Boss Katana 50 MkII settings
Drain You settings for Boss Katana 50 MkII
Nirvana · adapted 2 times on ToneAdapt
To get the Nirvana "Drain You" riff tone on a Boss Katana 50 MkII, set Gain 1.5, Bass 5.5, Mid 5.5, Treble 7, Reverb 1, Tap 0. Use the neck pickup with your guitar's tone on 7-8 and volume on 8-9.
Riff settings
Adapted for a Squier Telecaster · updated 2026-08-21
- Pickup
- Neck pickup
- Guitar knobs
- Tone 7-8 · Volume 8-9
Boss Katana 50 MkII knobs
- Gain
- 1.5
- Bass
- 5.5
- Mid
- 5.5
- Treble
- 7
- Reverb
- 1
- Tap
- 0
- Variation
- 0
- Power control
- 3
Built-in effects
- Reverb on (spring) · 4.5
Playing tips
- Use your amp's built-in reverb set to a moderate level to recreate the spacious feel of the original tone.
- Pick with a light touch for a clear, percussive attack characteristic of the original riff.
- Experiment with dynamic picking to enhance the articulate single-coil clarity.
The original rig
What Nirvana used on the recording, for reference. ToneAdapt translates this to the controls your Boss Katana 50 MkII actually has.
- Guitar
- Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar (1991-1992, custom modded, DiMarzio pickups)
- Amp
- Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp into Crown Power Amp and Marshall 4x12 cabinet
- Gain
- 8
- Bass
- 6
- Mid
- 6
- Treble
- 7
- Presence
- 6
- Reverb
- 1
Different guitar or pedals? Get Drain You adapted to your exact rig
These settings were generated for the gear named above. ToneAdapt adapts Nirvana's tone to your own guitar, pickups, amp and pedals in seconds.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Boss Katana 50 MkII settings for Drain You?
Set Gain 1.5, Bass 5.5, Mid 5.5, Treble 7, Reverb 1, Tap 0.
Which pickup should I use for Drain You?
Neck pickup, with the guitar's tone at 7-8 and volume at 8-9.
What gear did Nirvana use on Drain You?
Guitar: Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar (1991-1992, custom modded, DiMarzio pickups). Amp: Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp into Crown Power Amp and Marshall 4x12 cabinet.
Will these settings work with my guitar?
These settings were adapted for a Squier Telecaster. Different pickups change how much gain and treble you need. ToneAdapt adapts the tone to your exact guitar, pickups, amp and pedals.
Drain You on other amps
More Nirvana on the Boss Katana 50 MkII
All Nirvana tones →Popular songs on the Boss Katana 50 MkII
- Master of Puppets · Metallica
- Walk · Pantera
- Sweet Child O' Mine · Guns N' Roses
- Enter Sandman · Metallica
- Hotel California · Eagles
- Holy Wars · Megadeth
- Raining Blood · Slayer
- Crazy Train · Ozzy Osbourne
- Whole Lotta Love · Led Zeppelin
- Iron Man · Black Sabbath
- Welcome to the Jungle · Guns N' Roses
- 1979 · The Smashing Pumpkins
Settings are generated by ToneAdapt's tone adaptation for the gear named on this page and are a starting point — every amp, guitar and room is a little different.