Tone library / Nirvana / Come as you are

Come as you are amp settings — Glarry Ga20

The Nirvana guitar tone for “Come as you are”, dialed in for a Glarry Ga20 with a PRS SE Custom 24. Studio version, Nevermind (1991)

Original rig

1965 Fender Jaguar (neck pickup, DiMarzio PAF) → EHX Small Clone chorus → Boss DS-1 (chorus sections only) → Mesa/Boogie Studio .22 preamp (clean) → Crown Power Base 2 → Marshall 4x12

Warm, watery clean with deep chorus wobble; dynamic contrast to driven chorus sections

Amp settings — Glarry Ga20

CHANNELClean

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	2
Bass	5
Mid	6
Treble	5
Presence	0
Reverb	0
Master	5

Don’t have a Glarry Ga20? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE5 VOLUME8

Signal chain

01Zoom G1X Four — Chorus (Small Clone emulation: 'Chorus' or 'CoronaCho')

This is THE sound. Deep, slow wobble. On Zoom, select 'Chorus' or 'CoronaCho' patch; push depth high, rate low. Stays on for entire song.

Depth 8 · Rate 3 · Mix 7 · Level 10

02Zoom G1X Four — Distortion (DS-1 emulation: 'DS-1X' or 'DistPlus')

Engaged ONLY for heavy chorus sections. Keep chorus ON underneath. Kick this in for the loud 'Come as you are' bursts.

Gain/Dist 8 · Tone 5 · Level 6

Why these settings

The Glarry GA20 is a budget solid-state with limited headroom and a bright, thin voicing. Cobain's Mesa was a tube preamp run clean with warmth. Compensate by dropping treble from 6 to 5, boosting mid +1 to add body, and keeping gain at 2 for a clean-but-not-sterile platform. Your PRS humbuckers are hotter than Cobain's PAF, so the rolled-back tone knob (5) and volume (8) prevent it from pushing the amp too hard.

PRO TIPThe entire identity of this tone is the chorus depth — without it, the riff sounds naked and wrong. On the Zoom, save two patches: one with chorus only (verses), one with chorus + DS-1 (chorus sections). Use the expression pedal to control the DS-1 mix for seamless transitions. Tune to D Standard or it won't sound right regardless of settings.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Glarry Ga20. 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.