Riff Tone
Lithium (Live In Amsterdam At Paradiso, November 25, 1991)
Nirvana
Guitarrock1990s
Original Gear
GuitarFender Japan MG-69 Mustang (sunburst, stock pickups, right-handed, flipped lefty, as used by Kurt Cobain in 1991 live shows)
AmpMesa/Boogie Studio Preamp + Crown Power Amp into Marshall 4x12 cabinet (live rig, 1991)
PickupsStock Fender single-coil Mustang pickups
Amp Settings
gain0
bass5.5
mid6.5
treble7
reverb1
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Live performance at Paradiso, Amsterdam, November 25, 1991. Clean tone for verse/riff sections. Guitar is the sunburst Fender Mustang seen in video and photo evidence from this tour. Amp setup matches Nevermind-era live rig. No evidence of studio amps (Bassman, Vox) being used live.
Tone Character(10)
clean and janglybright but not piercingslightly compressedclear note separationpercussive attackmodest amp reverb for spacedynamic and responsivesingle-coil clarityno modulation or chorusdistinctly grunge-era clean
Difficulty
The clean riff requires accurate picking and muting to keep the arpeggiated chords clear and noise-free, but the chord shapes and tempo are accessible for most players.
Sources
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Original Gear
GuitarFender Japan MG-69 Mustang (sunburst, stock pickups, right-handed, flipped lefty, as used by Kurt Cobain in 1991 live shows)
AmpMesa/Boogie Studio Preamp + Crown Power Amp into Marshall 4x12 cabinet (live rig, 1991)
PickupsStock Fender single-coil Mustang pickups
Amp Settings
gain0
bass5.5
mid6.5
treble7
reverb1
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Live performance at Paradiso, Amsterdam, November 25, 1991. Clean tone for verse/riff sections. Guitar is the sunburst Fender Mustang seen in video and photo evidence from this tour. Amp setup matches Nevermind-era live rig. No evidence of studio amps (Bassman, Vox) being used live.
Tone Character(10)
clean and janglybright but not piercingslightly compressedclear note separationpercussive attackmodest amp reverb for spacedynamic and responsivesingle-coil clarityno modulation or chorusdistinctly grunge-era clean
Difficulty
The clean riff requires accurate picking and muting to keep the arpeggiated chords clear and noise-free, but the chord shapes and tempo are accessible for most players.
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