Come as You Are
Nirvana · Nevermind · 1991
The main riff is a clean, chorus-drenched low-string figure on a Fender offset tuned a whole step down to D standard. The Electro-Harmonix Small Clone is documented by producer Butch Vig as the source of that watery sound, and the amp is set almost clean so the modulation reads clearly. Keep the gain low, favor the neck pickup, and let the DS-1 handle the loud chorus sections.
Where these numbers come from: worked out from the documented rig and the sound of the record
Tuning
D standard (down a whole step: D G C F A D)
The album take is a full step down; the band played it in Eb standard live, so most live footage will not match the record.
Guitar
- 1969 Fender Mustang (Lake Placid Blue Competition) · stock Mustang single-coils · neck pickup
- 1965 Fender Jaguar (modified) · DiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge), DiMarzio PAF (neck) · neck pickup for the clean riff
Amp
Mesa/Boogie Studio .22 (preamp into Crown power amp, Marshall 4x12)
This was Cobain's own rig at Sound City and the likeliest source of the clean riff tone, but Butch Vig never named the amp for this specific track; keep it just shy of breakup so the chorus pedal stays audible.
Amp
Fender Bassman
Vig says a Bassman was used heavily on Nevermind and a Vox AC30 for the cleaner overdriven sounds, so either is a defensible stand-in for the clean intro; a Rat was also on hand and was DI'd on other songs.
Pedals
- Electro-Harmonix Small Clone · chorus · Rate around 10-11 o'clock, depth switch up (full) - this is the watery sound of the riff
- Boss DS-1 · distortion · Off for the intro/verse riff; kicked in for the chorus and solo - tone around 11 o'clock, dist about 2 o'clock, level to match
Tone character
watery chorus swirl · clean with slight breakup · dark low-string weight · soft pick attack · scooped-sounding single coil
A two-string single-note riff on the low strings played over and over, so the work is in even picking and keeping the unused strings quiet rather than in any stretch or speed.
Want this on your own amp?
These are the record's settings. Tell us what you play through and we'll translate every knob to the amp you actually own — free.
Adapt it to my gear