How To Sound Like Nirvana (Kurt Cobain's Tone in 7 Pedals)

[@modelcitizen1977]

You know you're chasing tone when you're auditioning 27 different DS-1s.

[@GlennJimenez]

Chasing? More like stalking!

[@danielkspriggs]

All the DS1s on the floor 😂😂

[@Fl4ppers]

I have one from the 80s. The resistors and caps start to change values after a while so there will be slight but noticeable differences

[@malcolmkendall1547]

Yes, that's a perfect Josh protrait isn't it? 😁

[@Tyrannosaurine]

@@malcolmkendall1547what is a protrait?

[@malcolmkendall1547]

@@Tyrannosaurine An erstwhile idiosyncrasy. 🙃

[@mikebutnotike]

This should definitely become a series! I love this format!!

[@christravis8288]

Agree

[@alpep1307]

What is important to remember were these guys just bought stuff they could afford and liked and were trying to make their own sound. Make your own sounds

[@rmaxtpmx]

Yes, but Science is fun. Matching a sound is Science.

[@rocketdoggo]

Yeah, Kurt would be mortified to see a bunch of folks trying so hard to "capture his tone".

[@The.One.True.B]

Yeah definitely not something to forget but they were also combining sounds they heard other people use and liked. You always do what YOU like but hearing what other people do can point you in the right direction. Just don’t take someone’s sound top to bottom. You gotta mix up lots of influences so that you can barely pick out a single one easily.

[@matturner6890]

@@rocketdoggo we can't know what he would've thought once he was 57 (!!!) He probably wouldn't care by now lol.

[@alpep1307]

@@rmaxtpmx sure but I’d rather spend time on what could be than what was

[@johndogwater]

Aaron Rash is dope, we need a guy like that on cancer.

[@alexdenton6586]

We need him on cancer ?

[@SneedyKetler]

He’s done so much for the Nirvana Gear community, don’t you think the uh, ancer-cay would slow him down?

[@TheMultiDouche]

I think he is suggesting that the powers of autism that drive him on nirvana tone would be helpful to have working on a problem like the cure for cancer.

[@serfillustrated4018]

We have had several. They all seem to die mysteriously right before they testify to congress.

[@motherpluckinbanjoplayer_4795]

Cancer research??? .... right?

[@JeserNoob]

Aaron rash is getting crazy love for his contributions to Nirvana Tone. HES slowly piecing together what all the engineers did to achieve their classic album sounds!

[@AnK11Morrison]

Pedal X absolutely broke Josh. Superb job guys but you really need to bring Aaron Rash in the same room together and have a go again and record the jam. I feel you will make Kurt really proud!

[@OfficialTuxedoMask]

pedal X lol broke Josh

[@nickrouse8426]

"Like...is there a schematic?" 😂

[@christopheguillaume4032]

Hahaha Josh learning about an unkown pedal is gold. Incredibly inspiring video.

[@o0Donuts0o]

This channel has single-handedly inspired me to pick up my guitar after 15+ years of it being in its case.

[@JediMasterRick2]

Hey. I stopped playing for 19 years. I’m back playing for 5 years now. It’s never too late.

[@ascendtranscend3812]

the "Idon't have this pedal am I gunna survive part" hit's so hard! I couldn't hold a huge belly laugh!

[@billiramone]

I hoped this was an Aaron Rash video... What a man!!! This is awesome!!!!

[@RiffsAndBeards]

What a great video, gents!

[@ilgrande22]

Get yourself someone who looks at you like Josh looked at Pedal X. Great vid!

[@mariosp7690]

The look on Josh’s face when he realizes someone has a pedal he doesn’t own 😂😂😂

[@ColorsonicSound]

Appreciate this! Being such a hardcore Nirvana fan since I was a kid, its driving me a little crazy the way you're playing the School riff wrong LOL! Just had to tease you about it...much love man!

[@AnniottOfficial]

So glad you collaborated with Aaron on this as his videos are super awesome to watch. I'm not even a massive Nirvana fan but they're really interesting

[@mattflickinger8151]

He would probably had to reload the video if he had not..

[@nerdyneedsalife8315]

Yay Aaron Rash collab

[@rizkyjanuardi99]

You guys should do this more often! So interesting watching you all investigate those sounds

[@mistershankly]

Love content like this. Please do an episode on Siamese Dream next

[@davidpggarrett]

Amen to that!

[@JacksonLamberth]

This is the best guitar KZbin BY FAR. You guys kill it every episode. The production, the humor, the information, and the jams come together to perform ultimate entertainment. AND THIS my favorite format of your's. Recreating the other tones is so fun to watch. Still waiting for the shoe gaze episode! Can't wait!!!!!

