billy corgan
17:47 Friday, 29 December 2023
It's a fact as old as rock 'n' roll itself: great guitarists, like fine wine, tend to get better with age. But what about their sound? Does that classic tone, forged in the fires of early albums, become a gilded cage, preventing them from evolving?
For Smashing Pumpkins mastermind Billy Corgan, the answer is a resounding no. In a recent interview with Guitar World, Corgan revealed how he's not just embracing his musical past, but actively reimagining it for the modern age, thanks to his partnership with Reverend Guitars.
Remember that undeniable longing for the raw, unpolished magic of a band's early days? It's a phenomenon that transcends genres and generations. The same goes for Corgan's own Smashing Pumpkins – tracks like "Bodies" and "Zero" hold a special place in the hearts of fans, even as the band continues to explore new sonic territories.
Corgan credits Tony Iommi, the godfather of heavy metal himself, with sparking this realization.
"I remember talking to Tony Iommi years ago about his relationship with certain amp makers," Corgan recalls, "He was talking about how people romanticize the old sound, but how he's trying to update that into the modern era. At the time I didn't get it, but as I've gotten older I realized that you want your sound, but at the same time, you don't want it to be dated or old. You want your sound to be brought into the 21st century."
This philosophy forms the bedrock of Corgan's latest Reverend axes: "I get to play brand-new Reverend guitars and it's not like I'm getting an old tone. I'm getting a new version of the tone. I can get my sound out of the box, literally with any amp, whereas in the past it would have to be the right amp and the right guitar."
