Riff Tone

Blew

Nirvana

Guitarpunk1990s

Original Gear

GuitarUnivox Hi-Flier Phase 3

AmpMesa/Boogie Studio .22 Preamp into Crown Power Base 2 Power Amp (Bleach studio sessions, Reciprocal Recording 1988-1989)

PickupsP-90 style single coils (stock Univox Hi-Flier pickups)

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6

mid6.5

treble7

reverb0

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1988-1989. Guitar confirmed as Univox Hi-Flier for Bleach era; amp setup inferred from Bleach session documentation and engineer Jack Endino's notes. No evidence of live rig or later gear for studio version. No chorus, delay, or modulation effects audible or cited for the riff section.

Tone Character(9)

fuzzy and saturatedraw and aggressiveloose, sludgy low endpronounced midrange growlgrainy, compressed texturethick, heavy power chordsminimal clarity, intentionally muddypunchy, percussive pick attackno audible modulation or time-based effects

Difficulty

The riff is straightforward in terms of fretting and rhythm, but requires tight palm muting, aggressive picking, and control of string noise in a high-gain, low-tuned context.

Sources

Kurt Cobain's Guitar Rig, Gear & Pedalboard What guitar and amp would be best for the Bleach tone? : r/Nirvana

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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