 am

i dug the whole thing. he was actually friendly and not a complete fucking cunt

wish he got out the jaguar. i didn't know he was playing them

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:29 am

wait. what.

that motherfucker

ekwatts · Post by **ekwatts** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 12:13 pm

If I had INFINITE CAAAAASH I'd buy two Matamp GT200s and two Matamp 6x12s and a 2x15. In green.

Concretebadger · Post by **Concretebadger** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 6:20 pm

robroe wrote:i dug the whole thing. he was actually friendly and not a complete fucking cunt

wish he got out the jaguar. i didn't know he was playing them

Yeah. He's a good songwriter, good musician, total gearhead and - although it's an aquired taste - not a bad vocalist. Why does he have to ruin that by being such a dick so much of the time? I'm glad that side of him didn't come out here.

I recall that jag with the maple 'board being used around the Zwan era. Not sure if he's used it since though.

Ben79 · Post by **Ben79** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:45 pm

While I admire Corgan's musical talents, I like it that I have no money and have to search, scrape and get lucky to get hold of anything and make what I can of it - that struggle feels like an intrinsic part of the creative process to me.

theshadowofseattle · Post by **theshadowofseattle** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 11:30 pm

Nick wrote:I IRL LOL'd when he said he uses the "Fender Billy Corgan Strat with Special Dimarzios".

DITTO.

I mean, why can't he just call it "my strat" or "the signature strat I had made"?

awfurby · Post by **awfurby** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 11:15 am

How do those Randall MTS modules work? How do you hook them up?

Thom · Post by **Thom** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 1:42 pm

robroe wrote:i dug the whole thing. he was actually friendly and not a complete fucking cunt

wish he got out the jaguar. i didn't know he was playing them

Totally. Surprisingly nice guy in this vid.

Noirie. · Post by **Noirie.** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 1:44 pm

Them Jaguars appear to be them new '65 Avri ones.

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 12:35 pm

Thom wrote:
robroe wrote:i dug the whole thing. he was actually friendly and not a complete fucking cunt

wish he got out the jaguar. i didn't know he was playing them
Totally. Surprisingly nice guy in this vid.

Yup - I was expecting him to be a total arsehole, but he seemed like a decent guy

sfx · Post by **sfx** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 12:04 pm

Nice plug for Skreddy too. That guy makes some killer pedals.

so1om · Post by **so1om** » Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:41 am

I've lived in chicago all my life, been playing over 35 years since i was 9. i recall when they came out and... that's about it. I always found his voice just... and yeah. I don't think i ever heard one of their songs all the way thru. My nephew had james iha's old marshall for a while..

so really.. does nothing for me. but i do like musicians that know their gear.