Smells like team spirit amp settings — Gear4music S156
The Nivana guitar tone for “Smells like team spirit”, dialed in for a Gear4music S156 with a Cort X300. Studio version, Nevermind (1987) — Butch Vig production
1991 Fender 'Vandalism' Stratocaster (bridge humbucker) → Boss DS-1 Distortion → Vox AC30 (cranked, natural breakup)
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 10 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 8 |
| Treble | 8 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 7 |
The S156 has no distortion pedal path and limited solid-state gain, so I've maxed gain to 10 for chorus sections (drop to 1-2 for verses manually). The original's focused, pedal-driven crunch will sound brittle and undefined here because the amp's preamp distortion lacks the DS-1's mid-hump compression. Mids and treble at 8 push the Vox AC30's signature bark, but the S156 won't respond the same way — expect a harsher, less musical result. Bass at 4 replicates Cobain's scooped low-end. A Boss DS-1 clone ($30-50) into this amp with gain at 3-4 would transform this tone entirely.
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These settings are for a Gear4music S156. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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