Cherub Rock

This video features the Reverend Billy Corgan signature Z-One. I honestly could not have picked a better guitar for this song. Sustain is a huge part of the sound in this song, especially toward the back end of the solo, and this guitar delivers in a big way. You can really hear it hold onto those notes. It fits the style perfectly. The tone is thick, powerful, and there is something about those humbuckers that really brings this song to life. Huge thanks to Reverend for sponsoring this video and sending this guitar out.

I have said it before and I will say it again, they make some of the best guitars I have ever played. The Vernon Reed signature is one my favourites in my studio.

Onto the song.

I tried to include as many of the guitar parts as possible in this tab, since Billy Corgan tracked multiple layered guitars throughout the song. Measures 9 to 14 feature guitar 1 in the main tab. However, the background guitar, which is guitar 2, sounds like it is playing a power chord consisting of low E open, A string 7th fret, and D string 9th fret, using the same rhythm as the main guitar. Many tabs show guitar 2 repeating the octave shape, but I am hearing the 5th in the power chord. It is possible that the fuzz layers create that illusion. Live, guitar 2 appears to double the octave shape Billy plays, which is what is shown in the main tab. This same approach is also used in verse 1 and chorus 1.

Measures 15 to 42 are guitar 1, reflecting Billy’s main part and how he would generally perform it live. In measure 39, on beat 4, guitar 2 plays the octave shape on the 11th fret while the main guitar plays the octave shape on the 14th fret, which is shown in the tab.

Measures 42 to 58 are guitar 2, reflecting how James Iha would play it live. This same approach is also used in verse 1 and chorus 1. The chords for guitar 2 are displayed while the solo plays above the tab. Measures 66 to 70, the build up before the solo, feature guitar 2 playing the same power chord shape mentioned in the intro.

Measures 79 to 99 show the rhythm chord part for guitar 2 as James Iha would play it live. However, he actually plays the back end of the solo, so this part can be swapped with the open chords that Billy plays. Either option works.

In measure 102, live Billy returns to the 11th fret octave shape on beat 4, but in the studio recording he plays the octave shape on the 14th fret, which is what is shown in the tab. Measures 104 to 107 feature Billy tremolo picking the climbing octave shapes, while guitar 2 plays the main riff of the song, similar to measure 100, as displayed in the tab.

Hope this helps clarify the guitar layers. Both parts in the full will be included with the music notes tab. Thank you so much for watching and playing along.