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Drain You (Live at The Paramount, 1991) — Nirvana1 / 2
Original RigYour Adaptation
GuitarCleanRiff80% confidence

Drain You (Live at The Paramount, 1991) Guitar Tone Settings

Nirvana · 1990s · punk

live

Original Recording

Guitar
Fender Mustang MG69 (left-handed, 1991 Japanese reissue, stock single coils)
Pickups
Fender single coil pickups (stock Mustang, 1991 Japanese reissue)
Amp
Fender Quad Reverb (used as preamp) into Crown 4801 solid state power amp, into Marshall 1960A 4x12 cabinet with Celestion G12T-75 speakers
Pickup Position
Neck pickup

Live performance at The Paramount, Seattle, October 31, 1991. Clean tone sections (riff/verse) used the Mustang, not the Jaguar or Strat. Amp setup was Fender Quad Reverb preamp (set clean/bright), Crown 4801 power amp, Marshall 4x12 cab. No evidence of amp reverb or other amp-based effects in clean section.

Amp Settings

Mids
6.5
Bass
6
Gain
0
Reverb
0
Treble
7
Presence
6

Effects Chain

  • Electro-Harmonix Small Clone · chorus

Fender Mustang MG69 → Electro-Harmonix Small Clone → Fender Quad Reverb (preamp, clean) → Crown 4801 power amp → Marshall 1960A 4x12 cab

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Tone Character

  • bright and glassy
  • jangly high end
  • slight chorus shimmer
  • clear single coil attack
  • dynamic and percussive
  • articulate strumming
  • no breakup or edge
  • open and airy
  • modulation effect present
  • no audible reverb

Notes & Caveats

  • ⚠️Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
  • ⚠️No direct numeric amp settings for clean tone found in sources; settings estimated based on typical Fender Quad Reverb clean setup and genre/era.
  • ⚠️Pedal order inferred from common Nirvana live setups and audio evidence.
  • ⚠️Some sources mention other guitars (Jaguar, Strat), but video and era confirm Mustang for this section.
  • ⚠️No evidence of amp reverb or delay in clean section; chorus is clearly audible.
  • ⚠️No evidence of EQ or compression pedals in clean section.
  • ⚠️Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Kurt Cobain at The Paramount used a high-gain, crunchy tone with forward mids and moderate treble, typical of his Boss DS-1/DS-2 into a clean-ish amp (often a Mesa/Marshall hybrid setup). The tone is aggressive but not scooped, with little to no reverb, matching the raw, in-your-face grunge sound of this live performance.

Sources