Fender Champion 20 settings
Heart-Shaped Box settings for Fender Champion 20
Nirvana · adapted 30 times on ToneAdapt
To get the Nirvana "Heart-Shaped Box" riff tone on a Fender Champion 20, set Gain 6.5, Volume 7, Bass 5, Treble 6, Fx level 0, Fx select 0. Use the bridge pickup with your guitar's tone on 7-8 and volume on 8-9.
Riff settings
Adapted for a Squier Stratocaster · updated 2026-11-11
- Pickup
- Bridge pickup
- Guitar knobs
- Tone 7-8 · Volume 8-9
Fender Champion 20 knobs
- Gain
- 6.5
- Volume
- 7
- Bass
- 5
- Treble
- 6
- Fx level
- 0
- Fx select
- 0
Built-in effects
- Reverb on (Spring) · 3
Playing tips
- Use palm muting for tight chugs to capture the punchy attack.
- Pick aggressively to enhance the percussive quality of the riff.
- Experiment with varying your picking dynamics for a more expressive tone.
Solo settings
Adapted for a Jackson JS Series King V JS32 · updated 2026-02-20
- Preset / mode
- 70s British
- Pickup
- Bridge pickup
- Guitar knobs
- Tone 7-8 · Volume 8-9
Fender Champion 20 knobs
- Gain
- 7
- Bass
- 5
- Mid
- 6
- Treble
- 6
- Reverb
- 0
Playing tips
- Use aggressive picking to enhance the raw attack.
- Experiment with palm muting for a more pronounced crunch.
- Incorporate modulation effects to achieve the seasick tone.
The original rig
What Nirvana used on the recording, for reference. ToneAdapt translates this to the controls your Fender Champion 20 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 Fender Champion 20 settings for Heart-Shaped Box?
Set Gain 6.5, Volume 7, Bass 5, Treble 6, Fx level 0, Fx select 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?
These settings were adapted for a Squier Stratocaster. 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 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 Fender Champion 20
All Nirvana tones →Popular songs on the Fender Champion 20
- Master of Puppets · Metallica
- Sweet Child O' Mine · Guns N' Roses
- Hotel California · Eagles
- Enter Sandman · Metallica
- Walk · Pantera
- Back in Black · AC/DC
- Whole Lotta Love · Led Zeppelin
- Stairway to Heaven · Led Zeppelin
- Mr. Brightside · The Killers
- Crazy Train · Ozzy Osbourne
- Highway to Hell · AC/DC
- Welcome to the Jungle · Guns N' Roses
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.