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The Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock - Guitar Lesson

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The Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock - Guitar Lesson

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The Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

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Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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The Smashing Pumpkins Alternative Rock E major
Capo Advisor 0 E major · Original key

Cherub Rock

"Cherub Rock" is the opening track and lead single from The Smashing Pumpkins' second album, Siamese Dream (1993). Written by Billy Corgan, it serves as a bold introduction to the album's layered, distortion-heavy sound. For electric guitarists, it is a rewarding study in thick, multi-tracked riffs, dynamic shifts between quiet verses and explosive choruses, and Corgan's signature use of heavy distortion and melodic phrasing.

  • Billy Corgan famously layered dozens of guitar tracks on Siamese Dream, making 'Cherub Rock' a dense wall-of-sound arrangement.
  • The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance, highlighting its impact in the rock genre.
  • As the album's opening track, 'Cherub Rock' sets the tone with a slow guitar build that erupts into a full distorted riff.
Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Billy Corgan's primary weapon, particularly his late-'70s hardtail model with stock single-coils that create the Pumpkins' signature scooped, fizzy fuzz tone when slammed into a Big Muff. The single-coil bridge pickup delivers that aggressive high-end sizzle and cutting sustain central to their distorted sound.

Fender Telecaster
Guitar

Fender Telecaster

James Iha's go-to rhythm guitar, providing bright, cutting tones that complement Corgan's Strat-based layers and add definition to the band's wall-of-sound approach without sacrificing the clarity needed in their dense arrangements.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Corgan used Les Pauls with stock PAF-style humbuckers for warmer, thicker lead tones that contrast with his Strat's fizz, allowing him to shift between aggressive rhythm fuzz and fat, sustaining solos throughout the Pumpkins' catalog.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

A variation of Corgan's Les Paul arsenal, the Custom offered similar warm humbucker character for lead work while its thicker body resonance provided deeper low-end support for the band's heavier passages on later recordings.

Gibson ES-335
Guitar

Gibson ES-335

Corgan deployed this semi-hollow body for textured, slightly more organic tones that provided sonic variety beyond his Strat and Les Paul, particularly useful for cleaner, more nuanced passages that needed definition without harsh high-end artifacts.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The core of Corgan's distortion tone, cranked to the edge of breakup and pushed harder by his Big Muff pedal, the JCM800's natural tube compression and high-volume sustain became synonymous with the Pumpkins' crushing wall-of-sound aesthetic.

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