[@X70Cressida]

Perfect timing! I just got a DS1 on Sunday for my birthday!

[@danjwalker]

Awesome! Always a much needed pedal in your arsenal.

[@X70Cressida]

@ It’s my first pedal too! I can feel myself slowly delving down the rabbit hole of needing MORE..

[@danjwalker]

@X70Cressida Be careful! I did that with pedals and synths and ended up selling all of them. I became so overwhelmed that I stopped really creating anything. It's what you do, not what you have. We're all different though. that was just my experience.

[@X70Cressida]

@@danjwalker I completely agree. Some of my favorite albums were recorded with just a guitar and an amp; no frills, just music. No purpose in paying thousands of dollars in gear for an instrument you can barely play. Still, a big muff, earthquaker plumes, and some kind of chorus wouldn’t hurt😅

[@danjwalker]

@X70Cressida Haha. You know what? Every kitchen needs salt and pepper!

[@blairmichaelhogan4502]

Great video! The chord progression of In Bloom baffles me to this day. It’s fascinating to analyze these songs I loved so much as a kid, but doing as an adult who knows and loves music theory and harmony. Kurt’s ability to write great, catchy melodies over the weirdest changes was maybe his biggest strength as a writer imo.

[@ChrisEck13]

It's almost like music theory is a hinderence to songs like In Bloom, it doesn't really make sense with traditional theory, I think every note is in that song, and I don't mean just a passing chromatic thing but part of the song.

[@blairmichaelhogan4502]

Absolutely. Knowing theory is irreplaceable when it comes to doing my job as a sideman guitarist who plays with a shit ton of different people. But when it comes to writing there are certainly times when I wish I could erase the ‘rules’ from my brain temporarily.

[@theurge14]

@@ChrisEck13 Probably this right here. Learning guitar in the days of no internet meant your best friend had to teach you bar chords (which might have been incorrect lol). Charlie Parker is another example of blowing past music theory because he learned to play the saxophone alone in his room with no instructions or help.

[@GROCK619]

Thanks for the collaboration with Aaron Rash !!!

[@HogbackHank]

The JHS show has been so good the past couple months. Keep it up! I'm loving the content.

[@RandyLeonard-t1x]

Thats Awesome having Aaron on...Dude has such a great ear.👍Just like Jhs i get excited when he drops a video.

[@reginaldperiwinkle]

I like this kind of video and wouldn't mind seeing more of these. I like the approach of using modern gear to approximate a sound that is now considered an authentic or vintage grunge sound, rather than using the actual gear and techniques used at the time. I think it hits home the point you make that the original recordings were a product of the existing technology, the way in which they recorded, how loud they played, the tastes of the band and the producer as to what worked, and chance elements. All of those factors result in a sound that is distinctive to a period in time, which becomes harder and harder to reproduce as time passes and as the way in which we make music changes. Very cool.

[@Fughwaz28]

So sick seeing Aaron getting some love

[@6-10noir]

I am so grateful for all the great videos this year!

[@adilO.o]

I loved every second of this video. As a Nirvana fan, as a guitar player, as a guitar tone enthusiast, as a JHS fan and Aaron Rash fan.

[@magraretsbane6274]

I wonder when this was shot, Aaron has since stated that the Rat is the distortion on Heart Shaped Box and has also released IR packs for In Utero and Nevermind

[@jaredsquires2260]

For Heart Shaped Box the solo was remixed after the fact. They recorded the song by Krist thought it could sound better but Kurt wouldn’t re-record it so it was edited and mixed afterwards, although I don’t remember by who though.

[@NoRuleBut3]

Huge video! Kurt Cobain was a huge part of what got me into guitar and influenced a lot of the music I still listen to today. Thanks for this one!

[@minervaselysium137]

oh yeisss jhs chasing tones having the resources of josh? yes please give me moree

[@nativeofwest]

Love this. Thanks for guiding us down the rabbit hole.

[@jwhite1016aol]

So glad you guys shined a spotlight on Aaron. What he has done for those of us KC tone fans is beyond belief nearly. The magic combo of the specific Utah speaker and Veleno guitar for In Utero was such an important discovery. People should check out his IR packs he went through a lot of his own money to create those for us and they’re priced more than fair.

[@mtdawgy]

Excellent job from both Josh and Nick!!! This seemed like a really hard thing to do and you guys nailed it!!!!!

