Tone library / Nirvana / Come As You Are

Come As You Are amp settings — Fender MG10

The Nirvana guitar tone for “Come As You Are”, dialed in for a Fender MG10 with a Epiphone SG Standard. Studio version, Nevermind (1991)

Original rig

Fender Jaguar (neck single-coil pickup) → Electro-Harmonix Small Clone chorus → Mesa/Boogie Studio .22 Preamp or Fender Bassman

Watery, hypnotic clean with subtle breakup and heavy chorus modulation
Amp settings — Fender MG10
GAIN 3 BASS 4 TREBLE 5 MASTER 5
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain3
Bass4
Treble5
Master5
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Guitar
PICKUPneck TONE5 VOLUME8
Signal chain

01Chorus pedal (any basic analog or digital chorus)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. The Small Clone is essential to this tone; a Boss CE-5, MXR Analog Chorus, or even a cheap Donner/Joyo chorus clone will get you 80% there. Without chorus, this song sounds naked.

Rate 4 · Depth 7
Why these settings

Your SG's neck humbucker is hotter and darker than Cobain's Jaguar single-coil, so I dropped bass from the original's 5.5 to 4 and kept treble moderate at 5 to prevent mud. Gain is low (3) because the original is a barely-breaking-up clean — the MG10 has limited headroom so this keeps it from getting too crunchy. The MG10 lacks mid, presence, and reverb knobs, so those are null.

PRO TIPRoll your SG's tone knob to 5 and pick lightly over the neck pickup to get that lazy, hypnotic attack Cobain used — the riff should float, not punch. Tune down to Eb standard or Drop Db to match the record.

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These settings are for a Fender MG10. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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