History of Kurt Cobain's Grunge Pedal 1993 - 2021

History of Kurt Cobain's Grunge Pedal 1993 - 2021
Just a fun video with subtle humor about the greatest musician and band that ever was!
#nirvana
#kurtcobain
#nirvanaguitars
#grungepedal
#grunge
#fendermustang
#fenderjaguar

[@scottpriddy1417]

Glad you made this video! The Diana you mention is my sister. She was up front at the show, I was by the mosh pit. She was a meh Nirvana fan, but I was only 16 y/o and my mother wanted her to come with me; In Utero was both the first cassette and first CD I'd ever bought and I was a huge fan. So she rushed the stage (that was kind of her thing) and she got the pedal from Staff Pro at the end of the show. When we met up to get ready to leave, she showed me she had it. She wasn't a huge Nirvana fan though, so she gave it to me. I was in a shitty garage band playing drums, but I used this pedal a few times to do the standard Smells Like Teen Spirit power chord progression that every young garage musician in my era knew. Once he died, I stopped using it. And so it sat around in a closet for many years doing nothing. I lived in Seattle for a few years, and I had always been tempted to see if we could sell it to the Experience Music Project there. They had a grunge pedal in their collection for the Seattle scene portion (at least they did in 2000 when I visited that museum), but it was a random one that belonged to no one. But I was too lazy to ever do anything. Many years later my sister married a guy who really liked the show Pawn Stars and always wanted an excuse to go. When he found out this thing was sitting around doing nothing and neither she nor I had any deep emotional tie to it, he decided to do as much research as he could on it to verify, then took it on the show. And while they didn't buy it, it did allow him to get the word out. But yes, this is legit, and on the Seattle Pier show recording you can briefly see it on stage at some point.

[@89schofe]

I can completely imagine him using it as a joke because it's a "grunge pedal" for a "grunge band" he had a funny sense of humour like that

[@pamir2593]

"Grunge" Wasn't coined for Nirvana back then. They thought of themselves as a punk rock band, all the way trough until kurt's death.

[@Wersany]

@@pamir2593 no hate but in an interview Nirvana said they didn't mind being labled as grunge,the interview was Much: Our First Time w/ Nirvana (1991) you can see it on youtube.(I do know Nirvana was was punk rock btw,they are are my favorite band)

[@greencrab6]

I own one, I use it for my main distortion, they sound brilliant especially if you get the right settings. Much better than a DS-1, which I can never get to sound good for anything I like.

[@loungeact6311]

It's usable just have to cut the highs a bit. I have had similar feelings with DS1, I prefer DS2 and even that one sometimes can be really dark and muddy depending on the pickups.

[@greencrab6]

@@loungeact6311 What's your DS-1 settings? Mine's all 70-80%, idk if that's right tho

[@loungeact6311]

@@greencrab6 usually tone round 11oclock, and distortion either 75% or maxed out. I do think the amp plays a big part , prob sound better if I had a tube amp for sure.

[@jakespencer431]

What’s it like bro? I just got a fender twin reverb vintage! Been using a overdrive way huge mrk||| here in australia it’s so hard to find boss ds1 and ds2 so I got the way huge with my dime bag darrell cfh wah sounds beautiful together would you recommend the grunge pedal over a ds1 or ds2? I’ll have to go to reverb for it

[@loungeact6311]

@@jakespencer431 in this vid I go back in forth between DS2, grunge, and Metal zone.

[@morgellon9449]

Just seeing that thing brings back weird mid-90's vibes of ogling gear I couldn't have in my dad's Guitar World magazines as a little kid. Never played one and always wondered how they sounded; that's cool I can actually find out by listening to live recordings of Nirvana, because I never would have guessed that. Cool video.

[@bigmuffmelvin7388]

I picked up one of the butt/face grunge pedals at a pawn a few years back. It’s on my list of video to do lol Love these history of Kurt’s gear videos. Keep em coming

[@loungeact6311]

Thanks! I trying to dabble in different types of content find out what people will like and what Im good at.

[@jakespencer431]

Keep doing nirvana stuff dude I’ll watch all of em😂

[@loungeact6311]

@@jakespencer431 👍 thanks!

[@rustybritches6747]

my brother had one of these back in 97ish and I remember it having such a weird effect I loved it! both of us are die hard nirvana fans and my brother being 5 years older got me into nirvana and guitar..... anyway, I got to get me one of these pedals just to see if it's all I remember! thank you for this video.

[@maxxxmodelz4061]

Nice work! Good research, man. That takes a lot of detective work.

