MAKE OFFER Fender Stratocaster 1988 Black Over Metallic Candy Apple Red Billy Corgan Siamese Dream

This is a priceless piece of history. We are taking your best offer into account to find the right buyer.

This Fender Stratocaster is from the private collection of Billy Corgan.

It is the guitar that defined the sound of The Smashing Pumpkins in the mid-'90s and along with it, the sound of a true historical moment in rock music.

There were two primary guitars for Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie.... The number one is referred to as the Bat Strat, which you can see in videos. This is number two, and was equally important having graced not only the album tracks, but also stages around the world.

Nearly every clean guitar sound on those two albums was recorded with this guitar. Almost all of the solos on those albums were done with this guitar. The intro of 'Today,' the 'Cherub Rock' solo (which won Guitar World's best solo of the year) – that is all this guitar.

Appraising this guitar's "condition" in the traditional sense seems like a fool's errand. Given its place in rock history, I think it's fair to say that no one is going to be splitting hairs over the finish, the stickers, or the non-original parts. If you're curious, this guitar started its life as a 1988 '57 AVRI Strat (according to the neck date) with a metallic candy apple red finish and white pickguard. At some point it was spray painted black and the pickguard was painted red, though the original finish has worn through in places and the pickguard paint has mostly been picked away. There are thirteen star stickers and six dot stickers on the front, along with a faded "Organic" sticker and an iridescent pig sticker on the headstock. The original pickups have been swapped out for Lace Sensors. The original bridge saddles have been swapped out for graphite versions, and the string tree has been traded for a roller-type tree. It should be noted that, although Corgan's later signature Strat models were hardtail, this historic Strat that defined him as a guitar hero had a traditional vibrato bridge, with all five springs left in place. The backplate has been removed and discarded.

This is without question one of the nicest playing Strats you'll ever lay hands on. It is road-tested and settled in, with hundreds of hours of intense playing that shaped its resonance and character. Despite the spray paint finish (which can feel a bit sticky in humid conditions), the neck and playability are incredibly comfortable. Everything plays as it did when Corgan last took it out on tour. As for the sound, well...you wouldn't be looking at this guitar if you didn't already know what it sounded like. If you need a reminder, stop what you're doing and listen to the Siamese Dream LP right now.

This guitar ships in a vintage-type Fender hardshell case, with the original pickups included. Also in the case you'll find an All Access Pass from the June 9, 1991 Underworld event and a sticker ad for something we'll just call less music-related.

Weight: 8.2 lbs. (3.7 kg)

This item will ship with a physical Certificate of Authenticity from Reverb.com.