Riff Tone

Lithium

Nirvana

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster Left Handed (white, rosewood fretboard, likely with Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in bridge)

AmpFender Bassman (studio recording, Nevermind sessions)

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

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5

mid6.5

treble6

reverb1

presence5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1991 Nevermind sessions. Clean tone for riff/verse sections. Guitar likely set to neck or middle pickup for clean sound. No evidence of pedals or effects used for clean parts; Big Muff fuzz only used for distorted sections.

Tone Character(10)

clear and uncompressedrounded, warm midsslightly scooped low endpresent but not harsh trebletight, percussive attackarticulate note separationdynamic response to pickingno audible effectsnatural amp compressionopen, airy feel

Difficulty

The riff is straightforward but requires tight timing, clean chord changes, and dynamic control to maintain clarity and articulation in the clean tone.

Sources

Nirvana – Lithium - Gear & Equipment Used on the Single Kurt Cobain's Guitar Rig, Gear & Pedalboard - Equipboard Lithium live guitar tuning : r/Nirvana - Reddit

This tone has been researched 6 times by the community

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