Riff Tone

About a Girl

Nirvana

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarEpiphone ET-270

Amp1960s Fender Twin Reverb (borrowed from Jack Endino for Bleach studio recording)

PickupsSingle-coil (stock Epiphone ET-270 pickups)

Amp Settings

gain4

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb1.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, Bleach album (1988-1989). Guitar and amp confirmed by Guitar World and Jack Endino interview. No pedals used for riff section; distortion pedal only for solo/bridge. Neck pickup used for main riff.

Tone Character(10)

warm and roundedclean and janglyarticulate strummingslightly mid-forwardbright but not harshuncompressed attackdry and directno audible effectsclear note separationslightly scooped lows

Difficulty

The riff is based on straightforward barre chords and requires steady, even strumming with a clean tone. The main challenge is keeping the rhythm tight and the dynamics consistent.

Sources

Kurt Cobain's guitars, amps & pedals: the definitive guide | Guitar World Need help finding the best settings to sound like nirvana (on guitar)About A Girl Non-distorted sound : r/Nirvana - Reddit

This tone has been researched 13 times by the community

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