Always found Billy to be quite an underrated guitarist. From a sheer talent perspective of all the frontmen from the big bands of the 90s- it’s pretty hard to beat Billy. Saw him live in NYC some years back. Dude takes his guitar and lays down the law with it.
i think he meant when people put Gibson-style humbuckers into Fender guitars. Yes, his pickups are mini humbuckers, but i’m pretty sure he designed them to be like single coils with more beef and less hum. He did still put humbuckers in his Strat tho lmao
As mentioned, its funny that he says "Strats are such expressive guitars, I hate it when people just drop humbuckers in these things" when all 3 pickups are humbuckers... also that he alludes to how perfect it is for him off the rack without modding when he's changed the neck for a '57 reissue, (a neck with a different finish, profile, fret size and fingerboard radius to his signature), which is probably the most drastic change you can make to a bolt-on Fender; they're pretty much a different guitar once you've done that. I do like that he seems to have made it into a cross between his two preferred types of Strat though, his mainstay '70s hardtails and the '57 reissues he played in the Siamese/Mellon Collie eras. With the DiMarzios this one pretty much has vibes from every era of Pumpkins now.
they're humbuckers in a single-coil shape, often referred to as rails, i.e "hot-rails" or "cool-rails". you can have a fatter more traditional sized humbucker like im sure you're used to seeing, or you can have this configuration.
Exactly what I was thinking “I’m playing my production Model...except with a different neck” they’re single coil sized humbuckers. They’re becoming more and more popular. You can still coil split them too. SD JB jr is the best pickup I’ve ever owned
rail size humbuckers are not the same due to the lack of magnetic field. In another post, Corgan likes the clarity and sensitivity of this style pickup with the extra punch, but still keep that single coil chime.
Billy is referring to dual humbuckers in Strats. He's mentioned it before, always been confused by it and so have I. Having three pickups with a 5 way switch is what gives the player huge versatility from a strat.
I believe he is talking about humbucker sized humbuckers because sometimes you have to rout the pickup cavity to fit hums, so buy a 1-2000 dollar guitar then cut it all up is what he doesn't like.
youtert the make single coil sized humbuckers..they used to be called hotrails I think. The pickups in the strat he showed has single coil sized humbuckers.
His Drop D guitar is the 70's Strat that in the early 90's was a clear color (maybe cream) and had I LOVE MY MOM on it... This was later painted blue for MCIS and you can see him using it on the Live in NYC DVD that was just released. Its Blue and has 2 Pumpkins & 1 Ghost sticker on it near the bridge and the blue paint is a little beat up.
The bridge pickup routing on most us strats surprisingly are routed for humbuckers. I've not looked under the pickguard of a BC strat, but I suspect it is. I think he genuinely means full on humbuckers (i.e. Fat strats) - referring to how hot and bottom ended they end up being as a result (as opposed to his relatively bright choice of railed pickups in single coil size)
My guess would be that that sticker is from 76 not the 60s....seeing as it says 76 (the exact number of comments on the video when i showed up)....I'd bet it was from a bicentennial celebration seeing as thats what 1976 was all about in the states.
I'm not even a Strat guy (though I do own and play them), but I've never felt so vindicated as when I heard him say he hates people dropping humbuckers into Strats.
Wait, he said "hello this is Billy Corgan from The Smashing Pumpkins." Duh. If anyone doesn't know this guy, pleeeeeease go listen and learn what the fuck awesome music is.
It's kind of a thing for Strat traditionalists that you shouldn't drop full humbuckers in a Strat. It's partly because of the looks and partly because a single coil sized humbucker still has a Straty quality. It's like putting a humbucker in a Les Paul Junior
Mine is black, but yeah, those pickups are really great sounding! Good job Billy. I like the chopper's Humbucking characteristics much better. I wonder how different a set of calibrated choppers sounds?? Blessed Antonin talked me into it! Tom
Interesting that he hasn't stated a model he uses for songs in Drop-d tuning. Seems unlikely that those 2 guitars would be enough to cover the whole set.
never seen him play an arch top. I'm shocked at the lack of feedback I get from mine but its a semi hollow. I guess we don't all get to or want to be Jesus and Mary Chain.
i think it's funny when he says he hates when people drop humbuckers in strats. his strat has humbuckers that are single coil sized. also, fender produces hss strats now and I actually sought to own one because it is more versatile. I would never own a BC strat. he says it's not a personalized strat and that everyone can use it, but that is a load. Billy is nuts these days. I would own that gretch though
+Daniel Cano anyone who has played one wouldn't be saying that.. BC strat can do anything and everything. One of the greatest and most versatile guitars ever straight off the shelf.
