Smells like a teen spirit amp settings — Positive Grid Spark 40
The Nirvana guitar tone for “Smells like a teen spirit”, dialed in for a Positive Grid Spark 40 with a Ibanez GIO GRG170DX. Studio version, Nevermind (1991), Sound City Studios
Mesa/Boogie Studio .22+ preamp (Rhythm channel, clean with Bright switch on), Crown Power Base 2 power amp, Marshall 1960B 4x12 cab, Fender Stratocaster with Seymour Duncan JB bridge humbucker, Boss DS-1 Distortion, Electro-Harmonix Small Clone chorus
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 2 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 8 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Presence | 6 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01Boss DS-1 (Spark built-in effect)
Engage for pre-chorus, chorus, and solo sections. Bypass for clean verses. This is your primary gain source — amp stays clean.
02Chorus (Spark built-in effect — use Analog Chorus)
Always on. Provides the watery shimmer on clean verses; stays on under distortion for the wall-of-sound effect.
Your GRG170DX has Infinity humbuckers — hotter and darker than Cobain's JB single-humbucker Strat setup. Treble dropped from original 8 to 7, mid stays high at 8 to nail that nasal bark. Amp gain at 2 (not 0) because the Spark's modeling needs a touch of input signal warmth, but the DS-1 emulation does all the heavy lifting — do NOT stack amp distortion on top of the pedal.
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These settings are for a Positive Grid Spark 40. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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