Boss Katana 50 MkII settings
Heart-Shaped Box settings for Boss Katana 50 MkII
Nirvana · adapted 10 times on ToneAdapt
To get the Nirvana "Heart-Shaped Box" riff tone on a Boss Katana 50 MkII, set Gain 6.5, Bass 6, Mid 7, Treble 6, Reverb 0.5, Fx 0. Use the bridge pickup with your guitar's tone on 7-8 and volume on 8-9.
Riff settings
updated 2026-10-29
- Pickup
- Bridge pickup
- Guitar knobs
- Tone 7-8 · Volume 8-9
Boss Katana 50 MkII knobs
- Gain
- 6.5
- Bass
- 6
- Mid
- 7
- Treble
- 6
- Reverb
- 0.5
- Fx
- 0
- Bst
- 0
- Variation
- 0
- Power control
- 2
Built-in effects
- Reverb on (Spring) · 0.5
Playing tips
- Use tight palm muting for chugging riffs to capture the punchy attack.
- Focus on dynamic picking to achieve the gritty edge of breakup tone.
- Experiment with your amp's built-in reverb to add depth without overwhelming the tone.
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 Jaguar (early 1960s, modified with DiMarzio Super Distortion bridge pickup and black Seymour Duncan Hot Rails neck pickup)
- Amp
- Fender Twin Reverb (Silverface, late 1970s)
- Gain
- 6.5
- Bass
- 6
- Mid
- 7
- Treble
- 6
- Presence
- 5
- Reverb
- 2
Different guitar or pedals? Get Heart-Shaped Box 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 Heart-Shaped Box?
Set Gain 6.5, Bass 6, Mid 7, Treble 6, Reverb 0.5, Fx 0.
Which pickup should I use for Heart-Shaped Box?
Bridge pickup, with the guitar's tone at 7-8 and volume at 8-9.
What gear did Nirvana use on Heart-Shaped Box?
Guitar: Fender Jaguar (early 1960s, modified with DiMarzio Super Distortion bridge pickup and black Seymour Duncan Hot Rails neck pickup). Amp: Fender Twin Reverb (Silverface, late 1970s).
Will these settings work with my guitar?
Different pickups change how much gain and treble you need. ToneAdapt adapts the tone to your exact guitar, pickups, amp and pedals.
Heart-Shaped Box on other amps
- Heart-Shaped Box on Fender Mustang LT25 · 165
- Heart-Shaped Box on Fender Frontman 10G · 67
- Heart-Shaped Box on Boss Katana · 62
- Heart-Shaped Box on Fender Champion 20 · 30
- Heart-Shaped Box on Line 6 Helix Floor / LT / Rack · 20
- Heart-Shaped Box on Fender Frontman 20G · 19
- Heart-Shaped Box on Fender Frontman 15G · 18
- Heart-Shaped Box on Orange Crush 12 · 17
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.