Tone library / Nirvana / Heart shaped box

Heart shaped box amp settings — Fender Mustang LT25

The Nirvana guitar tone for “Heart shaped box”, dialed in for a Fender Mustang LT25 with a PRS SE Custom 24. Studio version, In Utero (1993) — iconic chorus/solo distortion part

Original rig

Fender Twin Reverb/Quad Reverb + Tech 21 SansAmp Classic / Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion + EHX PolyChorus + Fender Jaguar / Univox Hi-Flier

Abrasive, mid-heavy aggressive grunge distortion with raw punch

Amp settings — Fender Mustang LT25

CHANNELMetal 2000 amp model

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	6
Treble	7
Reverb	0
Master	6

Don’t have a Fender Mustang LT25? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The Fender Mustang LT25 lacks a dedicated middle or presence knob on its top panel, so shape the upper-mid bite using the high-gain Metal 2000 model with treble pushed to 7. The humbuckers on your PRS SE Custom 24 deliver thicker low-end and output than Cobain's single-coil/P90-style pickups, so gain is kept at 7 to prevent low-end mud. Built-in reverb is set to 0 to capture the dry, aggressive in-your-face room sound of Steve Albini's tracking.

PRO TIPTune down to Drop Db (Db-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb) and hit the open low strings aggressively with a heavy downstroke; the iconic In Utero bite relies on the hard transient string rattle against the fretboard.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Fender Mustang LT25. 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.