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Riff Tone
Smells like
Unknown Artist
Guitarrock1990s
Original Gear
GuitarFender Japan Jaguar (modded with Seymour Duncan JB bridge humbucker)
AmpMesa/Boogie Studio Preamp into Crown Power Base 2 power amp, Marshall 1960A 4x12 cabinets
Amp Settings
gain4.5
bass5.5
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Notes
Studio recording, 1991. Guitar World and other sources confirm this exact rig for the 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' riff. The amp was set clean and all distortion came from the Boss DS-1 pedal. No amp reverb or delay used. Chorus pedal not used in riff section, only in verse/solo.
Tone Character(10)
raspy, buzzy distortiontight, compressed power chord attackaggressive, percussive rhythmmid-forward, punchy soundnotably dry with little to no reverbslight top-end sizzlefull-bodied, thick wall of soundarticulate, not muddyno chorus or modulation in riffstudio clarity with minimal ambience
Difficulty
The riff requires tight, aggressive strumming with palm muting and dynamic accents, but uses simple power chords and no advanced techniques.
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock1990s
Original Gear
GuitarFender Japan Jaguar (modded with Seymour Duncan JB bridge humbucker)
AmpMesa/Boogie Studio Preamp into Crown Power Base 2 power amp, Marshall 1960A 4x12 cabinets
Amp Settings
gain4.5
bass5.5
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
Notes
Studio recording, 1991. Guitar World and other sources confirm this exact rig for the 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' riff. The amp was set clean and all distortion came from the Boss DS-1 pedal. No amp reverb or delay used. Chorus pedal not used in riff section, only in verse/solo.
Tone Character(10)
raspy, buzzy distortiontight, compressed power chord attackaggressive, percussive rhythmmid-forward, punchy soundnotably dry with little to no reverbslight top-end sizzlefull-bodied, thick wall of soundarticulate, not muddyno chorus or modulation in riffstudio clarity with minimal ambience
Difficulty
The riff requires tight, aggressive strumming with palm muting and dynamic accents, but uses simple power chords and no advanced techniques.