“For me, Sabbath was the blueprint and until I started using a Laney amp and I bought a vintage amp which was the same supergroup series (as the original LA100BL) I never realized that part of what attracted me to that sound was the Laney sound” – Billy Corgan.
In the ultimate power move, Billy Corgan, frontman of one of the greatest bands of all time, The Smashing Pumpkins has joined the Laney Amplification family as an artist.
After purchasing a Laney LA100SM Head on the 2nd hand market and searching for a Laney LA412 Cabinet, Billy Corgan reached out to our family-run company, based in the West Midlands UK, to get more of “that God-like power” as he so puts it.
Of course, we were happy to help him out!
We sat down with Billy to discuss how his love for Black Sabbath and Tony Iommi came full circle when he started using Laney amplifiers in the studio, and recently as part of his live show. Most notably the Laney LA100SM Super Modified amplifier.
Watch an exclusive interview shot backstage before the Smashing Pumpkins show at the Toyota Center in Houston in 2022. Here, Billy covers the topics of his beginnings as a musician, his love of Tony Iommi & Black Sabbath, and the reason why he joined Laney amplifiers as an artist.
“It’s the sound of God. Tony on the guitar through a Laney is the sound of God. It’s never gotten any better. I’ve never heard a better sound.”
Any Smashing Pumpkins fan will know that Mr Corgan certainly doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to opinions on what sounds good, and what doesn’t. Renowned for being a tone purist and audiophile (which is why we guitarists study him so much) he was drawn to the sound of the Laney LA100SM. Why? It was based on the original LA100BL – an amp used by Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, on the Black Sabbath, Paranoid and Master Of Reality albums.
That first note you hear on ‘Black Sabbath’? That Diminished 5th otherwise known as the Devil’s Interval? That’s the sound of a Laney LA100BL. That single chord signified the birth of Heavy Metal, Doom, Stoner Rock and countless other genres to come.
The sound of that amp on ‘Master of Reality’ was also the “aha” moment for Billy Corgan.
“When I was eight years old I used to spend a lot of time with my maternal grandmother. And her son, my uncle, was a drummer who had a very progressive rock collection. One day I asked my grandmother to use his stereo, and the very first record in the pile was ‘Master of Reality’ by Black Sabbath. This is when I’m eight years old. I literally put on side one of Master reality and the first thing here is the cough…and here comes ‘Sweet Leaf’
And I was like “what is this sound? I’d never heard anything like it!
My father was a musician. I’d heard the guitar. I’d heard David Bowie at that point, I mean, I knew music but Sabbath hit me like a wave! It was like what the **** is this thing I’m listening to? And then Ozzy’s voice, the doubling of Tony’s guitar was mystical to me.
And I’ve chased that sound my whole life.
“For me, Sabbath was the blueprint and until I started using a Laney amp and I bought a vintage amp which was the same supergroup series (as the original LA100BL) I never realized that part of what attracted me to that sound was the Laney sound”
On the search for the Black Sabbath sound and with the LA100BL out of production, Billy discovered the LA100SM – a redesign of the original amp with one essential feature – a master volume control, but the same incredible vintage growl.
“I’ve used a lot of Laney amps, particularly vintage, over the last 10-12 years on Pumpkins recordings and there’s a density and a warmth that can only come from a Laney.
I found that there are modern amplifiers that I like using that give me that sort of high-gain context but also have a certain clarity. So the way I’m using the Laney is sort of like a contrasting thing. Somewhere between super-high bright modern gain and let’s call it more of a vintage gain.”
The LA100SM was a limited-release product which Billy had actually purchased for himself on the used market. Unable to find any more due to collectors coveting this sacred sound, Billy reached out to our engineers to try and get more of these amps. Incidentally – this ability to contact Laney engineers led him to join us as an artist, and a key reason why Laney amps are the premier choice for guitarists.
Fortunately for us here at Laney we just happened to have the pair archived and were able to recreate two for him, which have now become a main stayer in his incredible touring rig and are tube amps loud enough for a stage show as remarkable as his!
In addition, Billy also has two Laney LA412 cabinets which he has fallen in love with, so much so that he has pushed aside the same cabinets he had been using since the early 90’s Siamese Dream days.
Billy’s current Laney amp setup includes two 100-watt Laney LA100SM Super Modified hand-wired tube guitar heads alongside a variety of other amps. Billy also runs all of his amplifiers through Laney LA412 4 x 12″ Celestion G12H loaded cabinets.
Pic: The Laney LA100SM is now one of Billy’s main amplifiers onstage.
“I’ve always chased vintage Laney cabinets. I don’t know if anybody knows the market but you cannot find vintage Laney cabinets anywhere. I’ve looked and they are nowhere!
I saw that Laney had put out these cabinets (LA412 4 x 12″) and they all sold. I was able to find a used one and the minute we put it in the recording chain, Howard Willing (record producer, engineer and mixer) whom I’ve worked with for years since ‘97 starting with the Adore album and Smashing Pumpkins, looks to me and says “well I like that better!” so immediately the vintage Laney cabinet superseded the same Marshall that I’ve been using since Siamese Dream.
It kicked it out of the recording line. So all those amps have been put away and I started using that Laney cabinet. For the first time since ‘93, I’m using new cabinets on tour. I’ve literally used the same cabinets since 93’ and now I’ve replaced those with the Laney vintage cabinets.”
Pic: Billy Corgan uses the Laney LA412 4×12 Cabinet loaded with Celestion G12H speakers
Billy Corgan’s Laney LA100SM amplifier settings are:
He currently runs two amps in parallel to get that iconic Smashing Pumpkins growl that fans will know and appreciate.
Photo courtesy of Billy’s guitar technician.
The Laney LA100SM Super Modified Supergroup is a hand-crafted, point-to-point wired amp that is a faithful recreation of the original late 60’s LA Supergroup amp used by Tony Iommi during the recording process of Black Sabbath’s first album, with one crucial addition: a master volume control.
This addition allows you to dial in the perfect level for any situation, without sacrificing the amp’s signature harmonic content and pure valve tone. Whether you’re playing live or recording in the studio, the LA100SM’s single channel and uncompressed sound can stand up on its own or be used as a platform for your pedalboards – both key features utilised by Billy Corgan.
Missed out on a LA100Sm? Sound like Billy Corgan using the Laney LA-STUDIO amp! In that article, I show you how to get his live and studio sound.
“I’m excited to be in a relationship with Laney because Laney has influenced my music. Laney has influenced the way I hear music and, in many ways, Laney connected me to my ultimate guitar hero which is Tony Iommi.
No one’s done it better. Tony’s the man. He will always be the man to me so when I play Laney it not only connects me to that feeling that I got when I was 8 but it’s almost a direct pipeline to that sound.
What’s so fantastic is the fact that Laney’s still in the same family and that tradition is still existing. It’s not some multinational company. What’s exciting about working with Laney is the opportunity to take Laney into the 21st century and create that inspiration for another generation.”
All of us at Laney Amplification are proud to welcome Billy Corgan to our Artist Roster.
View Billy Corgan’s Laney amplifier and cabinet here.