Reverend’s futuristic-looking Billy Corgan Z-One model is a “smashing” signature axe

Reverend Guitars has previously paired with Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan on two signature models. Now the company has unveiled a third Corgan guitar, the Z-One, and it’s a heavy collab, indeed. 

The “strikingly cool guitar,” as Guitar World Tech Editor Paul Riario calls it in the above demo, was designed to handle the “heavier songs in the Pumpkins catalog” and boasts an alder body paired with a roasted maple neck and fingerboard. 

And while Paul says it “look similar to Corgan’s original signature, there are some significant differences,” including the fact that it boasts “high-tech stunning looks with the contrast of the brushed aluminum single piece pickguard, graphic etched chrome pickup covers and chrome hardware against the midnight black or metallic silver finish. And a circle-enclosed Z replaces the usual Reverend ‘R’ logo on the headstock.”

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There’s also deeper body cutaways for improved upper-fret access, a string-through design with stainless steel saddles for a ringing attack with massive sustain, and two custom-voiced Railhammer Z-One pickups (etched with custom artwork), which Paul calls “the heart of the guitar” and that deliver a fat midrange and a smooth top end.

“The Z-One is a hard-rock machine with a futuristic look and a neck profile that maintains Reverend’s reputation for speed and comfort,” Paul says. “And thanks to the versatility of the newly-voiced Railhammer pickups, suffice it to say, this guitar is ‘smashing.’ ”

To check out the Z-One for yourself, head to Reverend Guitars.