Marshall MG10 settings
Heart-Shaped Box settings for Marshall MG10
Nirvana · adapted 3 times on ToneAdapt
To get the Nirvana "Heart-Shaped Box" riff tone on a Marshall MG10, set Gain 5.5, Contour 7, Clean volume 0, Overdrive volume 6. Use the bridge pickup with your guitar's tone on 7-8 and volume on 8-9.
Riff settings
Adapted for a Martin Guitars (General) · updated 2026-10-25
- Pickup
- Bridge pickup
- Guitar knobs
- Tone 7-8 · Volume 8-9
Marshall MG10 knobs
- Gain
- 5.5
- Contour
- 7
- Clean volume
- 0
- Overdrive volume
- 6
Built-in effects
- Reverb off
Playing tips
- Focus on tight palm muting for chugging riffs.
- Use a percussive attack to emphasize the dynamics.
- Experiment with picking harder for more aggressive tones.
The original rig
What Nirvana used on the recording, for reference. ToneAdapt translates this to the controls your Marshall MG10 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 MG10 settings for Heart-Shaped Box?
Set Gain 5.5, Contour 7, Clean volume 0, Overdrive volume 6.
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 Martin Guitars (General). 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 MG10
- Master of Puppets · Metallica
- Sweet Child O' Mine · Guns N' Roses
- Enter Sandman · Metallica
- Hotel California · Eagles
- Walk · Pantera
- Highway to Hell · AC/DC
- Iron Man · Black Sabbath
- Stairway to Heaven · Led Zeppelin
- Back in Black · AC/DC
- Whole Lotta Love · Led Zeppelin
- Layla · Derek and the Dominos
- 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.