Drain you (Live at the paramount 1991) amp settings — Marshall Valvestate 8040
The Nirvana guitar tone for “Drain you (Live at the paramount 1991)”, dialed in for a Marshall Valvestate 8040 with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Live at the Paramount Theatre (October 31, 1991)
Fender Jaguar (Seymour Duncan JB bridge humbucker) / 'Vandalism' Strat -> Boss DS-1 / DS-2 -> Mesa/Boogie Studio .22 Preamp -> Crest 4801 Power Amp -> Marshall 1960AC 4x12 Cabs
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 8 |
| Bass | 7 |
| Mid | 6 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Reverb | 1 |
| Master | 6 |
02Electro-Harmonix Small Clone
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned (engage for the bridge noise breakdown)
Because you do not own a distortion pedal, the Valvestate 8040's tube-driven Boost/Overdrive channel is pushed to Gain 8 with the Contour control centered around 5 to replicate Kurt's thick Mesa-plus-DS-1 live crunch. Since your Player Strat uses single coils rather than Cobain's high-output Seymour Duncan JB bridge humbucker, bass is bumped to 7 and guitar tone rolled to 8 to add low-end body and tame ice-pick highs. If you add a Boss DS-1/DS-2 later, switch to the Normal (Clean) channel at Gain 3 and let the pedal supply the saturation.
Get this tone on your amp
These settings are for a Marshall Valvestate 8040. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
Get ToneAdapt on Google PlaySong, 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.