Smells Like Teen Spirit amp settings — Marshall MG50fx
The Nirvana guitar tone for “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, dialed in for a Marshall MG50fx with a Cort X300. Studio version, Nevermind (1991)
Fender Stratocaster w/ Seymour Duncan JB humbucker → Boss DS-1 → EHX Small Clone → Mesa/Boogie Studio preamp (clean) → Crown Power Base 2 → Marshall 1960B 4x12
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 2 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Presence | 5 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01Boss DS-1 Distortion
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. This pedal is essential to the tone. The original was pedal-driven distortion, not amp gain. A DS-1 clone or Behringer OD300 gets you there for under $30.
02Chorus (any basic analog-voiced chorus)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Used on clean verse sections only. The MG50FX has built-in chorus — use that instead: set Rate to 5, Depth to 7 via the FX controls. Engage only on verses.
The original tone was a CLEAN amp platform with a DS-1 providing all the dirt. Your MG50FX is mid-forward like a Marshall, so I dropped treble from the Mesa's 6 to 6 (same) but pushed mids to 7 to compensate for the MG's tighter low-mids vs Mesa's fuller voicing. Without the DS-1, you cannot authentically replicate this tone — the amp's OD channels sound too compressed and modern. Set the MG to clean channel, keep gain at 2 for a tiny bit of edge, and let a DS-1 do the heavy lifting.
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These settings are for a Marshall MG50fx. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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