Tone library / Nirvana / Smells like teen spirit

Smells like teen spirit amp settings — Crate G-10 G-10

The Nirvana guitar tone for “Smells like teen spirit”, dialed in for a Crate G-10 G-10 with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Studio version, Nevermind (1991) - main riff/chorus distorted tone

Original rig

Fender Stratocaster (JB humbucker bridge), Boss DS-1 Distortion, Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp (clean, Rhythm channel), Crown Power Base 2, Marshall 1960B 4x12

Raw, aggressive distortion with boosted upper mids and scooped low-mids, punky attack with sustain

Amp settings — Crate G-10 G-10

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	4
Mid	7
Treble	6
Presence	0
Reverb	0
Master	5

Don’t have a Crate G-10 G-10? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE7 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The original tone came from a Boss DS-1 into a clean amp—you have no pedals, so the Crate's onboard gain must do all the work. The G-10 is a basic solid-state practice amp with limited headroom and a boxy midrange. Gain pushed to 7 approximates the DS-1's saturation. Mids raised to 7 compensates for the G-10's tendency to sound thin; bass cut to 4 prevents mud. Treble at 6 adds the upper-mid bite Cobain's tone had without ice-pick harshness. Reverb at 0—the recording was bone dry.

PRO TIPYour Player Strat has stock single coils, not the JB humbucker Cobain used—dig in hard with your pick near the bridge to get more attack and harmonic grind, and consider rolling your tone knob to 7 to tame the extra brightness single coils add versus a humbucker. A Boss DS-1 clone (under $30 used) would get you 80% closer to the real tone than any amp-only setting.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Crate G-10 G-10. 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.