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Today Riff Guitar Tone Settings — The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins · 1990s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
1974 Fender Stratocaster
Pickups
Fender single-coil pickups (stock 1974 Stratocaster)
Amp
Marshall JCM800 2203 (with KT88 power tubes, studio recording)
Pickup Position
Position 4 (neck + middle)
Studio recording, 1992-1993 (Siamese Dream sessions). Clean riff section. Billy Corgan is known to use his '74 Strat for the clean parts, direct into the Marshall JCM800 with KT88 tubes for more headroom and less breakup. No evidence of pedals in the clean signal chain for this section; Corgan has stated he prefers as direct a signal as possible for rhythm/clean parts. No evidence of chorus, phaser, or other modulation on the clean riff. No evidence of amp reverb being used.
Amp Settings
Mids6.5
Bass6
Gain0
Reverb1
Treble6.5
Presence6
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Tone Character
- bright and glassy
- articulate and percussive
- clear note separation
- dynamic and responsive
- slightly compressed from amp headroom
- no audible breakup
- no reverb or delay
- direct and unprocessed
- Stratocaster chime
- tight low end
Notes & Caveats
- Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
- No direct source gives exact amp knob settings for the clean riff section; settings estimated based on typical Marshall JCM800 clean headroom with KT88 tubes and genre/era.
- No evidence of pedals or amp reverb/modulation used on the clean riff; confirmed by Corgan's own statements about keeping rhythm/clean parts as direct as possible.
- Pickup position inferred from typical Stratocaster clean tones and live footage; not directly confirmed for this exact recording.
- If new evidence emerges of subtle modulation or reverb on the clean riff, update accordingly.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Billy Corgan used a Big Muff into a cranked Marshall JCM800 for 'Today,' resulting in a thick, saturated high-gain sound with forward mids and tight low end. The tone is punchy but not scooped, with moderate treble and presence for clarity, and minimal reverb as per early 90s alt-rock production.