Tone library / Nirvana / Smells like teen spirit

Smells like teen spirit amp settings — Farheneit G010

The Nirvana guitar tone for “Smells like teen spirit”, dialed in for a Farheneit G010 with a Benson Hm-34. Studio version, Nevermind (1991)

Original rig

Mesa/Boogie Studio .22+ preamp, Crown Power Base 2 power amp, Marshall 1960B 4x12 cab, Fender Stratocaster w/ Seymour Duncan JB bridge humbucker, Boss DS-1 Distortion, EHX Small Clone chorus

Clean verses with shimmery chorus modulation, explosive mid-heavy distorted choruses with scooped lows and aggressive upper-mids

Amp settings — Farheneit G010

CHANNELClean channel (use pedal for distortion)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	2
Bass	4
Mid	7
Treble	6
Presence	5
Reverb	0
Master	6

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Boss DS-1 Distortion

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for the chorus/solo grit. Kick on for choruses, off for verses. A DS-1 clone or any basic distortion pedal (not overdrive) gets you 90% there.

Tone 4 · Level 10 · Dist 7

02Electro-Harmonix Small Clone Chorus

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Used for the shimmery clean verse tone. Any basic analog chorus works; depth switch on 'deep' if available. Leave on for verses, can leave on or bypass for distorted sections.

Rate 5 · Depth 10

Why these settings

The Fahrenheit G010 is an entry-level solid-state amp with limited headroom and a bright, thin voicing. Cobain's Mesa preamp was mid-forward and warm, so I pushed mids to 7 and kept treble at 6 to compensate for the G010's natural brightness. Gain stays at 2 because the DS-1 provides all the dirt — stacking amp gain with a distortion pedal creates mud. Without a distortion pedal, this tone is unobtainable; the amp's onboard gain will sound fizzy and lack the compressed chunk of the DS-1.

PRO TIPCobain's attack was critical — he struck hard with a thin .60mm pick held loosely, creating a percussive, slightly sloppy dig that the DS-1 compressed into a wall of sound. Practice hitting the strings harder than you think necessary, letting the distortion do the sustain work.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Farheneit G010. 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.