Riff Tone
Something In The Way
Nirvana
Guitarrock1990s
Original Gear
GuitarUnivox Hi-Flier Phase 3
AmpVox AC30 (used in Nevermind sessions per Butch Vig interview)
PickupsUnivox Hi-Flier stock single coils (likely P-90 style, but some sources suggest humbucker variants; Phase 3 typically had humbuckers)
Amp Settings
gain4.5
bass6
mid6.5
treble5.5
reverb1
presence5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1991, Nevermind sessions. This is for the distorted/heavy (riff/chorus) section, not the acoustic intro. Guitar and amp confirmed for Nevermind era; pedal use for this song is not explicitly confirmed in sources.
Tone Character(10)
gritty and rawmid-heavy and boxyloose, fuzzy attackslightly compressed dynamicsopen, uncompressed feelmodest sustainslightly nasal midrangenot tight or percussivelo-fi, garage rock edgenot high-gain, more classic rock crunch
Difficulty
The riff is slow and uses basic power chords with straightforward rhythm, making it accessible to beginners with minimal technical challenge.
Sources
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock1990s
Original Gear
GuitarUnivox Hi-Flier Phase 3
AmpVox AC30 (used in Nevermind sessions per Butch Vig interview)
PickupsUnivox Hi-Flier stock single coils (likely P-90 style, but some sources suggest humbucker variants; Phase 3 typically had humbuckers)
Amp Settings
gain4.5
bass6
mid6.5
treble5.5
reverb1
presence5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1991, Nevermind sessions. This is for the distorted/heavy (riff/chorus) section, not the acoustic intro. Guitar and amp confirmed for Nevermind era; pedal use for this song is not explicitly confirmed in sources.
Tone Character(10)
gritty and rawmid-heavy and boxyloose, fuzzy attackslightly compressed dynamicsopen, uncompressed feelmodest sustainslightly nasal midrangenot tight or percussivelo-fi, garage rock edgenot high-gain, more classic rock crunch
Difficulty
The riff is slow and uses basic power chords with straightforward rhythm, making it accessible to beginners with minimal technical challenge.
Something In The Way settings for your amp
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.
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