1991 turns 35. Nevermind, the Black Album, Ten, Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Use Your Illusion all hit their 35th anniversary in Aug–Sep 2026 — arguably the greatest guitar year ever. Plus 40 years of Reign in Blood. Here are the tones behind each, researched and adaptable to your rig.
🎸 Get any of these tones on YOUR rig — free, no signup →The biggest-selling metal album ever. Hetfield’s tight scooped rhythm crunch (Mesa/Boogie into Marshall cabs) and Hammett’s wah-soaked leads defined 90s metal tone.
Grunge’s arena-rock wing: Mike McCready’s Strat-into-Marshall SRV-inflected leads and Stone Gossard’s thick riff bed.
The album that ended hair metal. Cobain’s quiet-verse/wall-of-fuzz-chorus contrast (Boss DS-1/DS-2 into a Mesa Studio .22) is one of the most-asked-about tones ever.
Frusciante’s dry, funky Strat tone — same release day as Nevermind. Minimal effects, maximum feel.
Drop-tuned, dissonant, heavy — Kim Thayil’s Guild/Peavey wall on the third big record of Sept 24, 1991.
Slash’s Les Paul into cranked Marshalls at its most epic — November Rain, Estranged, Civil War.
The fastest, most extreme record of its era. King and Hanneman’s chainsaw Marshall JCM800 tone set the thrash template.
Maiden goes guitar-synth: Murray and Smith’s harmonized leads over galloping rhythm.
Daron Malakian’s drop-C chaos — huge scooped Mesa crunch flipping to eerie cleans on a dime. Chop Suey!, Toxicity and Aerials still define nu-metal-era guitar.
The heaviest mainstream record of its era: Mick Thomson and Jim Root’s drop-B wall of tight, gated high gain.
Tom Scholz’s home-built Rockman-precursor tone — the singing, harmonized lead sound of More Than a Feeling turns 50.
Felder and Walsh’s twin-guitar harmony outro — arguably the most famous dual-lead ever recorded — turns 50.
Adam Jones’ Les Paul into Diezel/Marshall — the thick, deliberate prog-metal crunch of Stinkfist and Forty Six & 2.
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