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Billy Corgan - Fender Stratocaster - 6/9 Strat

Starting around Fall 1991 (earliest sighting of this guitar is in Rotterdam on 1 Sep 1991), Billy began using a Stratocaster that would go through various incarnations and part swaps up until its likely final destruction at the conclusion of the band's Reading Festival set on August 29, 1992. A show in which they disliked their performance on so much, that they almost broke-up after it and reputedly destroyed their gear at its conclusion. For purposes of identification, we'll call this the "6/9 Strat". Below is the believed evolution of this guitar. This guitar also appears briefly in the "I Am One" video:

~8/91 - Guitar is acquired through unknown means by Billy, it is a Yellow looking factory finish 70's Fender Stratocaster with a Black pickguard and Black pickups (which are consistent with stock pickups for this era) and a White stratocaster-style volume knob replacing the volume knob closest to the bridge pickup. This model has the standard Synchronized Tremolo Bridge (opposed to a hardtail bridge that some Strats feature) and features a reflective house numbering-style number "6" sticker or if looked at from a different angle "9" on the pickguard. The neck is consistent with 70's-style Stratocaster necks made by Fender.

~11/91 - Guitar is painted Silver

2/26/92 - By this time all knobs are now white

3/92-6/92 - This guitar sort of disappears as the Gish strat and Gish backup strat become the set mainstays. Unsure if this version was smashed during this time period or what.

7/24/92 - The 6/9 Strat returns as a different guitar. A Fiesta Red Fender Stratocaster (likely a '57 reissue), but with the same pickguard, pickups (minus a new white pickup in the bridge) and sticker of the previous version of this guitar.

8/29/92 - It is this form of the guitar that was likely destroyed at the conclusion of the Reading Festival (Billy was playing it for the end of the set). This version had lace sensor pickups in all positions.

Note: The 70's neck from the Blonde/Silver version of this guitar may have been used for the guitar Billy plays in the "Rocket" video (more on that guitar to come).



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