Nirvana Sound Gear and Effects


Violanted
Registered User
Joined: 03/21/21
Posts: 63
Violanted
Registered User
Joined: 03/21/21
Posts: 63
02/11/2023 10:18 am

Hi folks good weekend everrone


Hopefully i could get some good advise here.


First of all thanks to GuitarTricks my guitar playing level is absolutely to the next level. I have music expericne with Organ, Piano, Keyboards in a rock band contest since over 15 years now guitar is my last add in the last 2 years and since last 6 months amazing improvments looks like I unlocked the secrets of how to play. i am into rock, love Nirvana but we my band we always playd classic rocks that goes from Pink Floyd, to The Doors, Deep Purple.


Now since I have lernt 4 of the most famous Nirvana songs, About a Girl, Heart shaped box, Rape me, All Apologies.


My gear and my problem, and I think the issue is Amp related.


Electro Harmonix Small Clone


Boos DS-2 Distortion


Self-built Marshall Class 5 (With Bright Cap on Volume Pot) hope you guys knows what that means, but in easy terms compared with the original Marshall 5 the additional cap will produce a brighter sound. The rest is the same circuit as the original thing!


Guitar PRS SE 22 Hardtail from 2006


Kurt Cobain is known to have used the Small clone and DS-2 but hea was using a bunch of different guitars, probably Fender strats for the most and Les Paul and more...


I am not getting the sound I have noticed when Teacher Mike Olekshy teaches About a Girl.


I know Nirvan used tprobably use Mesa Boogie or Fender type Amp such 5E3 or other similar?


What would be the issue? My amp or my guitar. The sound I get is some what close you can perseive that I am soone trying to copy the sound but isn't that I would say I sound similar but different.


Any ideas since I have an intention to play with the band some Nirvana stuff and we never did that before so we are trying to figure all out.


Cheers


Dave Mojo

davide.violante@rockers.rocks

www.rockers.rocks

[u]Netheralnds[/u]

# 1
ChristopherSchlegel
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Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,328
ChristopherSchlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,328
02/12/2023 8:06 pm

Glad you enjoying GT & making progress with your guitar playing!


"I am not getting the sound I have noticed when Teacher Mike Olekshy teaches About a Girl."


This is difficult to assess without hearing the sound you are getting in order to compare it to the tone on the lessons.


Can you post a link to audio or video with audio of your tone playing the parts to the song?


Most of those songs use a pretty basic clean tone, then engage a basic distortion or overdrive pedal for the overdriven sections.  You might need to make sure your guitar is on the right pickups to match the tone.  Have you tried to set your amp for a basic clean tone, then get the gain from the DS-2?


Christopher Schlegel
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Christopher Schlegel Lesson Directory
# 2
Violanted
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Joined: 03/21/21
Posts: 63
Violanted
Registered User
Joined: 03/21/21
Posts: 63
02/13/2023 10:03 am
#2 Originally Posted by: ChristopherSchlegel

Glad you enjoying GT & making progress with your guitar playing!


"I am not getting the sound I have noticed when Teacher Mike Olekshy teaches About a Girl."


This is difficult to assess without hearing the sound you are getting in order to compare it to the tone on the lessons.


Can you post a link to audio or video with audio of your tone playing the parts to the song?


Most of those songs use a pretty basic clean tone, then engage a basic distortion or overdrive pedal for the overdriven sections.  You might need to make sure your guitar is on the right pickups to match the tone.  Have you tried to set your amp for a basic clean tone, then get the gain from the DS-2?

Yes the guitar is set to bridge pickup


I can post a video no problem it is the clean tone part of the intro, to me the tone sounds different from what I hear on the video lesson but it is difficult to explain it. For this video I have to prepare it without backing track.


However I took a video when I begun learning about a girl I couldn't play the intro so well but I was so exited that I still made a public video, crrazy stuff but at least maybe you can get it from there.


The settings are


Clean tone with Madamp G3 Rock 3 Watts it's little Tube Amp self built


Gain to 3


Mids to 5


Bass to 5


Treble to 6


No effect pedal no chorus no distortion, the intro is not meant to have any distortion anyway maybe some chorus or little reverb


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrG3wiIPm-c


I will add a new private video for you, for the About a Girl - within few days, for the whole song that will include some chorus for the intro using Small Clone, and DS-2 for the second part of the song, but I believe the DS-2 distortion is too much for this song maybe?


Thanks


Dave Mojo

davide.violante@rockers.rocks

www.rockers.rocks

[u]Netheralnds[/u]

# 3
ChristopherSchlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,328
ChristopherSchlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,328
02/13/2023 12:43 pm

Mike is using a Strat with a single coil (which is going to sound a little brighter because it has more high end treble) & less gain on the amp.  You can turn down the gain & bass & turn up the treble.  You might also turn the guitar volume down a little.  Those humbuckers add a bit of gain.


Those are the differences.  But really it's close enough to just play & learn the song!  Sounds like you are strumming in time & having fun.  Hope that helps!


Christopher Schlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor

Christopher Schlegel Lesson Directory
# 4
Violanted
Registered User
Joined: 03/21/21
Posts: 63
Violanted
Registered User
Joined: 03/21/21
Posts: 63
02/13/2023 1:05 pm
#4 Originally Posted by: ChristopherSchlegel

Mike is using a Strat with a single coil (which is going to sound a little brighter because it has more high end treble) & less gain on the amp.  You can turn down the gain & bass & turn up the treble.  You might also turn the guitar volume down a little.  Those humbuckers add a bit of gain.


Those are the differences.  But really it's close enough to just play & learn the song!  Sounds like you are strumming in time & having fun.  Hope that helps!

Yes you got it, I was actually thinking the guitar to be the little issue.


I like the sound of strats, I had a Fender Classic 50s and stupidily sold it for the PRS, somehow I thought it would have suite me better. Now, after 1 year of playing and probably because I build Amps since 5 years now I am getting better to know more in depth guitar, gears etc.


However the strumming on that video are cra....p hehehe, the new version of what I have been playing is a lot better.


I am getting a strat soon I love to play guitar I will put all my efforts to become a decent player that can enjoy some rock and roll with my band mate :-) 


Thanks so far and I'd say that we can confirm that depending of the songs Nirvana used to use Small Clone and DS-2, correct?


Cheers,


edited

Dave Mojo

davide.violante@rockers.rocks

www.rockers.rocks

[u]Netheralnds[/u]

# 5
ChristopherSchlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,328
ChristopherSchlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,328
02/14/2023 2:06 pm

"Thanks so far and I'd say that we can confirm that depending of the songs Nirvana used to use Small Clone and DS-2, correct?"


Yes, I think that's correct.


Christopher Schlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor

Christopher Schlegel Lesson Directory
# 6

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