Riff Tone

Drain You (Live at Reading, 08/30/92)

Nirvana

Guitarpunk1990s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Japan ST-62 Stratocaster Left Handed (Sunburst, with Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in bridge)

AmpUnknown (likely Marshall JCM800 or JCM900, as used by Cobain live in 1992)

PickupsSeymour Duncan Hot Rails (bridge), Fender single coils (neck/middle)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5.5

mid6

treble7

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Live performance at Reading Festival, August 30, 1992. Guitar confirmed by Equipboard and video/photo evidence. Amp not explicitly confirmed for this show, but Marshall JCM800/JCM900 was Cobain's standard live amp in 1992. Settings estimated for clean section. No evidence of Small Clone or chorus pedal used in clean section at Reading.

Tone Character(10)

glassy and brightclear single coil articulationslightly scooped midspercussive attackdynamic response to pickingminimal breakupslight amp/room reverbopen and airyno modulation or chorustight low end

Difficulty

The clean riff is straightforward but requires good control of picking dynamics and muting to maintain clarity and separation from the distorted sections.

Sources

Nirvana – Live at Reading - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album Watch Nirvana's legendary Reading 1992 set in full in remastered 4K | Guitar World

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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