Smells like teen spirit amp settings — Johnson RepTone 15
The Nervana guitar tone for “Smells like teen spirit”, dialed in for a Johnson RepTone 15 with a Kyaxon KTDIY-001. Studio version, Nevermind (1991) — main riff & chorus
Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp (Rhythm clean channel) into Crown Power Base 2 power amp & Marshall 1960B 4x12 cab, '69 Lake Placid Blue Competition Mustang / '90s Fender Stratocaster (Seymour Duncan JB bridge humbucker), Boss DS-1 Distortion, EHX Small Clone Chorus
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 5 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 5 |
The RepTone 15 is a small solid-state practice amp with a 2-band EQ (no mid control) and an 8-inch speaker, so the built-in overdrive button must be engaged at gain 7 to deliver the aggressive grunge distortion without external pedals. Treble is dialed to 7 to capture the sharp bite of Kurt's DS-1 and Andy Wallace's upper-mid mix boost, while keeping bass around 5 keeps the small speaker from farting out. Clean verse: disengage the overdrive channel button and switch to neck pickup.
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These settings are for a Johnson RepTone 15. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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