[@joshuayettou3552]

Hey man great stuff. Would you ever consider making some videos of Krist Novoselics bass gear for us bass heads? That would be awesome! Krist is such a criminally underrated bass player (being in a band with the genius of Kurt Cobain and the immensely talented Dave Grohl it's easy for most people to overlook poor ol' Krist but Krist was a part of the glue that helped Dave Grohl keep the rhythm section so tight and groovy and allowing Kurt to do some pretty rad guitar riffs while Krist not only kept perfect timing and intensity but added his own style and a kinda "walking bass" groove to it if that makes any sense 😂). He had such a powerful sound and before Pat Smear joined in as a second guitarist you could really hear and see how much Krists bass playing contributed to Nirvana's amazing sound. Bass intro's in such songs as "Blew", "Love Buzz", "Lounge Act" (which is one of my favorite Nirvana songs and songs ever written!), "Dive" (another one of my favorite Nirvana songs), "Silver", "Hairspray Queen" (such a cool bass line!) And any others I may have forgotten all alone let Krists bass playing shine. Well sorry for the novel of a post but I'm obviously super passionate about bass playing and Nirvana so I get a bit excited just thinking and typing about it! Keep up the great work and I'd love to be of any help if you plan on actually making a Krist/bass/Nirvana gear video if I can be of any assistance! Cheers!

[@loungeact6311]

I totally agree, he is awesome! He was a big part of their sound. I will put some bass projects in the works. I actually started playing bass first as my friend who was a few years older was awesome at guitar (also a Nirvana fan) taught me. My best friend was a drummer so you know what we ended up doing on most nights! 🎸

[@joshuayettou3552]

@@loungeact6311 It seems like a lot of guitar players ended up playing the bass first then switching to the guitar. I love playing the guitar but I'm a 6 foot 4 inch tall dude and am a big boy. My hands and fingers aren't especially big/long but the guitar just feels uncomfortable for me. The bass feels much more comfortable. It's always been quite the challenge for me to play certain guitar chords and be able to switch from chord to chord (especially while singing at the same time?). I can play power chords just fine but would love to learn how to play other chords and sing while playing at the same. Musicians such as Kurt Cobain made it look so easy! It's so hard to do! Anyway, looking forward to seeing more of your videos. Cheers 🥂

[@vintagememories6560]

I’ve been wondering about this! Very informative.

[@hailmaryrecordings8255]

I’ve been playing since 1986 & mostly in “Alternative” bands. I’ve been all over the place, but have yet to play through this pedal. I’m not even sure I’ve been in the same room with one, or have seen a demo in a store. It’s the day after Christmas 2023, and I’m watching pedal-videos. I just randomly clicked this & really enjoyed it. I’m going to go buy one on Reverb now. 🤘🏻

[@DRKsVlogs]

Great video, I can tell you put a lot of effort into it, very appreciated

[@wighttoan]

The Grunge pedal, Buzz box and Gonkulator were all based on the RAT circuit. Both Kurt and Krist used a RAT on early recordings.

[@loungeact6311]

I have always wanted a Rat, I heard it's has a wide range of sounds from fuzz to overdrive to distortion.

[@BAM-cf4di]

It’s true, I own a Rat and its really hard to find a bad sound from it

[@FiveseveNp90]

The only thing they have in common with a RAT is (Si) diode clipping to ground, which you'll find in at least 80% of distortions.

[@MikeyVonSwank13]

First pedal I ever bought was this one. Didn’t last long. Made the switch to Boss

[@brett1050]

Great job on historical facts. Good video ty

[@alexandermikrievskij5332]

Jep, I think so, too. You can hear it... I experimented for about 10 years on the sound, he defenetly used it.

[@joshingtonbarthsworth631]

Not even halfway through my second vid of yours, and you've got a new subscriber. Good stuff.

[@loungeact6311]

Ty!... great to hear keeps me motivated to make a bunch more.

[@BrentHood]

Proud new owner of a circa 2004 digitech reissue Grunge pedal. Absolutely love it 😂❤

[@shaunspins]

Well done videos, Was my first pedal in 95, I got for really cheap. First day of usage I broke the speaker on amp. It has a certain noise to it. Shocking to see prices now

[@loungeact6311]

Ty! I appreciate you watching.

[@AchillesWrath1]

Same first pedal i ever owned as well. Though i have no idea where it is now.

[@shaunspins]

@@AchillesWrath1 it is someone making a lot of noise and changing someones life

[@thewenik6876]

All guitar players with an amplifier has a pedal. This grunge pedal looks used. Nice seeing. Thanks.

[@uncooldispatch5438]

Nice 👍 saw them Oct 29 93 - fun times for 14 year old

[@roosterj2599]

I used mine until it shorted out and died. Loved it.

