Riff Tone

Something In The Way

Nirvana

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarStella 12-string acoustic (strung with 5 or 6 steel strings, likely missing high E)

AmpNone (direct mic'd acoustic, no amp used in studio recording)

PickupsNone (acoustic guitar, no pickups on studio version)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass3

mid2.5

treble2.5

reverb0

presence2

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio version, recorded 1991 for Nevermind. Kurt Cobain played a pawn shop Stella 12-string acoustic guitar, reportedly with only 5 or 6 strings, sitting on a couch in the control room. No amp or pedals were used for the main riff/verse section. The guitar was mic'd directly. No electric guitar or amp on this section. This is confirmed by multiple sources and interviews.

Tone Character(10)

warm and muteddark and mellowsoft and intimatelo-fi acoustic textureslightly detuned, janglyminimal sustainno brightness or sparkleno compression or effectsvery soft attackfragile, haunting quality

Difficulty

The riff is technically simple, with basic chords and a slow tempo, but requires a gentle touch and dynamic control to capture the haunting, muted acoustic feel.

Sources

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

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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