School amp settings — Marshall Plexi 1959
The Nirvana guitar tone for “School”, dialed in for a Marshall Plexi 1959 with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Studio version, Bleach (1989) — main riff and verse/chorus grind
Univox Hi-Flier / modified Strat (bridge humbucker) -> Boss DS-1 Distortion -> cranked Fender Twin Reverb / solid-state head into 4x12 cab
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 2 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 6 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Presence | 4 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01NUX MG-101 (DS-1 / Distortion Block)
In front of amp input — primary gain source replicating Kurt's Boss DS-1 into a clean/headroom platform
Because the Boss DS-1 block in your NUX MG-101 acts as the primary aggressive grunge gain source, set the Plexi to a clean, high-headroom input with Volume/Gain at 2 to avoid muddy double-gain saturation. The Stratocaster's single-coil bridge is naturally brighter and leaner than Kurt's humbucker-loaded guitars, so Plexi presence and treble are trimmed down while bass is bumped to 6 to restore low-end weight. The DS-1 block provides the iconic raspy upper-mid bite.
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These settings are for a Marshall Plexi 1959. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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