Tone library / Nirvana / Smells like teen spirit

Smells like teen spirit amp settings — Zoom G1xn

The Nirvana guitar tone for “Smells like teen spirit”, dialed in for a Zoom G1xn with a Cort X-11. Studio version, Nevermind (1991)

Original rig

Fender Stratocaster (Seymour Duncan JB bridge humbucker) / Fender Mustang + Boss DS-1 Distortion + EHX Small Clone Chorus + Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp / Fender Bassman into Crown Power Base 2 power amp and Marshall 1960B 4x12 cab

Aggressive mid-scooped grunge distortion for the iconic chorus rhythm (clean/chorus for verses)

Amp settings — Zoom G1xn

CHANNELDRIVE block: 'DS' (Boss DS-1) or 'bS' (Mesa Boogie Studio Drive/Fender Bassman model)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	5
Mid	4
Treble	7
Reverb	0
Master	8

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Zoom G1xn Drive Block (DS-1 Sim 'DS')

Engage for intro riff, choruses, and solo; bypass for verses

Gain 7 · Tone 4 · Level 9

02Zoom G1xn Modulation Block (Chorus 'CH')

Engage during clean verses and solo for the classic EHX Small Clone sound

Depth 8 · Rate 5 · Level 7

Why these settings

The Zoom G1xn features dedicated Boss DS-1 ('DS') and Mesa/Fender drive models. Keep the EQ slightly scooped with mid at 4 and treble at 7 to match Andy Wallace's studio upper-mid punch while rolling off muddy 1kHz frequencies. The Cort X-11's high-output bridge humbucker pushes the Zoom's input hard, so gain at 7 delivers plenty of grunge bite without turning fizzy.

PRO TIPHit the muted four-stroke percussive scratches ('chuckas') aggressively across all six strings with the meat of your palm over the fretboard between the main four-chord riff stabs.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Zoom G1xn. 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.