Floyd the Barber amp settings — peavey rage 158
The Nirvana guitar tone for “Floyd the Barber”, dialed in for a peavey rage 158 with a squier sonic mustang SS. Studio version, Bleach (1989) — recorded at Reciprocal Recording, Seattle
Fender Mustang (humbucker in bridge), Randall solid-state head or Fender Twin, Boss DS-1 with Distortion maxed, Tone at 8 o'clock, Level at 4 o'clock
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 2 |
| Bass | 7 |
| Mid | 3 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Presence | 0 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01Boss DS-2
Use Mode I (orange LED) — closer to DS-1 voicing. Mode II is too midrange-heavy for Bleach tones.
The Rage 158 is a practice solid-state with limited headroom — perfect for this tone since Cobain often used solid-state amps for Bleach. Amp gain dropped to 2 because the DS-2 is providing all distortion; stacking would create mud. Mid scooped to 3 to replicate the hollow, aggressive Bleach sound. Tone knob on DS-2 set very low (2) to match Cobain's documented 8 o'clock setting — he cut highs aggressively to avoid ice-pick fizz.
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These settings are for a peavey rage 158. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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