Marshall DSL40CR settings
Heart-Shaped Box settings for Marshall DSL40CR
Nirvana · adapted 4 times on ToneAdapt
To get the Nirvana "Heart-Shaped Box" riff tone on a Marshall DSL40CR, set Gain 6.5, Bass 5, Mid 7, Treble 6, Presence 5, Resonance 5. Use the bridge pickup with your guitar's tone on 7-8 and volume on 8-9.
Riff settings
Adapted for a Gibson Les Paul · updated 2026-10-17
- Pickup
- Bridge pickup
- Guitar knobs
- Tone 7-8 · Volume 8-9
Marshall DSL40CR knobs
- Gain
- 6.5
- Bass
- 5
- Mid
- 7
- Treble
- 6
- Presence
- 5
- Resonance
- 5
- Reverb
- 0.5
- Tone shift
- 1
- Output power
- 1
Built-in effects
- Reverb on · 0.5
Playing tips
- Use your amp's built-in reverb set to a low level to recreate the spacious feel of the original tone.
- Focus on tight palm-muted chugs to capture the punchy, aggressive nature of the riff.
- Experiment with picking dynamics to achieve a gritty edge of breakup tone.
The original rig
What Nirvana used on the recording, for reference. ToneAdapt translates this to the controls your Marshall DSL40CR 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 Marshall DSL40CR settings for Heart-Shaped Box?
Set Gain 6.5, Bass 5, Mid 7, Treble 6, Presence 5, Resonance 5.
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 Gibson Les Paul. 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
Popular songs on the Marshall DSL40CR
- Sweet Child O' Mine · Guns N' Roses
- Master of Puppets · Metallica
- Back in Black · AC/DC
- Enter Sandman · Metallica
- Whole Lotta Love · Led Zeppelin
- Hotel California · Eagles
- Crazy Train · Ozzy Osbourne
- Highway to Hell · AC/DC
- Walk · Pantera
- Welcome To The Jungle · Guns N' Roses
- Iron Man · Black Sabbath
- Holy Wars · Megadeth
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.