Today amp settings — Fender Frontman 15G
The Smashing pumpkins guitar tone for “Today”, dialed in for a Fender Frontman 15G with a Gibson SG Modern. Studio version, Siamese Dream (1993) — main distorted riff
1991 Fender Stratocaster with Lace Sensor pickups → Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi → Boss GE-7 EQ → Marshall JCM800 2203 (KT88 tubes) → Marshall 4x12 cab
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 3 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Master | 5 |
01Big Muff Pi (or clone)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. This is essential; the Frontman cannot produce this saturation alone. Run amp near-clean and let the Muff be your entire gain source.
The original tone comes almost entirely from a Big Muff into a clean-ish JCM800 — the amp provided headroom while the pedal delivered the wall of fuzz. Your Frontman 15G is a small solid-state practice amp with no mid knob and cannot produce high-gain saturation from its preamp; maxing its gain creates fizz, not sustain. Keep the amp clean (gain 3) and acquire a Big Muff or clone (Behringer SF300, EHX Green Russian, Donner Dark Mouse) — this is non-negotiable for the Siamese Dream sound. Your SG's humbuckers are hotter than Corgan's Lace Sensors, so roll treble down 1 from original and tone knob to 7 to avoid harshness.
Get this tone on your amp
These settings are for a Fender Frontman 15G. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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