Riff Tone

Come As You Are

Nirvana

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

Guitar1991-1992 Japanese Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar (stock pickups, modded with DiMarzio DP103 PAF 36th Anniversary neck and DiMarzio DP100 Super Distortion bridge, but for 'Come As You Are' riff, likely used a Fender Mustang or Jaguar with stock single-coil neck pickup)

AmpFender Bassman (silverface, late 1960s/early 1970s, used in Nevermind sessions)

PickupsFender single-coil (neck position, likely Mustang or Jaguar stock single-coil)

Amp Settings

gain4.5

bass5.5

mid5.5

treble6.5

reverb1.5

presence5

Effects & Signal Chain

chorusElectro-Harmonix Electro-Harmonix Small Clone

Notes

Studio recording, 1991, Nevermind album. Guitar tuned to D standard (DGCFAD). Main riff section. Effects chain confirmed by producer Butch Vig and multiple sources. No evidence of distortion pedal on riff; chorus pedal is always on for riff. Jaguar and Mustang both used in Nevermind sessions, but most sources and live footage suggest Mustang or Jaguar with neck pickup for this song's riff.

Tone Character(10)

watery and lush chorus modulationdark and brooding clean timbreslightly scooped midsclear and articulate single-note attackwarm neck pickup charactersubtle low-end thumpshimmering modulation textureno audible overdrive or distortionslightly compressed, focused sounddistinctive D standard tuning depth

Difficulty

The riff is technically simple but requires good timing, clean alternate picking, and careful use of the chorus effect to match the iconic sound.

Sources

Kurt Cobain's Guitar Rig, Gear & Pedalboard | Equipboard How to play Come As You Are on guitar | Guitar World Kurt Cobain's guitars, amps & pedals: the definitive guide | Guitar World How do I play “Come As You Are” like the album version? : r/Nirvana Need help finding the best settings to sound like nirvana (on guitar)

This tone has been researched 44 times by the community

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account