[@rareozzyvideos4103]

I had a dod grunge pedal and the others but when I went to step on it sparks stated to come from the pedal

[@loungeact6311]

Damn! That's wild.

[@rareozzyvideos4103]

@@loungeact6311 yeah it is we had to turn off all the power to get it off the chain safety

[@revengeof1307]

@@rareozzyvideos4103 it started sparking because you were probably using it plugged in. You should use vintage pedals with 9v

[@rareozzyvideos4103]

@@revengeof1307 you would be correct I plugged it in with my daisy chain

[@williambeglen4771]

It's essentially the same pedal as the Digitech "hot head" pedal. Which is a cheaper version of the Orange clone pedal he used. So, I can see him being a smart ass. And using a "grunge" pedal. 😆 Nirvana was notorious for being wittingly funny.

[@turboninja22]

I think there's a JHS show episode about danelectro pedals and the one that is metal is basically the grunge pedal circuit... I can't remember what specific jhs show ep it was lol Cool documentary

[@evanpaulsmithfalconfogolin6147]

This pedal is polarizing for a lot of reasons. But sonically live, this pedal was used to great effect during the height of their powers.

[@rgoob4045]

forgive me for the obvious, but 2 things irritated or infuriated Cobain during live performances... 1) issues with his 'pedal(s) and the other was having to watch audience member(s) behaviors. He tried to block that out by closing his eyes nearly every second he could when looking out at the audiences. One of the things he did instead of closing his eyes was to focus on a particular object in the distance, or on the ceiling (but not often). This is apparent in any live performance after November 91, for obvious reasons.

[@loungeact6311]

So true! Especially for the In utero tour he didn't want to tour at all.

[@pappyprimetime7510]

Kurdt used this pedal. I was in the front row during a St. Paul Minnesota show and I saw him kick it on many times. One time he kicked it on then stomped on it again and again in anger.

[@Casey_S]

I have the same model. Sounds incredible still

[@pepuletrz]

i now have the digitek and the 2 out puts are an amazing thing.one is to amp and the other is to mixer.

[@MrmelodyUs]

I own one in great condition. The sound is something I cannot comprehend, but there's no accounting for taste, LOL. Am happy to sell it to whoever has the right numbers...

[@williambeglen4771]

The switch issue is easy to fix. There are extra rubber stops attached to the inside of the top portion of the pedal. They do wear out. Fear not! Not only can they be flipped around, the extra 2 stops are there for replacement. At least, my "Hot head" came with such extra rubber stops. I didn't know of this hack until 20 years later. 😆 When I finally started to have problems. I looked for a solution. Or, a way to rig my pedal. And luckily, Digitech already knew to leave extras. Just a cool idea, they never mentioned in the booklet. Pretty neat huh?

[@V1VISECT6]

Me and a buddy paired one of this up to a Metal Zone, it was amazingly awful. I almost ran my HM2 Heavy Metal after it for the hell of it.

[@jacksmith4460]

I have a V1 Grunge(got it in 96), its fun but not a great pedal, but there are some good sounds hidden beneath, the V1 for sure sounds different to the later models, more wild and crazy lool

[@clifford_2zero7]

3:41 Excuse me that was my grunge pedal 😅😅😅😅

[@adamdarmstaedter1256]

I have the DOD Gunge and Flashback Fuzz which I have heard share basically the same circuit, but with minor tweaks. I always thought the Grunge was too raspy and has kind of a "pixel" quality to the distortion - if that makes sense. I also have a Boss DS-2 which is ok - better than the DS-1. I have a SansAmp GT2 as well and that has really been my go-to gain pedal that stays on my board.

[@Adam_and_steve]

Grunge Pedal Lore

[@rudomcrudolph9402]

I have the same exact one and its a bomb!

[@yungnootswat]

on the live and loud show, kurt used a strat with all three single coils, which is weird because he usually has his guitar tech put a hotrails in his backup strats.

[@loungeact6311]

interesting. I wonder if they anticipated him giving it away to a fan. i think they might have had a few black strats on the tour.

[@kevismac]

Kinda confused you say Kurt ducted tape his pedals to the floor which is true pre in utero but the footage you show is from in utero time when Kurt did have his pedals on a board

[@catsarecool9331]

I have a digtech grunge pedal and its actually pretty good

[@loungeact6311]

I did a demo vid a few videos back comparing it and it sounds pretty good. Just have to dial it in.

[@465marko]

YOU'RE actually pretty good

[@catsarecool9331]

@@465marko how the hell would you know that? I can barely make a full F chord (but im a pro at power chords)

[@465marko]

@@catsarecool9331 F is for losers, nobody wanna that shit! Power chords are what wester society is built on. The Egyptians did them building the pyramids. And shakespeare wrote all his plays about them.

