Tone library / Nirvana / Smells like teen spirit

Smells like teen spirit amp settings — Harley Benton MA-5

The Nirvana guitar tone for “Smells like teen spirit”, dialed in for a Harley Benton MA-5 with a Harley Benton Telecaster 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, Boss DS-1, EHX Small Clone chorus

Raw, mid-forward pedal-driven distortion on choruses; bright chorused clean on verses

Amp settings — Harley Benton MA-5

CHANNELClean channel

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	2
Bass	4
Mid	8
Treble	6
Presence	5
Reverb	0
Master	6

Don’t have a Harley Benton MA-5? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Distortion (generic/owned)

Engage for chorus/pre-chorus/solo; OFF for clean verse. This is your dirt source, not the amp.

Gain/Distortion 8 · Tone 4 · Level/Volume 7

Why these settings

The Harley Benton MA-5 is a small solid-state practice amp with limited headroom — it cannot replicate Mesa tube saturation, so your distortion pedal must do all the work. Amp gain is set low (2) to keep it clean as a platform. Mids pushed to 8 because the original tone is mid-forward and Telecaster single coils are naturally scoopier than Cobain's humbucker — this compensates. Bass dropped to 4 to prevent mud on a small speaker. The original used chorus on verses; without one, your clean will sound thinner but still workable.

PRO TIPCobain's dynamic came from slamming the DS-1 on/off — practice the timing of stomping it exactly on the downbeat of 'Hello' in the pre-chorus for that explosive contrast. Palm-mute the main riff lightly and dig in hard on the open power chords.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Harley Benton MA-5. 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.