GuitarCleanRiff80% confidence
Spank Thru (Live In Rome, Italy, November 19, 1991) Guitar Tone Settings
Nirvana · 1990s · punk
live
Original Recording
Guitar
Fender Mustang MG69 (left-handed, likely blue or sunburst, as used by Kurt Cobain in late 1991 live shows)
Pickups
Stock Fender single coil in neck, Seymour Duncan JB SH-4 humbucker in bridge (bridge pickup most likely for clean riff sections)
Amp
Hiwatt DR103 Custom 100 head into Marshall 4x12 cabinet with Celestion G12T-75 speakers
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Live performance, Rome, Italy, November 19, 1991. Gear confirmed for this tour/era by multiple sources. Settings and effects inferred for clean section; most sources focus on distorted tone, but clean intro/riff is present in this song.
Amp Settings
Mids5.5
Bass5
Gain0
Reverb1
Treble6.5
Presence5.5
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Tone Character
- chimey and open
- bright and articulate
- slightly scooped mids
- clear note separation
- percussive attack
- minimal breakup
- dynamic response
- uncompressed
- not harsh or brittle
- no audible modulation
Notes & Caveats
- Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
- No direct source lists clean amp settings for this specific song/section; settings estimated based on typical Hiwatt/Marshall clean tones and genre/era.
- Most sources focus on Cobain's distorted tone; clean settings are inferred from live video/audio and general 1991 Nirvana rig documentation.
- No evidence of chorus, delay, or modulation effects in the clean riff section; chorus pedal (Small Clone) was used on other songs but not audible here.
- Pickup choice is inferred from typical Cobain live setup and the brighter, more cutting clean tone heard in the riff.
- Amp reverb is set low, as Hiwatt DR103 does not have built-in reverb; any reverb would be from the venue or a pedal, but none is clearly audible.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Kurt Cobain in 1991 typically used a high-gain, mid-forward, raw tone with his DS-1/DS-2 into a clean-ish amp (often a JC-120 or Mesa/Marshall), with minimal reverb and moderate bass/treble for clarity and punch. The Rome '91 live tone is aggressive, present, and dry, matching these settings.