Tone library / nirvana / come as you are

come as you are amp settings — vox vmg3 mini go

The nirvana guitar tone for “come as you are”, dialed in for a vox vmg3 mini go with a ltd mt-130. Studio version, Nevermind (1991) — iconic watery clean intro riff

Original rig

1965 Fender Jaguar (neck single-coil) -> Electro-Harmonix Small Clone chorus -> Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp (clean) / Vox AC30

Warm, watery modulated clean with slight low-end depth and lush detuned chorus

Amp settings — vox vmg3 mini go

CHANNELVOX CL (or DELUXE CL) model with onboard Chorus selected on Effects 1BOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	3
Bass	6
Treble	5
Reverb	2
Master	6

Don’t have a vox vmg3 mini go? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE9 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Onboard Vox Mini Go Chorus (Effects 1 block)

Built-in modeling effect: turn Effects 1 knob into the Chorus range around 1 to 2 o'clock for the signature watery detune

Depth/Speed (Knob 1) 6

02Electro-Harmonix Small Clone Chorus

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; gives the exact analog bucket-brigade modulation from the record

Depth switch 10 · Rate 5

Why these settings

The Vox Mini Go 3 uses a combined Gain/Bass/Treble faceplate with no dedicated Mid or Presence controls (both set to null). Set the amp type to VOX CL with gain kept low to preserve headroom, and engage the onboard chorus effect to emulate Cobain's Small Clone modulation without external pedals. The LTD MT-130's neck pickup provides the necessary round low-end attack while rolling tone down slightly tempers modern pickup bite.

PRO TIPPick the intro riff using downstrokes close to the neck pickup rather than the bridge to get the round, hollow thump that defines the track's iconic opening.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a vox vmg3 mini go. 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.