“A Line 6 Spider III got me where I am today!”: Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Kiki Wong thinks it’s more important to have an expensive guitar than a pricey amp
Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Kiki Wong is living proof that you don’t need boutique gear to make a big impact online – or to land the gig of a lifetime. In fact, she says her entire career was built on a humble Line 6 practice amp and a belief that the guitar itself matters far more than whatever you’re plugging into.
READ MORE: The best affordable guitar amplifiers: perfect practice amps and gig-ready options
Appearing in the new issue of Guitarist, Wong – who landed a spot in the Pumpkins after a 2024 open call that drew over 10,000 applicants – is presented with the classic gear dilemma: if forced to choose, would she rather have a great guitar and a cheap amp, or a cheap guitar and a top-tier amp? Her answer is immediate.
“I am 1,000 per cent onboard with a great guitar and a cheap amp,” she says. “Now, this obviously applies to me being home and playing. I’ve been playing out of a Line 6 Spider III 15-watt amp that I purchased in 2007. I’ve made about half of my TikTok videos with that amp, which is essentially where it got me today.”
“People talk a lot of poo about my tone,” she adds. “But, honestly, it’s what I love and have loved since I was a kid. Now, on tour, it’s definitely a different story – you’ve gotta have all cylinders running. But, overall, I love a great guitar.”
When it comes to pickups, Wong’s stance is equally definitive. Asked whether she’d choose humbuckers or single coils for the rest of her career, she says, “1,000 per cent humbuckers. Again, it goes off of how much I like the dirty, grungy metal tone. You really can’t achieve it without those humbies.”
It’s a belief that places her firmly on one side of one of the guitar world’s oldest debates: does great tone come from the instrument itself, or from the amplifier behind it? Covet frontwoman Yvette Young, meanwhile, represents the opposite camp, arguing that a great amp is the true foundation of great tone.
Speaking to Guitarist, Young insisted that even an expensive guitar can sound lacklustre through a poor amplifier: “It’s like ruining a really nice audio file with… I don’t know… something that’s going to degrade it a lot,” she said. “There’s no point, right? I’d rather go for the expensive amp.”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
