GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
Here Is No Why (Remastered 2012) Guitar Tone Settings
The Smashing Pumpkins · 1990s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Fender Stratocaster (likely 1970s or early 80s, stock or Lace Sensor pickups, as used by Billy Corgan in Mellon Collie era studio sessions)
Pickups
Single-coil (likely stock Fender or Lace Sensor Red in bridge position)
Amp
Marshall JMP-1 Tube MIDI Preamp → Mesa/Boogie Strategy 500 Poweramp (studio setup for Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1995 (Remastered 2012 is a remaster of the original 1995 recording). Gear confirmed for studio use on Mellon Collie sessions, not live. No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for this riff section.
Amp Settings
Mids5.5
Bass6
Gain7
Reverb2
Treble7
Presence6
Effects Chain
- Electro-Harmonix Op-Amp Big Muff Pi · fuzz
Fender Stratocaster → Electro-Harmonix Op-Amp Big Muff Pi → Marshall JMP-1 Preamp → Mesa/Boogie Strategy 500 Poweramp
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Tone Character
- thick and saturated
- mid-scooped
- aggressive and punchy
- tight low end
- pronounced upper mids
- sustained power chords
- crisp pick attack
- classic Pumpkins fuzz wall
- articulate despite heavy gain
- layered, compressed rhythm
Notes & Caveats
- No official studio documentation of exact pedal order/settings for this specific song section; settings are based on forum consensus and typical Mellon Collie-era studio rig.
- Pedal models inferred from era, interviews, and audible fuzz character; no direct photo of pedalboard from the session.
- Presence and reverb settings estimated based on typical Marshall JMP-1/Mesa Strategy 500 usage and genre.
- Pickup choice inferred from typical Pumpkins rhythm tone and bridge pickup brightness; not explicitly confirmed for this track.
- No evidence of modulation or time-based effects (chorus, flanger, delay) on the riff section; only fuzz/distortion is clearly audible.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Billy Corgan in the Mellon Collie era used high-gain Marshall amps (often JCM800/900), with mids pushed for that signature Pumpkins wall-of-sound, moderate bass to avoid muddiness, and moderate treble/presence for clarity without harshness. The riff is saturated but articulate, and the production is dry with minimal reverb.