Tone library / Nirvana / Smells Like Teen Spirit

Smells Like Teen Spirit amp settings — Orange Crush 12

The Nirvana guitar tone for “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, dialed in for a Orange Crush 12 with a Squier Sonic Stratocaster. Studio version, Nevermind (1991) — distorted main riff/chorus

Original rig

Fender Stratocaster (bridge humbucker) -> Boss DS-1 -> EHX Small Clone -> Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp (clean Rhythm channel) -> Crown power amp -> Marshall 4x12 cab

Aggressive, scooped-mid 90s grunge distortion with heavy pick attack and tight low-end punch

Amp settings — Orange Crush 12

CHANNELOverdrive switch engaged (Gain high)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	8
Bass	6
Mid	4
Treble	7
Master	6

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE9 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Boss DS-1 Distortion

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; with pedal, switch amp to clean, set amp gain to 2

Tone 6 · Level 7 · Dist 8

02Electro-Harmonix Small Clone

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned (key for the verse tone)

Depth 10 · Rate 4

Why these settings

The Crush 12 uses analog solid-state clipping, so run the Gain knob high to simulate the heavy DS-1 saturation without owning the pedal. Orange amps naturally push thick low-mids, so scoop the middle control to 4 to mirror Cobain's Mesa/Boogie preamp EQ while pulling the Strat's tone knob down to 9 to tame single-coil harshness. Clean verse: roll guitar volume down to 3 or switch amp overdrive off.

PRO TIPHit the muted strum scratches aggressively between chord changes with a heavy down-and-up wrist snap close to the bridge to emulate Kurt's percussive attack.

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These settings are for a Orange Crush 12. 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.