Lithium amp settings — Gawa 20w riverb
The Nirvana guitar tone for “Lithium”, dialed in for a Gawa 20w riverb with a Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60s. Studio version, Nevermind (1991)
Fender Mustang/Stratocaster → Fender Bassman (blackface) + EHX Green Russian Big Muff (chorus sections)
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 2 |
| Bass | 7 |
| Mid | 5 |
| Treble | 4 |
| Presence | 4 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01EHX Big Muff Pi (or any Big Muff clone)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for the chorus fuzz. Tone knob at 3 keeps it dark and woolly like the Russian variant. Engage for chorus, bypass for verse.
Your Epiphone LP humbuckers are hotter and warmer than Cobain's single coils, so gain drops from the original 5-6 to 2 for the verse — your pickups will push the amp harder naturally. Treble drops from 6 to 4 because humbuckers already have less high-end bite than Fender singles. Bass stays high (7) to preserve the thumpy low-end character of the Bassman. Without a Big Muff, the chorus will be impossible to replicate — cranking amp gain will get you generic distortion, not that specific scooped fuzz texture.
Get this tone on your amp
These settings are for a Gawa 20w riverb. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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