Nirvana Tone: Roseland Ballroom | Riffs, Settings & History

Recreating Kurt Cobain's tone from Nirvana's legendary show at The Roseland Ballroom in New York on 07/23/93

Tone recreation plus history and facts about Nirvana's first Roseland show

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - side by side tone comparisons
INTRO/HISTORY & SHOW INFO
0:43 - Why the Roseland show is legendary
0:55 - What this show is the "first" of for the band
2:10 - Overview of Kurt's pre-show overdose/death
2:48 - Guitars Kurt used
4:03 - Guitars I am using
5:16 - Pedals Kurt used
5:27 - Pedals I am using
5:50 - My pedal settings
6:55 - Amplification Kurt used
7:03 - Amplification I am using/my amp settings
RIFFS
7:23 - Serve The Servants
8:21 - Scentless Apprentice
9:21 - School
10:03 - Breed
11:02 - Lithium
12:07 - Come As You Are
13:04 - Milk It
13:52 - Drain You
15:13 - tourette's
15:50 - Aneurysm
17:21 - Very Ape
17:56 - Blew
18:59 - Heart-Shaped Box
20:06 - Rape Me
20:57 - Territorial Pissings
21:27 - All Apologies
22:38 - Smells Like Teen Spirit
23:48 - Endless, Nameless

GEAR USED
1995 Fender Jag-Stang with:
- Seymour Duncan JB Jr
Eastwood Univox Hi Flier Phase IV
Ernie Ball Heavy Top Skinny Bottom 10-52 strings
Orange Dunlop Tortex .60mm Pick
Boss DS-2
Electo-Harmonix Small Clone
Electro-Harmonix Polychorus (mid 90s reissue)
Fender Tone Master Twin Reverb

Audio recorded in Pro Tools

Message @sketchypedals on Instagram to order your Kurt Cobain Roseland print!

Vandalism Strat Stickers - use coupon code "nirvanaguitars" to get 2 for the price of 1:

Lomic Guitars - Where I got my custom 2021 Jag-Stang Pickguard:

Learn Nirvana songs with Fender Play!

Follow me on instagram at @nirvanaguitars

[misada]

Yet again another fucking good recreation video

[sconni]

My friend worked at Roseland at the time. Saw it first row balcony. Fun times.

[flippydippy]

That Endless Nameless tone for the chorus is so haunting, I love it

[eba]

I don’t know how to feel that kurt was considered to have literally died before he played this show, one that is considered to be one of the bands best. Grateful he survived I suppose

[Arkaitz.M.A]

That guitar screams with pure rage + you add the mad story behind that show. Big thumb up👍

[itsraynn]

god i love this show, it's so iconic and you recreated the tone so well, much props

[darthporkius]

Love the history lesson / guitar demonstration. I don't listen to nirvana that often but their music is so fun to play and Kurt's art is so inspiring.

[Bleached]

I have a theory that either the pickup or pickguard was somehow damaged, forcing him to go into the acoustic section, once they couldn't fix it he had to switch to his hi flier. Just a theory, tho.

[kennygame]

I was at that show. I remember the sweater but didn't know about the guitar. I saw them again in November at the New York Coliseum. After that show, I thought I couldn't wait to see them again. :(

[theobscurust]

I’d love you here you do the tone for Live MTV Studios January 10th 1992! You did such a great job with all these tones. Love the channel

[centroproiv]

This channel is awesome dude. Great job.

[dawidwylezuch]

This is soooo epic. I love it man, you're the best. I wish I could jam with you and play nirvana all day long🤠🎸

[aimansyahmiaimanharyadi]

Bunyi guitar yang di cari cari dari tahun 1997 Terima kasih kerana menunjuk kan video bunyi guitar nirvana 👍🏼👍👍👍🏼👍👍🏼👍🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

[reverb]

Another mindblowingly meticulous video. Thanks for everything you do. Love the Roseland modded Stang too!

[Idksiauuauaua]

Why do I want this tone?
CUZ ITS AWSOME

[kennygonzalezperez]

Man i love your videos! So well made and everything is explained to perfection. I just bought the DS-2 just because of you lmao. Thanks!

[douglasvaughn]

Hells yeah ! Sounded awesome keep up the good work!

[stab]

This is one of my favourite Nirvana shows ever, and your tone recreation is so good!! Planning on getting a Mustang one day (I'm still only playing acoustic) and Nirvana definitely will get to be the first band whose songs will be played on it. Nice work on the tone, bro!

[xalkx]

I love Rosie! Such a beautiful colorway!

[Volts]

I didn't see a mention of it (maybe I missed it, ) and it's a smaller detail, but (judging by the pic of him from this show, ) Big John Duncan played that 1966 Mosrite Ventures Mark V model for this show (which was later given to Pat Smear.) However, I remember it only being used for 4 songs in this show, and for 3 of them, it was mostly used for feedback. The only song you hear it in otherwise is in "Very Ape" where he played it high up on the neck.

It's a 1966 model because that's the year Mosrite changed the name to the "Ventures Mark V model, " and because it still has the truss rod at the body end of the neck. That was changed in Mid 1966.

EDIT: Fixed a confusing grammatical mistake, "at the end of body neck."