Rape Me amp settings — Pyler Usa

The Nirvana guitar tone for “Rape Me”, dialed in for a Pyler Usa with a Fender American Professional II Stratocaster. Studio version, In Utero (1993) — iconic clean/gritty intro rhythm

Original rig

1965 Fender Jaguar / Univox Hi-Flier into Fender Twin Reverb (clean) / Marshall Studio 15 (dirt) + Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion

Raw, mid-focused, slightly dry grunge clean with aggressive pick attack

Amp settings — Pyler Usa

BRIGHToffBOOSToff

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

Don’t have a Pyler Usa? 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 (essential for the explosive chorus distortion)

Level 7 · Tone 6 · Dist 8 · Turbo 1

Why these settings

Because 'Pyler Usa' is an unverified practice amp with generic controls, standard tone settings are provided with phantom knobs nulled. The Fender Stratocaster single-coil bridge pickup provides the necessary bite, but requires slightly rounded highs to avoid excessive harshness compared to Kurt's humbucker-equipped Jaguar. Keep the amp clean so that adding the recommended DS-2 will handle the quiet-to-loud chorus transition cleanly.

PRO TIPHit the open chord voicings with a hard downstroke right near the bridge saddles to capture Steve Albini's raw, dry, uncompressed room snap.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Pyler Usa. 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.