The long 70s strategy of Billy Corgan has finally arrived

Twenty-seven years ago, someone had stolen Billy Corgan's favorite guitar – a 70s Fender Stratocaster with a DIY floral painting job – after a Smashing Pumpkins concert. Corgan says the Strat was fundamental to the early sound of the band, as we heard in their debut Gish. At the time, Corgan was offering a $ 10,000 reward. In 2010, still in the expectation of his beloved instrument, he brought it to $ 20,000.

Today & # 39; hui, Rolling stone reports that Corgan and the guitar are reunited again. With an exclusive interview with Corgan and the family who found his Start in a garage sale, Rolling stone tells the story of the return of the guitar:

"The guitar came back through Beth James, a mother of three who does not play guitar and lives in Flushing, Michigan, about 80 minutes northwest of Detroit. said that I did not know anything about the guitar.I told my husband that I only paid 100 dollars for that because he would have killed me when he had discovered that I was paying more, and there he stayed for 10 to 12 years. "

Corgan with his 70s Strat

It was only when James wanted to sell the Strat that one of his friends noticed that it could be Corgan's action. After her first attempt at reaching Corgan did not work, she was able to connect via a friend 's brother.

Corgan, who in 2008 worked with Fender to create a Strat signature inspired from the stolen instrument, is delighted to have it back in his arsenal.

"If you had told me 27 years ago that A) the guitar would come back to me someday and B) I would still be in a band with James and Jimmy, I would not have thought you'd share it with me. other, "said Corgan Rolling stone. "So, I think it's cool that we're still playing and that the guitar is part of the new album, and I think it's pretty cool to keep playing, as James says."

Regarding the $ 20,000 reward? Beth James refused. To see images of the meeting and learn more about the instrument, see the section Rolling stone article here. And if you'd like to know more about the famous stolen guitars, check out our article "Always Free: 6 Famous Stolen Guitars Still Needed to Be Recovered".

Of course, in the 27 years that followed the flight of his Strat, Corgan acquired many other guitars. In 2017, he launched the official Reverb Shop Billy Corgan, where he sold 118 pieces of equipment throughout Smashing Pumpkins' career. To see all the guitars, amps and more sold by Corgan on the site, you can see his Reverb Shop here.