Tone library / Nirvana / Come as you are

Come as you are amp settings — Laney lx12 Lx12 extreme

The Nirvana guitar tone for “Come as you are”, dialed in for a Laney lx12 Lx12 extreme with a Baracude Strat. Studio version, Nevermind (1991) — recorded at Sound City Studios with Butch Vig

Original rig

1965 Fender Jaguar with DiMarzio humbuckers, Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp into Crown power amp + Marshall 4x12, Electro-Harmonix Small Clone chorus (Deep mode), Boss DS-1 for solo/heavy sections

Watery, murky clean chorus tone on verse; gritty mid-forward distortion on chorus sections

Amp settings — Laney lx12 Lx12 extreme

CHANNELClean (use Drive channel ONLY for chorus/heavy sections without DS-1)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	2
Bass	5
Treble	6
Reverb	1
Master	4

Don’t have a Laney lx12 Lx12 extreme? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE6 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Boss DS-1 Distortion

Engage ONLY for the solo and heavy chorus sections. Keep OFF for the main verse riff — that's clean with chorus. When DS-1 is ON, amp gain must stay at 2 or lower.

Tone 4 · Level 7 · Dist 8

02Chorus Pedal (Electro-Harmonix Small Clone or similar)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. This is THE defining sound of the song. Set depth switch to 'Deep' if available. A Boss CH-1, TC Electronic Corona, or Behringer Ultra Chorus are affordable alternatives. Without chorus, you cannot authentically recreate this tone.

Rate 4 · Depth 10

Why these settings

The Laney LX12 is a solid-state practice amp with bass/treble only (no mid knob), so mid is null. Kurt's Mesa preamp was set relatively clean with boosted highs — your Laney's treble at 6 and bass at 5 approximates this. Keep gain low at 2; Kurt's dirt came from the DS-1, not amp overdrive. The LX12's inherent brightness compensates for the Strat's single coils vs Kurt's humbucker-loaded Jaguar.

PRO TIPTune down to D standard (D-G-C-F-A-D) — this is non-negotiable for the song's low, murky vibe. Roll your tone knob to 6 to warm up the Strat's bridge-y brightness and get closer to that Jaguar neck-humbucker thickness. Pick closer to the neck for a rounder attack.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Laney lx12 Lx12 extreme. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

Get ToneAdapt on Google Play

Find your amp

Browse

Come as you are on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP Nirvana tonesALL SONGS Tone libraryEVERYTHING

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.