[@elmeromero6559]

IMHO Kurt's pedals were modified..kurt was a genious.. new suscriber here 🎊🥳🎉

[@admatlydian]

Really liked this kind of format. Well done video. Learned a lot.

[@BlairLSK]

"The aim is to use gear that is much more affordable ..." Pulls out a Kemper

[@MarceloDurham]

I don't believe it! After all of us did it multiple times, you guys finally took a shot at it! That's definitely a views maker video! Fun times at JHS with our special guest, the ghost of Kurt Cobain himself! 😊❤😂😂 PS: love the video I'm just being funny.

[@HerbieBancock]

Do you think that's English?

[@MarceloDurham]

@@HerbieBancock probably not since I'm from brazil and my mother language is Portuguese. ✌️😜

[@jhspedals]

lol nice

[@MarceloDurham]

@ ☺️✌️♥️

[@chuckmaithonis9132]

That was so much fun! Nirvana, gear/tone questing, and just all around love of the sound!! And I'm also jealous of all the fun it looked like you guys were all having! Thank you!! 🎶❤️🎶

[@SteveMurnaghan]

Sounds like it was a lot of fun and frustration putting this together. Couldn’t agree more about being inspired vs trying to copy! As always, love the vid!

[@jarihankiala3871]

This format is really cool! Everything you guys make is so entertaining it’s crazy!

[@szneka12]

Amazing content, I was so immersed throughout the entire video. Thank you and great job!

[@Skidlick]

Josh. Are you going to work some magic and get a #3 pedal "X" ???? The expression on your face was priceless when you heard of this pedal.

[@jq.guitars]

I have Pedal X #5. Featured it during the solo in my HSB cover on my channel

[@Skidlick]

@jq.guitarsi know it. Ha ha

[@youlittlesaget]

Great job on this video! I’ve been obsessed with the guitar sounds on each of 3 Nirvana’s studio albums. For the Nevermind album, Andy Wallace definitely added some chorus on many of Kurt’s guitar parts. From everything I’ve read and heard in his interviews, he did indeed use the Yamaha SPX-90. Specifically, he used the “Symphonic” preset on guitar parts, such as “Come As You Are”. You can’t get that chorus sound alone with just the Small Clone. If you listen to Butch Vig’s original “Devonshire” mixes of Nevermind, and even Nirvana’s live performances, the tone sounds way different than the album guitar tones because they are lacking that additional SPX-90 chorus.

[@d3w4yn3]

This is GLORIOUS!!! You guys nailed it!!!

[@Plaidx2Productions]

This was such a fantastic video! Thanks so much for doing this.

[@georgemichalas]

These albums and these tones will always be in our hearts! Thank you so much for making this video. Have a great Christmas!

[@GabrielLoyolaBliss]

i knew i needed this collab!!!! josh and aaron are great!!

[@jhspedals]

aaron is incredible

[@brynlewis7175]

That was really cool. Thank you. I love In Utero, but I have never tried to work out specifically what Kurt used so this was super interesting.

[@隠れた]

I love Aaron’s channel this is a great video!

[@Riffs79]

That's def. a fun day for sure. I love Nirvana! I was 11 yrs. old when Nevermind was released and it blew me away...especially when I heard "Lithium". It's the first song on my playlist. Rick Beato interviewing Butch Vig about the recording of Nevermind is a must watch. Thanks for another great video Josh! Peace

[@raulgalets]

I love these. Keep them coming, please!

[@WkndWarriorGTR]

Nice job with this! Fantastic!

[@ratonlucho]

Josh: "We focused on the affordable" Also Josh: *Immediately brings out a Kemper

[@davidsebastianbermudezgonz6425]

Please keep on doing this series, really cool

[@sluque]

I loved this video. I really look for this type of content all the time. Thanks

[@tsg_frank]

Real cool to see Aaron here, he's done insane stuff for Nirvana tones, he deserves appreciation. I'll say that for a lot of these tones, you guys definitely got in the ballpark, the HSB solo was spot on! Really cool stuff

[@RuthlessMojo]

Merry Christmas Josh and gang. All I want for Christmas is Josh’s pedal collection. A man can dream.

[@gcabral]

Killer video. Thanks JHS crew!!!

[@kungfuseadog]

YO broskis - you did an insane job with this video. Love your pedals, love your vids. This one is above and beyond cause it's so much fun to see you nerd out and get frustrated. damn

[@theyearsshallrun6641]

Your Heart Shaped Box tones were beautiful.

[@TylerJaySmith007]

Love the hunt for tone! Great job JHS team!

[@gresnid3453]

Awesome! Thank you for what you do.

