How Billy Corgan Lost and Became Reunited With His Famous ‘Gish’ Guitar

There are few more iconic duos in pop culture than a guitarist and their guitar. It’s the equivalent of a knight and their sword, a writer and their pen, a wizard and their wand, it’s an extension of themselves, a third arm you might even say. Hence, when a guitarist loses their guitar, they don’t just lose their guitar—They lose a part of themselves. Well, this has happened to many, but one of the more notable is Smashing Pumpkins guitarist and lead singer, Billy Corgan.

Known for the one-of-a-kind fuzzes and buzzes in their music, The Smashing Pumpkins were very meticulous about their equipment. It all needed to sound imperfectly perfect and offer the band with the signature sound they tried so hard to achieve. When the band recorded their debut album, Gish, Corgan acquired his infamous 1974 Fender Stratocaster from Pumpkins drummer, Jimmy Chamberlain. The guitar gifted Corgan and the Pumpkins the sound they longed for, so once they finished the album, the guitar became another member of the band. Until it went missing…

Stolen Right Out The Backdoor

Following the release of Gish, The Smashing Pumpkins hit the road and made a tragically iconic stop in Detroit. Following the show, Corgan’s famed guitar was taken from backstage. Corgan recalled in a YouTube video, “We didn’t have a normal roadcrew so we took our buddy who would roadie for us” and we “Played the show, walked offstage. I was down in the dressing room and here comes the friend/roadie: ‘Somebody just walked out the back door with your guitar.’”

The pursuit for Corgan’s third arm was in full pursuit, as he offered a $10,000 reward for its return. Later on, when the police became involved, Corgan raised the offer of $20,000. However, the incentive did not make any difference. The guitar remained lost in the world, until one arbitrary day.

Billy Corgan’s Guitar Comes Home

27 years after the guitar’s initial disappearance, suddenly, Corgan found out the guitar might be at an estate sale in Sunset Marquee in Los Angeles. After investigating and arriving at the sale, Corgan opened up the case, saw the iconic DIY paint job, and just knew it was his guitar. Upon finding it he remembered, “There it was, just as I remembered it. The paint job I put on it, the weird markings that only I would know about, and 27 years later, it’s back.”

It seems Corgan never lost hope, as he stated “I always felt the guitar would come back to me” and “I can’t say why I felt that way, so I never really stressed about it too hard.” Lastly, Corgan knows the impact of retrieving his guitar, he knows it’s worth both to him and the greater public. Corgan shared near the end of the video, “It’s hard to put into words, other than it’s the sound of my youth and a few other people’s.”

Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for KROQ/Entercom