Lounge act amp settings — Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb
The Nirvana guitar tone for “Lounge act”, dialed in for a Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb with a Gibson Kirk Hammett Les Paul Standard. Studio version, Nevermind sessions at Sound City/Devonshire Studios (May 1991)
1969 Fender Competition Mustang (stock single-coils) → Electro-Harmonix Small Clone → 1963 Fender Bassman 6G6-A/B with Jensen speakers
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 0 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Presence | 0 |
| Reverb | 1 |
| Master | 6 |
01Electro-Harmonix Small Clone
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Depth switch OFF (shallow). Used on pre-chorus swells only, not throughout. A Boss CE-2 or any basic analog chorus at slow rate/shallow depth approximates this.
02Overdrive (TS-style or Boss SD-1)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. The Tone Master Deluxe Reverb is clean-headroom focused and won't break up naturally at sane volumes. A mild overdrive pedal is essential to get the Bassman-style grit. Tone rolled back to avoid ice-pick highs from your humbuckers.
The original used a low-output single-coil Mustang into a Bassman pushed into breakup. Your Kirk Hammett Les Paul has hot humbuckers—significantly more output and warmth. Treble dropped from ~6.5 to 5 to compensate for the darker, thicker voice. Mid pushed to 7 to retain the nasal bark Kurt got from the Bassman's 6G6 circuit. Without a drive pedal, the Tone Master stays pristine—you need an OD in front to replicate the amp saturation.
Get this tone on your amp
These settings are for a Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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