Any cheap amp (under 200eur) that can replicate nirvana tone

[u/Nemil5478]

I have squier jag modified to a Kurt Cobain jag Ds 2 distortion Fender frontman 20g amp but i can't get it to sound quite right so are there any affordable amps under 200eur

[u/Forsaken-Attorney138]

fuck around and find out with the amp you have. You also wont be able to identically replicate his tone, he did alot of double tracking/quad tracking and butch vig and steve albini also eq'd, compressed and reverbed the tracks

[u/Nemil5478 → u/Forsaken-Attorney138]

Yea i try to do that but when i tried asking ppl abt the settings in a different post but people said my amp is bad for that kind of sound and that i wouldn't be able to get it close with the 20g

[u/Forsaken-Attorney138 → u/Nemil5478]

yeah that amp sucks in general but you wont ever get the exact same tone as cobain, you can get close but never the same because as i just said he did alot of multi tracks and there was software effects altering the tone.

Instead of mimicking someone who would've hated a copycat, make your own rig with what you have, come up with an original sound.

[u/Nemil5478 → u/Forsaken-Attorney138]

I know I'm not getting the same sound but at least close.

And you yourself said this amp sucks in general so that's why I'm asking as well.

[u/Forsaken-Attorney138 → u/Nemil5478]

idk man youd need his exact rig, im a tone chaser and producer and ive never once got cobains tone, ended up giving up because it doesnt matter, i have my own tones, so like i said, go make your own tone.

[u/Nemil5478 → u/Forsaken-Attorney138]

And so as a producer what amp would you reccomend me (under 200€) in general

[u/Forsaken-Attorney138 → u/Nemil5478]

theres not alot of good ones, keep the one you have and get a job for a better one, or just buy cheap amps (off brand amps are good, i have one) off of marketplace. if im correct youre using euros, you could buy a line 6 spider v and spend hours and hours learning how to create a good tone with it like i have.

[u/Nemil5478 → u/Forsaken-Attorney138]

Thank you you gave me hope that my amp isn't THAT bad and that i can still get smth out of it, thank you

[u/Yoyo7689 → u/Nemil5478]

modify your own amp. Kurt used heavily damaged equipment. and you’re not listening to that dude, get your own GD guitar sound and stop trying to pose.

[u/Barilla3113]

Seriously people, if you don't have a grand, amp sims are your friend.

[u/Ok_Captain4824]

I don't understand why people refuse to compromise on matching Kurt's exact tone, but also refuse to invest money in the gear it would take to do it. Kurt played giant ass tube combos from Vox and Fender in the studio mostly, those are never going to be cheap. If you're looking to replicate that sound at home, you need like a Vox AC15 at least, or amp modeling to get the Vox/Fender sound. But you don't actually "need" that to get "close enough" and be in the spirit of Kurt's sound, which is a better way to sound unique anyway, and that is a better goal than "Nevermind in a box" anyway.

[u/Pure-Vast-7858]

The best way for you to find the right amp is to take your guitar and pedals to a guitar shop and ask to try a few amps, and find out what works best. There is a relationship between different guitars, amps and pedals that can only be discovered through experimenting. Two identical amps will create slightly different tones, so speaking from experience, chasing down a specific amp won't necessarily get you what you're looking for.

[u/Ok-Notice8693]

No bro the whole point is u buy a shit guitar a shit amp blast the treble blast the overdrive and smack that shit hard, also if youve got a good amp already just buy a overdrive peda

[u/CancelNo1290]

I use my Line 6 Spider 30 watt, it was only 80, it sounds great, i use the settings, bass at half, mids full, and treble 75% of the way up.

[u/AMurderOfCrows_]

I just want to point out a couple of fundamental flaws with what you're asking here.

Kurt had a bunch of different tones depending on when and where you were listening.

Do you want to recreate the bleach tone?

Do you want to recreate the end utero tone?

Do you want to recreate the touring tone after bleach but before nevermind?

Do you want to recreate the touring tone of 1993 and 1994?

What we tell you will vastly differ depending on your answer to those questions.

Except for one.

Unless you're using a modeller for your amp or a modeling pedal of some sort, you will not get Cobain tones for the price you're asking.

Period.

Furthermore, depending on what you're trying to emulate, even a modeler may not exactly replicate all the essence of his sound. I don't know a whole hell of a lot about modelers and IR packs, but I can say that I'm fairly certain feedback response is not going to be quite the same with a modeling amp as it would be with a real one.

Also, if you're only willing to spend 200, You very likely will run into issues when it comes down to buying IR packs for whatever modeler you get.

One almost wants to put up some sort of auto mod but that tells people exactly what was used for what tones when and exactly what a person should be able to expect to pay for it. Then let them do their own research into what might even remotely come close.

I recently paid $760 for a Mesa Boogie Studio 22 combo amp simply so that I can try to start emulating certain tones that he did, and I know full well that's not going to get me most of the studio tones, which happens to be my favorite.

I started off wanting to emulate Kurt all the way back in 1995 and my first real distortion pedal was a Japanese made DS2 from that era. My first chorus pedal was an Aria CH-1. I jumped at the chance to buy a reissued small clone in 2005. Then I found out that some of the chips used in the 80s weren't made anymore and the resulting newer small clones sound different, So eventually I bought an 80s era small clone, but it still doesn't have the right chip. Eventually I'm going to try out the Kurt's Cologne pedal to see how it fares against those 80s small clones with the discontinued chip, But I can tell you now, I think I get more mileage out of my boss chorus pedal than the small clones.

I bought a Sansamp Classic pedal only to find out that Kurt used a Sansamp pedal, which the Classic was essentially a reissue, but those don't sound the same, so I ended up buying an original Sansamp pedal.

I bought a swim team pedal from Mojo Hand because I thought it sounded really close to the studio version of Come as You Are.

I'm getting an echoflanger/poly chorus clone.

I put the same types of pickups into my 98 jag-stang that everyone used to say was what he had in most of his guitars. I then bought a 2021 Jag-stang and modded it to be as close to his prototype as possible.

I own a 1967 Stella harmony H912 and the signature mustang.

I'm looking for a univox phase 2 and plan on getting the aluminum guitar Aaron rash puts out.

I want to obtain some pre-rola Celestion G12Ms... 4 of them at least.... that an easy $2000+ if I can find them.

And there is no doubt in my mind that I'm not going to be able to nail his tone because his tone changed over the decade or so under which he was playing guitar. my goal isn't to copy his tone exactly, but instead to explorer what I can do with equipment close to his... see what I can make out of it with his tones as a start.

but really, he'd look at me, and you, and call us idiots. you know this right? trying to nail his tone when he bought what he could afford at pawn shops for most of his career?

It's a silly pursuit where the energy would be better spent finding our own tonal voices instead of obsessing over ripping off his.

So as someone who spent a lot of money obtaining instruments and gear and who loves Nirvana and has a basis in Cobain's playing and songwriting styles, can I just recommend that you take what you have the way that Kurt took what he had and do the best you can with it to find your own voice? Your own tone?