Billy Corgan talks about the Big Muff

[iblamesummers]

In all of my research, fuzz just wasn't that big in the repertoire of effects for SP, which is ironic consider how synonymous the big muff and fender blender are with the band name. Basicly one album out of their whole 6 album career featured heavy fuzz use. And when they play songs off of that 1 album live they use preamp distortion instead of a big muff. I was even shocked to find that the main riff for heavy metal machine was not a fuzz pedal, but a small solid state marshall combo (like a mosvalve or something) coming out of the headphone jack straight into the recording console. So, needless to say there is plenty of marketing hype about the pedal (not pointing fingers), but its fun to know that this began literally months after siamese dream was released. Dinosaur Jr. and David Gilmour made much more extensive use of muffs than SP. It makes me giggle to see how much those skreddy pedals go for when the man himself comes out and says he just used a plain old BMP. Market how you will, but I think some names sell devi's pedals a bit short, lets face it, if Corgan had access to a rocket and a dream mangler back then, SD would be a totally different record. I think devi's pedals, in the right hands, can actually create something new and different. Not just copping tones from yesteryear.

we are having a GREAT discussion !!!

[Roseweave]

Given that with Devi's pedals though, it's kind of odd how she doesn't make more Distortions, aside from the Aenima mostly only Fuzzes and lower gain ODs. Devi Distortion is such a badass name too.

Get some JFETs up in that bitch, yo.

[Ghost Hip]

What's the 3 knob boss pedal that's first in the chain?

Looks like he has a pair of NS-2s

Those are last in the chain.... I was talking about the 3 knob DS-1 layout one. Apparently FZ-3.

Actually the NS-2 is first in the chain going right to left....

[sean]

For the Machina album he used small crate practice amps and ran the signal through the headphone jack to get the f'd up distorted sound. You can see these amps in the infamous rig picture from the Machina Tour. This a great article where Billy and co. talk about different sounds they got through out the different albums.

http://www.eqmag.com/article/signal-to- ... t-08/89167

[ohsojayadeva]

that article is interesting, but it seriously contradicts a few things that i've read from corgan in the past. i think he probably gives out different info to different reporters just to fuck with people.

[Blurillaz]

Actually the NS-2 is first in the chain going right to left....

The first on his pedalboard

[iblamesummers]

For the Machina album he used small crate practice amps and ran the signal through the headphone jack to get the f'd up distorted sound. You can see these amps in the infamous rig picture from the Machina Tour. This a great article where Billy and co. talk about different sounds they got through out the different albums.

http://www.eqmag.com/article/signal-to- ... t-08/89167

a litany of DOD pedals...

fuck yeah Billy you are my hero !!!

[darryl2113]

Corgan may have used muffs live for lead tones or the occasional feedback drones, but he just didn't use them like he did on the siamese dream record live. and he didn't use them in the studio that much either. My theory is that the early SP records where about ripping other bands off (not insulting corgan, as he has clearly stated that is what they did pre mellon collie). When Gish came out, everyone screamed "Jane's Addiction rip off!". And when SD came out, everyone seemed to feel it was a Loveless rip off to some degree. Then you hear corgan talk about loveless and you look at who mixed the record (Alan Moulder) and why they got him to mix the record (because of his work on loveless) and it all makes sense to me. He didn't use the mp-1 anymore because he didn't want to sound like Navarro any more, and he didn't use the wall of fuzz sound because he didn't want to sound like kevin shields anymore. Corgan has stated many times that Mellon Collie was the first real "pumpkins record", when they finally became who they truly were.

I have a blender and use it live all the time, and I can safely say that he definitely didn't use that pedal very much at all, ever in their career. When you hear a blender, you can spot it from a mile away (or at least something that sounds similar like a scrambler or octavia). Corgan used a blue box fuzz way more than a blender, yet everyone only associates the bb with led zepplin and prince. The only song (recorded or live) I have ever heard a blender on was "Slunk..live in japan" off the Viewphoria record. In maybe on the very end of Rocket, maybe the end of Silverfuck, and is used as a noise maker on one of the heavy songs of MCIS, but thats it .

[Antero]

What's really odd is that I think I read this exact same interview, word for word, when I was in high school. Like 02 or thereabouts.

[Ghost Hip]

Short Cut: Rocket->White Spider.

[gestaltito]

For the Machina album he used small crate practice amps and ran the signal through the headphone jack to get the f'd up distorted sound. You can see these amps in the infamous rig picture from the Machina Tour. This a great article where Billy and co. talk about different sounds they got through out the different albums.

http://www.eqmag.com/article/signal-to- ... t-08/89167

So small solid state amps...
Now I understand that sound, why Machina gives me headaches (being Siamese Dream my all-time favourite).

[ohsojayadeva]

yeah, again... i always heard those little crate amps in the big machina rig were for his acoustic guitars.

[Roseweave]

Apparently Billy used the Creamy Dreamer Russian Muff during the 1999 Arising! Tour. Anyone have any pictures of it on his board?

[Scruffie]

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/i ... ic=72272.0

Not a hit, just some extra reading on the subject of his use of it, I dunno the truth of this or not.

[Ghost Hip]

Regardless of what big muff he used I think its the fact he's left handed but plays right handed that gets the killer tones...