🎸 Rock · 1990s

Come As You Are by Nirvana (Solo · Clean) — Guitar Tone

by Nirvana · solo

The Come As You Are by Nirvana guitar tone is built on a Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp into Crown Power Amp, dialed in at gain 0/10, bass 6, mid 6.5, treble 6, presence 5 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

🎛️ These settings are for the original rig — re-dial them for YOUR amp in 10 seconds. Free, no signup →

Amp settings (0–10)

GAIN

BASS

6.5

MID

TREBLE

PRESENCE

REVERB

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

How these settings compare

Measured against the 540 rock tones in our researched catalog: Gain 0 sits well below the rock average (4.8) — cleaner and more dynamic than typical rock; mids at 6.5 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

7-8

VOLUME

5-7

TONE

Original gear

Guitar: Fender Mustang (early 1970s, likely Japanese reissue, as used on Nevermind sessions) · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp into Crown Power Amp (studio recording, Nevermind era, 1991)

Studio recording, 1991, Nevermind sessions. Guitar: Fender Mustang with stock single-coil pickups, neck position. Amp: Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp into Crown Power Amp, into Marshall 4x12 cabinet. Effects: Electro-Harmonix Small Clone chorus pedal always on for clean sections. No amp reverb or delay. Settings are for clean, chorus-laden solo section.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Marshall songs & tones →🎚️ Mesa/Boogie songs & tones →🎚️ single-coil guitars songs & tones →🎚️ Fender Mustang songs & tones →

Don’t own this gear? GuitarToneAdapt re-creates the sound on the rig you actually have.

Pickups

Neck pickup

Signal chain

Fender Mustang (early 1970s, likely Japanese reissue, as used on Nevermind sessions) → Electro-Harmonix Small Clone → Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp into Crown Power Amp (studio recording, Nevermind era, 1991)

Effects

chorus

Tone character

watery and lush modulation, warm and slightly dark, rounded, mellow highs, distinct chorus swirl, clean and moody, not harsh or piercing, full-bodied low end, subtle attack, smooth sustain, slightly compressed feel

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, medium tempo, medium dynamics · clean distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Come As You Are sound.

Difficulty

2/5 · Solo

The solo is technically simple but requires precise picking and timing to maintain clarity with the chorus effect. The main challenge is keeping the clean tone articulate and in sync with the modulation.

Worth knowing

Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
No direct amp knob photos from the studio session; settings are based on multiple reputable sources and typical Nevermind-era rig.
Presence and reverb settings are estimated based on genre/era and lack of evidence for amp reverb use.
Pickup choice is inferred from tone descriptors and typical Cobain practice for clean sections.
No evidence of delay, flanger, or other modulation except chorus; chorus pedal is clearly audible and universally cited.
If using a different Mustang or Jaguar, settings may need slight adjustment.
Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Kurt Cobain's 'Come As You Are' solo tone is moderately crunchy but not high gain, with a rounded, slightly dark character and balanced mids. The amp settings reflect his typical use of a clean-ish amp (likely a Fender or Mesa/Marshall) with a moderate gain pedal (Electro-Harmonix Small Clone for chorus, DS-1 or DS-2 for drive), and minimal reverb as per early 90s grunge production.

⚡ Same tone, YOUR gear — re-dials the gain & EQ for your amp and pickups, free →

🎸 All Come As You Are guitar tones — every part & section →

🎧 Can you guess the tone?

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Come As You Are guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Come As You Are guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 0, bass 6, mid 6.5, treble 6, presence 5, reverb 1. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Come As You Are tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Fender Mustang (early 1970s, likely Japanese reissue, as used on Nevermind sessions) · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp into Crown Power Amp (studio recording, Nevermind era, 1991); chorus.

Can I get the Come As You Are tone on a different guitar or amp?

Yes. Different guitars and amps need different knob positions to sound the same. GuitarToneAdapt models pickup output and wood brightness, then compensates so you match the record on your own rig.

How do I sound like Nirvana on Come As You Are — what gear and pedals?

Start with Neck pickup, the amp EQ above (gain 0, bass 6, mid 6.5, treble 6, presence 5, reverb 1), and chorus. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

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Sources

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More like this

🎸 How to get Nirvana’s guitar tone → · 🎸 more Rock guitar tones → · 🎛️ best rock amp settings → · 🎸 more iconic guitar solos → · 🎚️ Chorus tone guide → · 🎯 more singing sustain tones → · 📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

Settings are community-researched estimates, not official. GuitarToneAdapt adapts them to your gear. guitartoneadapt.com