Smells like teen spirit amp settings — Marshall Mg15r
The Nirvava guitar tone for “Smells like teen spirit”, dialed in for a Marshall Mg15r with a Jackson JS22 Dinky. Studio version, Nevermind (1991) — main heavy riff & chorus
Fender Stratocaster (Seymour Duncan JB bridge humbucker) -> Boss DS-1 -> Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp (clean Rhythm channel) -> Crown Power Base 2 -> Marshall 1960B 4x12 cab
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 5 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 4 |
Because you don't own a DS-1, the MG15R's Overdrive channel carries the full saturation with gain set to 7 to deliver the aggressive chorus punch. Kurt pushed upper midrange hard on his preamp, so keep the MG15R's middle knob up at 7 while keeping bass tight around 5 to avoid low-end mud through the 8-inch speaker. Clean verse: switch to the Clean channel with guitar volume rolled back slightly.
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These settings are for a Marshall Mg15r. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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