TonesMatch
Drain You — Nirvana1 / 2
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Drain You Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Nirvana

Nirvana · 1990s · rock

studio

Original Recording

Guitar
Univox Hi-Flier Phase 3
Pickups
P-90 style single-coil pickups
Amp
Fender Bassman (silverface, early 1970s model)
Pickup Position
Neck pickup

Studio recording, Nevermind album (1991). Clean sections tracked with Univox Hi-Flier through Fender Bassman. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for clean section. No pedal use confirmed for clean part.

Amp Settings

Mids
6
Bass
5.5
Gain
4
Reverb
1.5
Treble
7
Presence
5.5

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Tone Character

  • warm and rounded
  • slightly compressed
  • percussive attack
  • touch of natural amp reverb
  • not glassy or overly bright
  • dynamic response to picking
  • mild breakup on hard strums
  • open and airy
  • single-coil clarity
  • studio ambience

Notes & Caveats

  • ⚠️No direct numeric amp settings for the clean section found in sources; settings estimated based on typical Fender Bassman clean usage and genre/era.
  • ⚠️No evidence of pedal use for the clean section; chorus and modulation effects are not audible or cited for the clean part.
  • ⚠️Some forum posts speculate about chorus or Small Clone, but these refer to distorted sections or live use, not the clean studio intro.
  • ⚠️If more specific studio notes or isolated track evidence emerges, update accordingly.
  • ⚠️Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Kurt Cobain used a high-gain, mid-forward grunge tone with his DS-1/DS-2 into a cranked clean amp (often a JC-120 or Mesa/Marshall), with moderate bass, pronounced mids, and slightly boosted treble/presence for clarity. The recording is dry with no audible reverb, matching the raw, aggressive sound of 'Drain You.'

Sources