[@465marko]

@@catsarecool9331 oh, also i know because I spy on you. With cameras.

[@KurtCobain2021]

What is the knob settings?

[@jacksmith4460]

I really hope he did not throw it into the crowd, because they are F*CKING heavy and I mean weight, he could actually kill someone with that, looks more like he throw it to the side of the stage

[@oldeays5085]

Why, would you show your clip but, not show it? It's so, tiny I can see the video! Strange.

[@loungeact6311]

Sorry...this was one of the first videos I made and didn't really know what I was doing. That show is actually on KZbin though so you can get a better look.

[@williamkramer9731]

I bought a two dod pedals.... Very audiovisual sound and they lasted about 6 months combined... Trash. If boss can make a 40-50 dollar pedal that lasts forever, there's no excuse. Now, thanks to Black Friday I have a very nice boutique tube distortion pedal, a tube screamer, and I still have my trusty over dozen year old Dunlop. If you're a little short, is definitely recommend the dunlops.... Mine looks like it's been through WW1, 2, and 3, looks like it should be dead, and works. The verdict is still out on my Marshall jackhammer that I'm struggling to locate. That was a more expensive, but excellent ds-1 or ds-2 alternative.... Overdrive and distortion setting, while maintaining very good tone.

[@V1VISECT6]

I've only had one Boss pedal actually die and I really regret not trying to get it fixed, if i knew BF2s would go up in price i would have kept it. It was a newer MIT (taiwan) pedal maybe used PSA power, i've picked up a Japanaese one for 100 bucks just needs to have a replacement switch, still works as is but i've been lazy.

[@williamkramer9731]

@@V1VISECT6 boss is one of the few companies that have mastered the durable cheap pedal. I'm not a big fan of their pedals, but they're one of the few I've seen people use that have taken the abuse my Dunlop has

[@pepuletrz]

i knew it.

[@madsplattalot8712]

Who the hell can see that clip

[@ddobry21]

I like the Butt Face settings best

[@jeremybradley559]

Why use a tiny square of film ?

[@loungeact6311]

Sorry about that. This was one of my first videos and I didn't know what I was doing.

[@jeremybradley559]

All good bro , thought it was some copy right/fair use rule or something.

[@yogaparadise1982]

Wait? What pedal is it ? Tell us lol

[@abraxasjinx5207]

Boston much?

[@loungeact6311]

Pretty close! Rhode Island.

[@geoffreydias4960]

Vert Bad pedal and Cobain didn't Like it. Prefer by far DS1

[@mollyrose2896]

The grunge pedal is a modified Rat. The more you know.

[@Killstrike6660]

Dod pedals suck and that one sucked the most.

[@moptopzzz8076]

Kurt never used that pedal😁

[@scottpriddy1417]

I can assure you, he did. I saw him throw it into the crowd, and my sister had it walking out of the show. She gave it to me. I only used it a few times, because after he died a few months later, I stopped using it.

[@BosworthMcG]

Those things sound (ed) like ass. No wonder he gave it away.

[@GrandmasDay32]

Such a stupid novelty pedal. They sounded like shit. Had a friend that bought one and ended up pitching it.

[@killaken2000]

my friend had one as well. it had an awful "can of bees" sound to it. I'm sure somebody out there was able to get a good sound out of it but my friend definitely couldn't.

[@465marko]

@@killaken2000 The "can-of-bees" sound is making it to the forefront, tho. It used to be "wall-of-sound" but now its "can-of-bees"; that's all the kids wanna hear!

[@joshnorton498]

"Most alternative musicians hated that term." They hated the term "alternative" too. Were you even alive for the Seattle grunge era?

[@loungeact6311]

Yes although I was only 11 when Kurt passed on.

[@johnhenry8408]

Yes I was in my late teens early 20s

[@hisham_hm]

how did they want to be called?

[@h2ophilter]

this pedal sucked. Cobain ended up tossing it.

[@snomad2248]

why did he write with his right hand, but play guitar left handed? It's difficult to find a left handed guitar, and back when he foolishly destroyed his guitars at the end of concerts, they'd have to find more... The only positive thing about his death is the life of guitars.

[@loungeact6311]

I think back in the day they used to scold you if you wrote left handed in some households. Only thing I can think of.

[@jeremiahgarcia1856]

Jesus loves you all , repent for your sins and accept him in your heart to be accepted into heaven . God bless you all!!!🖤🖤

[@geraldfriend256]

It actually sounds good if you work with the tone knob.All hail the Dark Prince; The Fallen Angel Lucifer as He who Waits in Silence.And into an already half distorted tube amp it is tone city.