Tone library / Nirvana / Smells Like Teen Spirit

Smells Like Teen Spirit amp settings — Harley Benton HB-15GXD JamBox Kompakter digitaler E-Gitarren Combo

The Nirvana guitar tone for “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, dialed in for a Harley Benton HB-15GXD JamBox Kompakter digitaler E-Gitarren Combo with a Harley benton ST-20 SB Standard Series. 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 humbucker (bridge); Boss DS-1, EHX Small Clone chorus

Aggressive, scooped low-mid grind on chorus; clean and chorused on verses; upper-mid bite around 2.5-3kHz

Amp settings — Harley Benton HB-15GXD JamBox Kompakter digitaler E-Gitarren Combo

CHANNELHigh Gain / Distortion channel (to simulate DS-1 — see adaptation_note)

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

Don’t have a Harley Benton HB-15GXD JamBox Kompakter digitaler E-Gitarren Combo? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Boss DS-1 Distortion

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. This is the core of Cobain's distortion; the amp alone won't nail it. A Harley Benton DS-101 or any DS-1 clone is a cheap, accurate substitute.

Tone 4 · Level 10 · Dist 8

02Electro-Harmonix Small Clone Chorus

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Used on clean verses only; bypass for chorus/solo. Any analog chorus or the HB-15GXD's built-in chorus (if available) set slow and deep works.

Rate 5 · Depth 10

Why these settings

The original tone came from a DS-1 into a clean Mesa preamp — you have no pedals, so the HB-15GXD's digital high-gain channel must substitute. Digital modeling amps tend to be scoopier and fizzier than the original Mesa, so I pushed mids +1 (to 6) versus Cobain's settings and kept treble at 7 to retain bite without harshness. Gain at 7 approximates the DS-1's saturated but not muddy grind. Reverb is 0 — the original recording is bone dry.

PRO TIPCobain's verse-to-chorus dynamic came from footswitching the DS-1 on/off. Without a pedal, use your guitar's volume knob: roll to 5-6 for the clean verse (the amp will clean up), then slam it to 10 for the chorus explosion. Practice the quick twist so it hits exactly on the downbeat.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Harley Benton HB-15GXD JamBox Kompakter digitaler E-Gitarren Combo. 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.