[@bluesoverlord]

This is great! When Beato made a video trying to figure out how “When the Levee Breaks” drum sounds were created, I was stoked. This excursion does the same thing! Please keep it up. It would be great if you and sound engineers could have a round table figuring out how a famous song was laid down in detail.

[@revol40]

Pretty good guys! Getting anything from an original recording is very difficult especially a band like Nirvana. Showing you can use what you have to make good stuff.

[@justineverett7396]

Loved this video. I like the message of you don't have to spend your life savings to achieve the tones you want to mimic from your favorite artists. It's still all about the fun of playing.

[@pyjamajam783]

Really enjoyed this exploration of Kurt's sounds. What a trip! The detuned guitar thing in Heart Shaped Box solo has blown my mind. It's like reverse lore of Van Halen tunings to remove dissonance from the 3rds of the chord(Kurt goes opposite way and adds the wobbly dissonance). Similarly to Kurt, Eddie often used to tune guitar to itself and his ear instead of reference tone. Unique tunings can give a lot of character and boost creativity. Every guitarist should try this at least once instead of relying solely on the tuner. I love to see your take on Incubus, they too approached effects very creatively.

[@nge888]

This was awesome !!!! More please ....

[@ericscherzer2544]

Really fun video! Thank you!

[@marvinsequera]

What a great video, I love this type. The DS1 is my true big love.

[@MisterKatSwordfish]

Loved this video and loved the message of this video!

[@insomniacgrunge2517]

Nirvana Guitars is Another source really accurate

[@michaelcorsiniart]

This was fascinating!

[@tgarder]

the "i don't have this pedal, am i gonna survive" really got to me lol

[@johndogwater]

Who knew my A string tuner had a built-in Nirvana pedal. That's so cool, that's the coolest thing I've heard in a minute. I think my takeaway is; be out of tune, make sure all of your equipment is halfway broken, and play it load.

[@joeyskar]

Awesome show, great job! -Tim & Eric

[@jeffreyhall76]

I think it’s badass you guys are showing how to try and approximate these tones from all the bands you’ve been doing and i hope you continue because let’s be honest that’s what brought us all here

[@edneyhelenedossantos1875]

Great video, love it!

[@rtoddcowger9282]

Thanks! That was fun to listen to and learn from.

[@ianfurqueron5850]

Good video. Tone chasing is fun even if the sounds and tools used aren't what I would normally play through.

[@harrybate3620]

I love Aaron Rash! He's my favorite guitar KZbinr!!! I love that you shouted him out!

[@jayhohmann3216]

This was so cool to see. I want more

[@FrancescoRicciulli]

masterpiece video, it's simply awesome. thanks

[@kosmicwizard]

Please do more of these, Josh?

[@canyilmaz86]

You guys are awesome :)

[@adilO.o]

I loved every second of this video. As a Nirvana fan, as a guitar player, as a guitar tone enthusiast, as a JHS fan and Aaron Rash fan. 🤩

[@abandoneer]

Great job with the In Bloom solo, Josh!

[@djaypee]

Nice one again! JHS rocks!

[@jackodonnell3463]

This is such a wonderful series and we have endless artists to learn about

[@moskva-kassiopeya]

Cool to see Aaron featured on this!

[@bravo4adventure988]

That intro to "Heart Shaped Box" was on point. More videos like this please!

[@mfiles_official]

@jhspedals Guys for the solo of Heart-shape Box check out the original Albini MIX, it show the original tone of the solo with full "tremolo" sound, they reduce it in the REMIX of this song. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHjSlKuLe6Z8eposi=Fif8HaAhs4psiBKY&t=410 I just use a very strong tremolo with fuzz or big muff whatever maybe a fuzz with bias control for gating dying out effect at the end in the sustaining note ..

[@all_invite_0hm]

11:24 As a guitar player yourself.. I sincerely don't understand how tuning a half step lower and tuning to drop D (C#) confuses you so much,

[@stillobsolete]

When i read the title, I was not that interested. This video was so great and so fun. Really well done. also, I love the armada of DS-1s on the floor.

[@benjaminmartinez4001]

It was crazy to see Aaron here! I’ve been watching the JHS Show and Aaron’s channel for a couple years now, and it’s insane to see my two worlds collide! I’m excited to be a part of this giveaway! P.S. Thanks to you guys, I did my first pedal mod by following the Blue Driver Short Circuit Live Stream; minus the diodes and fuzz, only cap swaps lol

[@delivrance3961]

kudos for the amount of work and dedication for this sonic quest!!!😁

[@blakeanderson7906]

I enjoyed the video, thx!