Are the Smashing Pumpkins secretly road-testing new Yamaha prototypes?

The Smashing Pumpkins perform live
(Image credit: Jeff Hahne/Getty Images)

Since their reformation, the Smashing Pumpkins have been pursuing some major gear switch-ups, with Billy Corgan signing up for a Reverend signature model and employing Line 6’s Helix, and now it seems James Iha and Jeff Schroeder are road-testing an all-new Yamaha electric guitar design.

In a recent Instagram post, the Pumpkins shared a shot of Iha performing live, showcasing the guitarist playing an electric nobody can quite pinpoint.

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Michael Astley-Brown
Editor-in-Chief, GuitarWorld.com

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and over a decade's experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.