🎸 Rock · 1990s

Drain You (Live At Del Mar Fairgrounds, CA., December 28, 1991) by Nirvana (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by Nirvana · riff

The Drain You (Live At Del Mar Fairgrounds, CA., December 28, 1991) by Nirvana guitar tone is built on a Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp + Crown Power Base 2 power amp into Marshall 1960A 4x12 Cabinet, dialed in at gain 8/10, bass 6.5, mid 6, treble 6.5, presence 6 (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

6.5

BASS

MID

6.5

TREBLE

PRESENCE

0.5

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 8 sits well above the rock average (4.8) — a hotter, more saturated take than most rock tones; mids at 6 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

8-9

VOLUME

7-8

TONE

Original gear

Guitar: Fender Mustang (early 1970s, likely 1973 Competition Blue, modified with Seymour Duncan JB humbucker in bridge) · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp + Crown Power Base 2 power amp into Marshall 1960A 4x12 Cabinet

Live performance, December 28, 1991, Del Mar Fairgrounds, CA. Guitar is a Mustang with bridge humbucker. Amp is Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp with Crown power amp and Marshall 4x12 cab. Pedals include Boss DS-1 Distortion. No chorus or modulation used in riff section; chorus pedal only used in bridge.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Marshall songs & tones →🎚️ Mesa/Boogie songs & tones →🎚️ humbucker guitars songs & tones →🎚️ Boss DS-1 songs & tones →🎚️ Fender Mustang songs & tones →🎚️ Seymour Duncan pickups songs & tones →

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

Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

Fender Mustang (early 1970s, likely 1973 Competition Blue, modified with Seymour Duncan JB humbucker in bridge) → Boss DS-1 Distortion → Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp + Crown Power Base 2 power amp into Marshall 1960A 4x12 Cabinet

Effects

distortion, reverb (amp, minimal)

Amp effects: Reverb (spring, level 1)

Tone character

raw and mid-heavy, crunchy, aggressive distortion, heavy, saturated rhythm, gritty grunge wall-of-sound, biting bridge pickup edge, minimal reverb, dry sound, powerful and dynamic, slight feedback between transitions, loud and energetic, percussive attack

Recording context

live

How it’s played

straight, medium tempo, loud dynamics · high-gain distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Drain You (Live At Del Mar Fairgrounds, CA., December 28, 1991) sound.

Difficulty

2.5/5 · Riff

The riff is based on power chords and aggressive strumming, with some dynamic control and occasional feedback, but does not require advanced techniques or fast tempo.

Worth knowing

No direct numeric amp settings for this specific show; amp settings estimated based on genre, era, amp model, and multiple source tone descriptions.
Pedal settings not specified in sources; inferred typical DS-1 use for this era.
Chorus pedal (Small Clone) is NOT used in the riff section, only in the bridge; not included in effects_used for the riff.
Presence and reverb settings estimated based on typical Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp use for Cobain's live tone.
Exact guitar serial number not confirmed, but show-by-show guide confirms Mustang with bridge humbucker for this date.
Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Kurt Cobain's live tone in 1991 was achieved with a high-gain, mid-forward setting on a Mesa/Boogie preamp into a clean power amp, with minimal effects and no reverb. The tone is aggressive, raw, and cutting but not overly scooped, with moderate bass and slightly boosted presence for clarity in a live mix.

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Drain You (Live At Del Mar Fairgrounds, CA., December 28, 1991) guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Drain You (Live At Del Mar Fairgrounds, CA., December 28, 1991) guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 8, bass 6.5, mid 6, treble 6.5, presence 6, reverb 0.5. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Drain You (Live At Del Mar Fairgrounds, CA., December 28, 1991) tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Fender Mustang (early 1970s, likely 1973 Competition Blue, modified with Seymour Duncan JB humbucker in bridge) · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp + Crown Power Base 2 power amp into Marshall 1960A 4x12 Cabinet; distortion, reverb (amp, minimal).

Can I get the Drain You (Live At Del Mar Fairgrounds, CA., December 28, 1991) 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 Drain You (Live At Del Mar Fairgrounds, CA., December 28, 1991) — what gear and pedals?

Start with Bridge pickup, the amp EQ above (gain 8, bass 6.5, mid 6, treble 6.5, presence 6, reverb 0.5), and distortion, reverb (amp, minimal). 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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Settings are community-researched estimates, not official. GuitarToneAdapt adapts them to your gear. guitartoneadapt.com