Tone library / Nirvana / Smells Like Teen Spirit

Smells Like Teen Spirit amp settings — Stagg Ca-10

The Nirvana guitar tone for “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, dialed in for a Stagg Ca-10 with a Yamaha Pacifica 112V. Studio version, Nevermind (1991) — iconic distorted riff/chorus tone

Original rig

Fender Stratocaster (JB humbucker bridge) → Boss DS-1 Distortion (Tone: 4, Level: 10, Dist: 7) → Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp (Rhythm channel, clean setting) → Crown Power Base 2 → Marshall 1960B 4x12

Aggressive, midrange-forward grunge crunch with upper-mid bite and compressed sustain

Amp settings — Stagg Ca-10

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

Don’t have a Stagg Ca-10? 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 pedal is essential; the original tone's distortion comes entirely from the DS-1, not the amp. A DS-1 clone or similar diode-clipping distortion (Behringer OD300, Donner Morpher) will get you there for under $30.

Tone 4 · Level 10 · Dist 7

Why these settings

The Stagg CA-10 is a small solid-state practice amp with only gain, bass, treble, and volume controls — no mid, presence, or reverb knobs exist on this amp. Cobain's original setup used the amp clean with the DS-1 providing all distortion; without a distortion pedal, this tone is unreachable. I've set amp gain to 7 to give you some grit, but the CA-10's preamp cannot replicate the DS-1's aggressive clipping character. Your Pacifica's bridge humbucker is a close match to the JB Cobain used — output is similar, so no gain compensation needed.

PRO TIPCobain's attack was critical — he palm-muted the low E string aggressively on the riff's downbeats while letting the power chords ring open. Dig in hard with a thin pick (he used .60mm) angled slightly for that scrappy bite.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Stagg Ca-10. 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.