Drain You amp settings — Line6 Spider
The Nirvana guitar tone for “Drain You”, dialed in for a Line6 Spider with a Fender Player Telecaster. Studio version, Nevermind (1991) — multiple distorted guitar tracks through Mesa Boogie and Fender Bassman
Fender Mustang (bridge single-coil) → Boss DS-1 → Mesa/Boogie and Fender Bassman amps; live rig used Mesa Studio Preamp + Crown power amp + Marshall 4x12
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 3 |
| Bass | 5 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Presence | 5 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01Boss Blues Driver (BD-2)
Running into clean-ish amp channel. BD-2 is warmer than a DS-1 but cranking gain gets close to that compressed, sludgy grunge saturation. Keep Tone rolled back — DS-1 is bright and the BD-2 even more so.
The Spider's Crunch channel is set low on gain because your Blues Driver is the primary distortion source — this prevents mud from double-stacking. Mids pushed to 7 because Cobain's tone cut through with aggressive midrange, and the Tele's bridge pickup is brighter/thinner than his Mustang's single-coil, so treble stays moderate. The BD-2 is smoother than the DS-1's harsh clip, so crank its gain and keep tone low to approximate that raw, buzzy grunge texture.
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These settings are for a Line6 Spider. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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