Drayn you amp settings — Fender Blues Junior IV
The Nirvana guitar tone for “Drayn you”, dialed in for a Fender Blues Junior IV with a Fender American Original 60s Stratocaster. Studio version, In Utero (1993) — 'Drain You' was actually recorded for Nevermind (1991), Butch Vig production at Sound City Studios
Fender Twin Reverb (clean platform) + Boss DS-1 or DS-2 distortion + Electro-Harmonix Small Clone chorus — Kurt Cobain used a 1965 Fender Jaguar with single coils, bridge pickup, through the DS-1 for the distorted sections
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 3 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 4 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 5 |
01Boss DS-1 Distortion
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. This is the primary gain source; amp stays clean. Kurt ran his DS-1 with high distortion and moderate tone to avoid ice-pick highs. Essential for this tone.
Your Blues Junior is a clean platform amp like Kurt's Twin — it won't produce Nirvana's distortion from preamp gain alone. I've set the amp nearly clean (gain 3) so the DS-1 drives the tone without mud from stacked gain. Mids at 4 approximate Kurt's slightly scooped grunge character; your Strat's single coils are brighter than his Jaguar, so treble stays conservative at 5. Roll tone knob to 7 to tame the Strat's ice-pick bridge pickup.
Get this tone on your amp
These settings are for a Fender Blues Junior IV. 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.