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Riff Tone

Polly

Nirvana

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarStella 6-string acoustic (steel-string converted to nylon, only 5 strings at time of recording)

AmpNone (recorded direct with microphones, no amp used for riff section on studio recording)

PickupsNone (acoustic guitar, no pickups)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass3

mid3

treble3

reverb0

presence2.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1990 (Nevermind sessions at Smart Studios). Kurt Cobain used a cheap Stella acoustic guitar, reportedly strung with nylon strings and missing one string. No amplifier or pedals were used for the riff section; the guitar was recorded with microphones. No evidence of amp or pedal use for this part.

Tone Character(10)

raw and jankylo-fi and intimateflat and slightly out-of-tunewarm and muted highspercussive and woody attackminimal sustaindirect, unprocessed acoustic soundno reverb or delayclose-mic'd, dry recordingslightly buzzy due to old strings

Difficulty

The riff is played with simple open chords and a straightforward strumming pattern, making it accessible to beginners. The main challenge is maintaining a soft, consistent dynamic and the raw feel of the original recording.

Sources

Kurt Cobain's Guitar Rig, Gear & Pedalboard - Equipboard Kurt Cobain's guitars, amps & pedals: the definitive guide | Guitar World

This tone has been researched 4 times by the community

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Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarStella 6-string acoustic (steel-string converted to nylon, only 5 strings at time of recording)

AmpNone (recorded direct with microphones, no amp used for riff section on studio recording)

PickupsNone (acoustic guitar, no pickups)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass3

mid3

treble3

reverb0

presence2.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Sources

Kurt Cobain's Guitar Rig, Gear & Pedalboard - Equipboard Kurt Cobain's guitars, amps & pedals: the definitive guide | Guitar World

This tone has been researched 4 times by the community

Notes

Studio recording, 1990 (Nevermind sessions at Smart Studios). Kurt Cobain used a cheap Stella acoustic guitar, reportedly strung with nylon strings and missing one string. No amplifier or pedals were used for the riff section; the guitar was recorded with microphones. No evidence of amp or pedal use for this part.

Tone Character(10)

raw and jankylo-fi and intimateflat and slightly out-of-tunewarm and muted highspercussive and woody attackminimal sustaindirect, unprocessed acoustic soundno reverb or delayclose-mic'd, dry recordingslightly buzzy due to old strings

Difficulty

The riff is played with simple open chords and a straightforward strumming pattern, making it accessible to beginners. The main challenge is maintaining a soft, consistent dynamic and the raw feel of the original recording.

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Polly by Nirvana — Riff Tone Settings | ToneAdapt