Tone library / Nirvana / Smells Like Teen Spirit

Smells Like Teen Spirit amp settings — Harley Benton Hb-80R

The Nirvana guitar tone for “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, dialed in for a Harley Benton Hb-80R with a Harley Benton HWY-25BKS.. Studio version, Nevermind (1991) — main riff/chorus tone

Original rig

Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp (clean, Rhythm channel) → Crown Power Base 2 → Marshall 4x12. Boss DS-1 Distortion for all dirt. Fender Stratocaster with Seymour Duncan JB bridge humbucker.

Aggressive, mid-forward pedal distortion with scooped low-end punch and raw upper-mid bite — not high-gain amp saturation

Amp settings — Harley Benton Hb-80R

CHANNELClean channel

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

Don’t have a Harley Benton Hb-80R? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Boss DS-1 Distortion

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. This pedal is essential; the original tone is 100% pedal-driven distortion, not amp gain. A DS-1 clone or Boss DS-2 gets you there. Without it, crank amp gain to 8 but expect a mushier, less articulate result.

Tone 4 · Level 10 · Dist 7

Why these settings

The HB-80R is a solid-state practice amp with neutral voicing — it won't naturally compress or break up like Cobain's Mesa. Gain is set low (2) because the DS-1 must be the dirt source; stacking amp gain with pedal distortion creates mud. Mids pushed to 7 to compensate for solid-state tendency toward scooped tones. Reverb 0 — the recording is bone dry.

PRO TIPCobain picked hard and close to the bridge for that aggressive attack on the riff. Your HWY-25BKS has humbuckers like his modded Strat — dig in with downstrokes and let the pick scrape slightly for that raw, percussive edge.

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These settings are for a Harley Benton Hb-80R. 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.