+JonnyUnderrated I agree, I have been building a strat that I got from a pawn shop for $180 that is mim and worth $500. I'm estimating that I will have spent a total of 500-700 make it "souped up and juiced up" to my taste. I would rather spend $700 over time to have my own custom built guitar than spend 1000 on someone else's ideal guitar.
Haha, I thought that at first too. They're single-coil size though, so you can still have the traditional Strat angled bridge pickup. Maybe that's what he was getting at?
Dude... I laughed when he dumped the Strat behind him like an old broom or something. BC is the man!
His signature model, He prob has a dozen of them at home he got for free from fender.
That’s one good thing about fenders, they are tough. Do that with a Gibson and you’ll be paying somebody to fix the broken head stock.
Always found Billy to be quite an underrated guitarist. From a sheer talent perspective of all the frontmen from the big bands of the 90s- it’s pretty hard to beat Billy. Saw him live in NYC some years back. Dude takes his guitar and lays down the law with it.
not forget omar rodruigez lopes lol but yeah : _ D
Corgan is a genius
voldemort's starting to achieve that healthy glow
ha
Once he got that nose prosthetic he found his self esteem and traded his wand for a guitar and fulfilled his lifelong dream of being a musician.
Dude what the hell?! Satriani’s Voldemort!
"Which have more Black Sabbath in there than your average pickup" I love that way of putting it.
Billy Corgan in the early nineties playing a strat is why I play one. Such a beautiful instrument. I'm so happy with it and it's all I play even now.
1:56 He hates when people do what he (and I) both do.
Billy, your pickups are mini humbuckers. :)
Exactly lol.
Perhaps Billy had a few too many glasses of red wine that night.
i think he meant when people put Gibson-style humbuckers into Fender guitars.
Yes, his pickups are mini humbuckers, but i’m pretty sure he designed them to be like single coils with more beef and less hum.
He did still put humbuckers in his Strat tho lmao
@@johnhart8358 lolololol
@@cactus-mcjacktus Exactly.
Humbucker on the bridge single coil on the neck
As mentioned, its funny that he says "Strats are such expressive guitars, I hate it when people just drop humbuckers in these things" when all 3 pickups are humbuckers... also that he alludes to how perfect it is for him off the rack without modding when he's changed the neck for a '57 reissue, (a neck with a different finish, profile, fret size and fingerboard radius to his signature), which is probably the most drastic change you can make to a bolt-on Fender; they're pretty much a different guitar once you've done that. I do like that he seems to have made it into a cross between his two preferred types of Strat though, his mainstay '70s hardtails and the '57 reissues he played in the Siamese/Mellon Collie eras. With the DiMarzios this one pretty much has vibes from every era of Pumpkins now.
thenewyorkpauls wait arent those single coils? on the strat? sorry a bit new
they're humbuckers in a single-coil shape, often referred to as rails, i.e "hot-rails" or "cool-rails". you can have a fatter more traditional sized humbucker like im sure you're used to seeing, or you can have this configuration.
Exactly what I was thinking “I’m playing my production Model...except with a different neck” they’re single coil sized humbuckers. They’re becoming more and more popular. You can still coil split them too. SD JB jr is the best pickup I’ve ever owned
rail size humbuckers are not the same due to the lack of magnetic field. In another post, Corgan likes the clarity and sensitivity of this style pickup with the extra punch, but still keep that single coil chime.
'Billy Corgan's Guitars': The Billy Corgan Signature and The Rock-a-billy Special. Two guitars.
I love this man. He can strum me like his fav guitar 🤘❤️🤘❤️
Billy is referring to dual humbuckers in Strats. He's mentioned it before, always been confused by it and so have I. Having three pickups with a 5 way switch is what gives the player huge versatility from a strat.
But it’s still nice having a Duncan JB in the bridge where you’re plugged into a JMP
Corgan is a legend with life!!!!
