{"id":1505,"date":"2022-01-14T06:26:27","date_gmt":"2022-01-14T14:26:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/riff\/?p=1505"},"modified":"2022-01-19T14:47:42","modified_gmt":"2022-01-19T22:47:42","slug":"achieving-nirvana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/riff\/achieving-nirvana\/","title":{"rendered":"Achieving Nirvana (How To Sound Like Kurt Cobain On Guitar)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nirvana was one of the bands that defined the 90s grunge scene and since then they\u2019ve inspired legions of new musicians to pick up the guitar, crank up the distortion, and rock out. If this sounds like you, then you might be wondering how exactly Kurt Cobain got those raucous guitar tones. And what can you do to sound more like him? In this lesson, Kent will take you on a deep dive into the guitars, pedals, amps, and more that were responsible for the legendary tones on albums like Bleach, Nevermind, and In Utero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the way, if you’re interested in learning Nirvana riffs note by note, check out this lesson: The 5 Best Kurt Cobain Riffs<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before we get into the gear, it\u2019s important to note that Kurt Cobain liked the more affordable gear. Nothing was too fancy or expensive (save for his modded Martin D-18<\/a>), and even though some of the pieces of gear are no longer made, you can achieve Nirvana\u2019s sound with some pretty accessible gear. Let\u2019s get into what Kurt used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurt Cobain\u2019s Guitars<\/strong>
Kurt used plenty of guitars during his short career. He started out on a Univox Hi-Flier<\/a> and then moved onto a few different Fender models and even a Gibson or two. He was mostly known for playing Mustangs<\/a>, Jaguars<\/a>, and Stratocasters<\/a> so we have a few recommendations that will help you to achieve his sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Squier Classic Vibe \u201860s Mustang<\/strong>
Buy Now: Sweetwater<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar NOS<\/strong>
Buy Now: Sweetwater<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Kurt Cobain\u2019s Pedals<\/strong>
A lot of the tones we remember Nirvana for come primarily from pedals. The main pedal you can use to get heavier tones is a Boss DS-1 Distortion. Kurt used a few other pedals as well and we\u2019ll be sure to list the ones that are still available below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Boss DS-1 Distortion<\/strong>
Buy Now: Sweetwater<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion<\/strong>
Buy Now: Sweetwater<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Electro-Harmonix Op-amp Big Muff Pi Fuzz<\/strong>
Buy Now: Sweetwater<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Pro Co RAT 2 Distortion<\/strong>
Buy Now: Sweetwater<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Electro-Harmonix Small Clone Analog Chorus<\/strong>
Buy Now: Sweetwater<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Electro-Harmonix Stereo Polychorus Analog Flange\/Chorus<\/strong>
Buy Now: Sweetwater<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Kurt Cobain\u2019s Amp<\/strong>
The guitar amplifier that Kurt primarily used was a Mesa Boogie Studio .22 Preamp with a Crest 4801 Power Amp into a Marshall Cabinet. Before that, he used an old Roland RG-120 Commander. Since neither of these setups are available anymore, the best way to get his sound is with a clean Fender-style amp. Ultimately, the amp won\u2019t matter too much as long as it\u2019s a pretty clean pedal platform since Kurt got his dirty sounds from a Boss DS-1<\/a> or similar distortion pedal. In the studio, he used Fender Twins a fair bit so that would be a good place to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fender ’65 Twin Reverb Neo 2×12″ 85-watt Tube Combo Amp<\/strong>
Buy Now: Sweetwater<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accessories<\/strong>
While it\u2019s not really as important, we wanted to include a few of the accessories Kurt used with his guitars. They don\u2019t make the exact strings he used, but Dean Markley Signature 10-52<\/a> strings will get you real close. As for picks, he always used Dunlop Tortex Standard .60mm<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playing Style<\/strong>
This is the cornerstone of Nirvana\u2019s sound. Kurt\u2019s playing style wasn\u2019t about perfection, it was about attitude and emotion. So let those open strings ring out, let the accidental harmonics come through, and let the guitar feedback a little bit. Another thing you can do is lower your guitar’s tuning by a whole step. Kurt didn\u2019t do this in every Nirvana song but he did in a few and it adds a lot of heft and girth to your guitar tone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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