Tone library / Nirvana / Heart-Shaped Box

Heart-Shaped Box amp settings — Yamaha GA-15

The Nirvana guitar tone for “Heart-Shaped Box”, dialed in for a Yamaha GA-15 with a Melodic 68. Studio version, In Utero (1993) — iconic clean/chorused verse and explosive chorus

Original rig

Fender Jaguar / Mustang with bridge humbucker into Tech 21 SansAmp Classic, EHX EchoFlanger/PolyChorus, and Fender Twin/Quad Reverb / Marshall Plexi

Grungy quiet-to-loud dynamic with raw, mid-heavy attack and abrasive crunch

Amp settings — Yamaha GA-15

CHANNELClean

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	2
Bass	6
Mid	7
Treble	5
Master	5

Don’t have a Yamaha GA-15? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned

Level 9 · Tone 5 · Dist 10 · Turbo 1

02Electro-Harmonix Small Clone Chorus

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned

Rate 4 · Depth 10

Why these settings

The Yamaha GA-15 is a basic solid-state practice amp with an aggressive gain channel that lacks the SansAmp/DS-2 low-mid wallop and will sound fizzy if pushed. Per the double-gain rule, the amp is kept on the Clean channel at low gain while a recommended DS-2 and chorus handle the quiet-loud grunge dynamics. Treble is pulled back slightly on the amp's small speaker to avoid harsh top-end.

PRO TIPTune down one half-step to Drop D-flat (Db-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb) and dig hard into the low strings with a heavy pick on the bridge pickup to nail the iconic verse riff.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Yamaha GA-15. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

Get ToneAdapt on Google Play

More tones for the Yamaha GA-15

EverlongFoo fighters Mr CrowleyOZzy Osbourne The Lost Ones WeepingNeri My Own Summer (Shove It)Deftones Is this loveWhitesnake 505Arctic monkeys

Find your amp

Browse

Yamaha GA-15 settingsALL SONGS FOR THIS AMP Heart-Shaped Box on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP Nirvana tonesALL SONGS Tone libraryEVERYTHING

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.