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lead guitar from “drain you” by nirvana | ToneDB

drain you

nirvana

lead guitar

75% ai confidence

Tone Profile

A raw, distorted, and somewhat chaotic guitar tone with a fuzzy edge, characteristic of early 90s grunge. It's thick and saturated, yet retains clarity for note definition.

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The Story

"Drain You" was recorded at Sound City Studios with producer Butch Vig during the Nevermind sessions. Kurt Cobain likely used a Fender Jaguar through a Mesa/Boogie Studio .22 amplifier, with the signal heavily processed through a Tech 21 SansAmp Classic pedal. The guitar was close-miked with a Shure SM57, and the recording features double-tracking with chorus and flanger effects to create the thick, saturated grunge sound.

Production Credits

Producer: Butch Vig

Engineer: Butch Vig

Recorded at: Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA

Recreation Tips

  • Start with a Fender Jaguar or similar guitar with humbucker pickups for a thick base tone.
  • Use a SansAmp Classic pedal to dial in a high-gain, fuzzy distortion sound. Experiment with the drive and output levels to find the sweet spot.
  • Set your amplifier to a clean or slightly overdriven setting to provide a foundation for the distortion pedal.
  • Place a Shure SM57 microphone close to the speaker cone of your amplifier cabinet, slightly off-axis.
  • In your DAW, try double-tracking the guitar part and panning the two takes slightly to create a wider stereo image.
  • Apply a subtle chorus or flanger effect to add depth and movement to the tone.

Original Gear

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Substitutions & Recommendations

Squier Classic Vibe '60s JaguarShop on Reverb$400-$450

Alternative to: Fender Jaguar

Offers the same offset body style and pickup configuration as Kurt's Jaguar at a budget-friendly price point

Mesa/Boogie Mark Five 25Shop on Reverb$1,200-$1,400

Alternative to: Mesa/Boogie Studio .22

Modern Mesa amp that captures the clean foundation needed for the SansAmp to work effectively

Tech 21 SansAmp ClassicShop on Reverb$200-$250

Alternative to: Tech 21 SansAmp Classic

The exact same pedal used on the recording, still in production and essential for this specific fuzzy distorted character

Shure SM57Shop on Reverb$100-$120

Alternative to: Shure SM57 microphone

Industry standard dynamic mic that's identical to what was used and perfect for capturing aggressive guitar tones

Neural DSP Archetype PliniPlugin Boutique$120-$140

Alternative to: Complete signal chain

Includes high-quality amp sims and effects that can recreate the doubled, chorused grunge sound in the box

Sources

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