I believe he is talking about humbucker sized humbuckers because sometimes you have to rout the pickup cavity to fit hums, so buy a 1-2000 dollar guitar then cut it all up is what he doesn't like.
bingo
It's just a pick guard.
Isn't every humbucker a humbucker sized humbucker?
youtert the make single coil sized humbuckers..they used to be called hotrails I think. The pickups in the strat he showed has single coil sized humbuckers.
bullsi20 that’s the only time a stray sounds good
Awesome!
His Drop D guitar is the 70's Strat that in the early 90's was a clear color (maybe cream) and had I LOVE MY MOM on it... This was later painted blue for MCIS and you can see him using it on the Live in NYC DVD that was just released. Its Blue and has 2 Pumpkins & 1 Ghost sticker on it near the bridge and the blue paint is a little beat up.
Its a good guitar and there are a lot of sounds you can get from it. I checked it out awhile back at guitar center.
I just bought one of these. It’s a great guitar.
Thanks Binny!
16 dislikes= ex bass players
I have that guitar. Its awesome
Why is his strat discontinued!? I wanted to buy it so bad.
Perry Giambuzzi cause he has a guitar deal with a different company, same reason you can’t find John Mayer strats
Jameson Jones all over reverb
He has a model with Reverend Guitars now. I own one and it's a sweet, sweet, guitar.
He said fender tried to rip him off
@@void0094What interview was that in? Please link if its on UA-cam.
Billy Corgan gives back to his fans which is so important.
The bridge pickup routing on most us strats surprisingly are routed for humbuckers. I've not looked under the pickguard of a BC strat, but I suspect it is. I think he genuinely means full on humbuckers (i.e. Fat strats) - referring to how hot and bottom ended they end up being as a result (as opposed to his relatively bright choice of railed pickups in single coil size)
where do you buy that bridge? im looking for it right now
I never pictured Corgan as a hollowbody Gretsch kinda guy.
I ❤️ stratocaster
Country Billy Darcy badasses
Must be the axes of evil we hear so much about
Good one!!
Ha! Still funny in 2021.
Billy’s a legend!
1:58 - Try telling that to Mick Mars and Joe Holmes.
Is any other human watching this in 2021??
...just me then...?
Yes
Rounded neck w the dimarzios(?) Totally sick
My guess would be that that sticker is from 76 not the 60s....seeing as it says 76 (the exact number of comments on the video when i showed up)....I'd bet it was from a bicentennial celebration seeing as thats what 1976 was all about in the states.
Those humbuckers will have a much cleaner tone than he would get from PAF pickups and still have a punch.
Can someone please elaborate on why he hates people putting hum buckers in a Strat?
I'm not even a Strat guy (though I do own and play them), but I've never felt so vindicated as when I heard him say he hates people dropping humbuckers into Strats.
Wait, he said "hello this is Billy Corgan from The Smashing Pumpkins." Duh.
If anyone doesn't know this guy, pleeeeeease go listen and learn what the fuck awesome music is.
damn he holds that like nothing!
Gothic egg talks about the virtues of single size humbuckers.
Anyone know what strings he uses ?
everything you want to know would be on uberproaudio.com
Ethan Singleton Read a gear interview in a guitar magazine where he said he plays 09-42.
He generally uses DR Hi-beam nickel-plated strings (9-42).
Ya'll realize that those pickups sound different than full-size humbuckers right? Yeah thought so..
Even back in the day he used Lace, which is basically a humbucker-style single-coil.
he says he doesnt like humbuckers but all three of those are humbuckers
Not full humbuckers though
It's kind of a thing for Strat traditionalists that you shouldn't drop full humbuckers in a Strat. It's partly because of the looks and partly because a single coil sized humbucker still has a Straty quality. It's like putting a humbucker in a Les Paul Junior
I’m sure he says, "I was younger and a lot more nipple then"...
Mine is black, but yeah, those pickups are really great sounding! Good job Billy. I like the chopper's Humbucking characteristics much better. I wonder how different a set of calibrated choppers sounds?? Blessed Antonin talked me into it! Tom
Those blade pickups are humbuckers though. I guess he hates the big humbuckers in strats but it's splitting hairs.
