About a Girl amp settings — 3rd Avenue Ba-15

The Nirvana guitar tone for “About a Girl”, dialed in for a 3rd Avenue Ba-15 with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Studio version, Bleach (1989) — main rhythm track

Original rig

Univox Hi-Flier Phase 3 / 1968 Fender Twin Reverb head into closed-back 2x12 BFI Bullfrog cab

Raw, jangly vintage clean with bright attack, slight edge-of-breakup grit, and tight low end

Amp settings — 3rd Avenue Ba-15

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	4
Bass	5
Treble	7
Master	6

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge+middle TONE10 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The 3rd Avenue BA-15 is a basic solid-state practice amp with only volume, low, and high controls, so mid, presence, and reverb are omitted. Gain is set at 4 to simulate the natural edge-of-breakup grit Cobain got by pushing Endino's Fender Twin Reverb. Keeping treble elevated compensates for the small 6.5-inch speaker and delivers the open, jangly snap of the Bleach rhythm tone.

PRO TIPPosition 2 (bridge + middle) on your Strat replicates the phase-notched chime of Kurt's Univox pickups; strike the open Em and G chords with a firm, energetic down-and-up acoustic-style strumming motion near the bridge.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a 3rd Avenue Ba-15. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.