Rape Me amp settings — Fender Twin Reverb

The Nirvana guitar tone for “Rape Me”, dialed in for a Fender Twin Reverb with a Ibanez GIO GRG170DX. Studio version, In Utero (1993) — iconic loud chorus distortion

Original rig

Univox Hi-Flier Phase 2 / Fender Jaguar -> Tech 21 SansAmp Classic / Boss DS-2 -> 1970s Fender Quad Reverb (damaged power section)

Abrasive, mid-focused, raw grunge distortion with jagged attack

Amp settings — Fender Twin Reverb

CHANNELNormalBRIGHToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	2
Bass	6
Mid	6
Treble	5
Reverb	0
Master	4

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

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned (or a Tech 21 SansAmp Classic / Boss DS-1)

Level 10 · Tone 6 · Dist 9 · Turbo Mode 1

Why these settings

The Fender Twin Reverb has massive clean headroom and will not produce Nirvana's heavy grunge distortion on its own. Per the double-gain prevention rule, the Twin is set clean at Volume 2 with the Bright switch OFF to avoid ice-pick highs, while a recommended Boss DS-2 or SansAmp provides the entire abrasive gain structure. Your Ibanez humbucker adds sufficient low-mid weight, so Treble is kept around 5 to tame harsh solid-state clipping.

PRO TIPDig in with hard downstrokes right near the bridge using a medium-heavy pick; roll the guitar volume down to 6-7 for the clean intro, then stomp the distortion and dime the guitar volume for the sudden explosive chorus.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Fender Twin Reverb. 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.