“I hate when people drop humbuckers into these”
*looks directly at his single coil sized humbuckers*
😂
Interesting that he hasn't stated a model he uses for songs in Drop-d tuning. Seems unlikely that those 2 guitars would be enough to cover the whole set.
1:56 "I hate when people just drop humbuckers into these things" But aren't those single coil humbuckers?
SpaceOrbison lol
Uh... you dropped single spaced humbuckers in there!
never seen him play an arch top. I'm shocked at the lack of feedback I get from mine but its a semi hollow. I guess we don't all get to or want to be Jesus and Mary Chain.
Haha "Younger and uh... a little more NIMBLE" love that.
oops forgot the Reverend!
This is BR (before reverend).
Eric Clapton plays his production model as well, and he only has three of them.
I love billy but... "I hate when people drop humbuckers in these" - He says as he points to his railed dimarzios that are little humbuckers.
1:56 who me?
i think it's funny when he says he hates when people drop humbuckers in strats. his strat has humbuckers that are single coil sized. also, fender produces hss strats now and I actually sought to own one because it is more versatile. I would never own a BC strat. he says it's not a personalized strat and that everyone can use it, but that is a load. Billy is nuts these days. I would own that gretch though
+Daniel Cano anyone who has played one wouldn't be saying that.. BC strat can do anything and everything. One of the greatest and most versatile guitars ever straight off the shelf.
Such irrational and internet laden hatred.
...this gretsch looks nice...
A thousand bucks is pretty damn expensive.... I still love you tho billy!
+JonnyUnderrated I agree, I have been building a strat that I got from a pawn shop for $180 that is mim and worth $500. I'm estimating that I will have spent a total of 500-700 make it "souped up and juiced up" to my taste. I would rather spend $700 over time to have my own custom built guitar than spend 1000 on someone else's ideal guitar.
for a signature guitar, 1g isnt that bad.......
You're poor, $1,000 is not a lot for a guitar.
Just save 84 a month and you have the money at the end of the year plus at the end of the year almost guitar stores have clearance sales
a bit conservative with 2 guitars shown here I'd be buying up a lot of rare or custom made guitars if I was him
hates when people drop humbuckers in strats. Signature strat has three humbuckers in it.
***** I'm not a guitar technology expert, but I'm pretty sure they're single coils...
Good thing you're not a "guitar technology expert", because they're not. They're singlecoil-sized humbuckers.
Ah right
Why doesn’t he like humbuckers that’s what he put in
He fails to mention that his earliest and best music was recorded on stock Fender stuff.
It wasn't stock, he modded the pickups on all his Fenders.
Nope. He had lace sensor pickups installed on all of his Fender strats since the very early 90's.
LOL! He says he hates humbuckers in Strats but technically rail pickups ARE humbuckers!
He hates when people just drop humbuckers in strats? These DiMarzios are humbuckers.
Haha, I thought that at first too. They're single-coil size though, so you can still have the traditional Strat angled bridge pickup. Maybe that's what he was getting at?
James Wallace - Yeah I agree, I think he just means the thick chunky sounding Gibson humbuckers
Yeah but the sound is literally a humbucker
Talks so good ab his model guitar then just throws it on the floor to pick up the gibby
Haha gretch
I actually don't like him that much but I think he meant routing out the body for humbuckers, ruins the value.
I don't like Strats but that's a nice one!
"I hate when people just drop humbucker s in these things". Guess what Billy? Your DiMarzio pickups are single coil sized humbuckers
he's talking about modding. he hates seeing people drop thousands of dollars just to drop the value with shoddy routing.
"a source of pride that I play the same production model" but he said he replaced the neck. Eh, that's no longer the production model!!
Pete Clarke and the addition of that neck is going to cost you about 400$US
I think he means the production model has that '57 style neck.
I hate when people put humbuckers in this thing
*Looks over at my strat with two humbuckers*
He seems sad
Thats his trademark
It's only a $1000 or so...? Yeah
That's damn cheap for a signature american made Fender Stratocaster
So are regular american made strats
I never knew billy plays fast leads, I dont even think he knows any scale at all
he hates when people drop humbukkers in strats....what about people that drop the strats....like he did
1000$ is not yung musician money come on give me that 400$ off brand shit
I wish he had just called "Melancholy and the infinite sadness" just "infinite sadness" instead 🤔
billy the bore :P