Riff Tone

Smells Like Teen Spirit

Nirvana

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarEarly-'90s Japanese Fender Stratocaster (rosewood neck, Seymour Duncan JB bridge humbucker)

AmpMesa/Boogie Studio Preamp (Rhythm channel) into Crown Power Base 2 power amp, Marshall 1960B 4x12 cabinet with Celestion G12T-75 speakers

PickupsSeymour Duncan JB (SH-4) bridge humbucker

Amp Settings

gain7

bass4.5

mid6.5

treble6.5

reverb0

presence3

Effects & Signal Chain

distortionBoss Boss DS-1 Distortion

Notes

Studio recording, 1991, Nevermind album sessions at Sound City Studios. Settings and gear confirmed for studio, not live. Used Boss DS-1 for distortion, no amp gain channel. Pickup choice and pedal use confirmed for riff/chorus section.

Tone Character(10)

raw and saturatedmid-heavy and cuttingtight and percussive attackaggressive, punchy rhythmminimal ambience (dry)gritty, abrasive distortionarticulate palm mutingloud and in-your-faceslightly compressedclassic '90s grunge sound

Difficulty

The riff is based on simple power chords and straightforward rhythm, but requires tight palm muting, fast chord changes, and aggressive attack to capture the song's energy.

Sources

Kurt Cobain‘s guitar tone on Nirvana‘s Smells Like Teen Spirit: secrets behind the sound | Guitar World Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit | Wiki @ Ultimate-Guitar.com Kurt Cobain's Guitar Rig, Gear & Pedalboard | Equipboard

This tone has been researched 196 times by the community

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