Tone library / Nirvana / Smells Like Teen Spirit

Smells Like Teen Spirit amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

The Nirvana guitar tone for “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 50 MkII with a Nova Nova. Studio version, Nevermind (1991) — distorted chorus/main riff

Original rig

Fender Stratocaster with bridge humbucker (Seymour Duncan JB), Boss DS-1 Distortion, EHX Small Clone chorus, Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp (clean Rhythm channel), Crown power amp, Marshall 4x12 cab

Aggressive, scooped-mid 90s grunge distortion with heavy pick attack and tight low-end punch

Amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

CHANNELBROWN amp type

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	7
Mid	4
Treble	7
Reverb	1
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Onboard Booster (Distortion)

Engage Katana onboard BOOSTER (amber/warm DS-1 style distortion)

Drive 6 · Tone 6 · Level 5

Why these settings

The Katana's BROWN amp type paired with the onboard BOOSTER captures the hard-clipping rasp of Cobain's DS-1 hitting high-headroom power. Mids are pulled back to 4 to recreate the Mesa Studio Preamp's famous graphic EQ V-curve, while bass and treble are pushed for punchy low-end and fizzy pick bite. Clean verse: tap BOOSTER off and switch onboard MOD to chorus.

PRO TIPHit the muted four-stroke rake aggressively across all six strings between the chord stabs—the percussive string clatter defines the riff's groove far more than the chord voicings alone.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Boss Katana 50 MkII. 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.