What Pedals Did Kurt Cobain Use?
Kurt Cobain's pedalboard was deliberately minimal — consistent with his overall approach to music, which prioritised feel and immediacy over technical complexity. His signal chain was short, but each component was chosen for a specific purpose.
Primary Pedal: Boss DS-1 Distortion
Model: Boss DS-1 Distortion
Era: All — Bleach through In Utero
The Boss DS-1 is the central component of Cobain's electric guitar tone. At maximum or near-maximum distortion, it provides the aggressive, compressed saturation that defines "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Lithium", "Come As You Are", and "Rape Me."
Cobain's Settings:
- Distortion: Maximum (5 o'clock)
- Tone: 12 o'clock (flat)
- Level: Unity with the amp
Why the DS-1? The DS-1 uses a hard-clipping distortion circuit that sounds harsh and abrasive at maximum gain — exactly the character Cobain wanted. It's cheap (£45–50 new), widely available, and has been in continuous production since 1978.
The DS-1 runs into a clean Fender Twin Reverb or similar clean amp. The amp does not distort — all the gain comes from the DS-1.
EHX Small Clone Chorus
Model: Electro-Harmonix Small Clone Chorus
Era: Nevermind (1991) and onwards
The EHX Small Clone is heard on some of Nirvana's most recognisable parts:
- "Come As You Are" — the clean, chorused guitar throughout
- "Polly" — acoustic with Small Clone for shimmer
- "Drain You" — chorus on the verse guitars
The Small Clone has two controls: Rate and a Depth switch (two positions only). Cobain's settings:
- Rate: 9 o'clock (slow)
- Depth: Low position
Note: Cobain used the chorus on the clean channel — not through the DS-1. The two pedals were used separately, not in combination, for different songs.
Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion
Model: Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion
Era: Nevermind tour (1991–1992)
The DS-2 is an evolution of the DS-1 with two additional gain modes. Cobain used it live during the Nevermind tour alongside the DS-1.
Mode: Turbo II (higher gain setting)
The DS-2 has a slightly different clipping character than the DS-1 — smoother and more compressed at maximum gain. Both pedals were used during this period depending on the song.
Electro-Harmonix Poly Chorus
Era: Bleach (1989) and early recordings
On Bleach, Cobain used the EHX Poly Chorus — a larger, more complex chorus/ensemble unit than the Small Clone. The Poly Chorus adds a thicker, more modulated quality to the clean guitar parts on early tracks.
Current availability: The Poly Chorus has been reissued by EHX. The Small Clone is a more practical modern equivalent.
Signal Chain
Guitar → Boss DS-1 Distortion → [EHX Small Clone] → Fender Twin Reverb (clean)
The Small Clone appears in the chain for chorus songs; absent for straight rock tracks. No wah, no delay, no reverb pedal — the amp's natural reverb (from the Twin's built-in reverb) provides the only reverb.
Complete Pedalboard
| Pedal | Price | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Boss DS-1 Distortion | £45 | Primary distortion — all gain comes from here |
| EHX Small Clone Chorus | £60 | "Come As You Are", "Polly", chorus songs |
| Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion | £65 | Alternative/additional distortion option |
That's the entire pedalboard. Total cost: approximately £170.
Why This Minimal Setup Works
The entire Nirvana pedal philosophy depends on one deliberate choice: put all the gain in a cheap, harsh-sounding distortion pedal rather than a warmer tube amp breakup. The DS-1's hard-clipping circuit is genuinely abrasive at maximum settings — a character most players would consider a flaw, not a feature — but it's exactly what gives "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Come As You Are" their aggressive, slightly ugly edge that a smoother boutique overdrive simply doesn't replicate.
This is also why the setup is so cheap to recreate: the DS-1's harshness isn't a limitation of a budget pedal that better gear would fix, it's the actual sound. Spending more on a "nicer" distortion pedal moves you away from the Nirvana tone, not closer to it.
Common Mistakes
Trying to get the Nirvana tone from an amp's own high-gain channel instead of the DS-1. As the guide explains, the amp stayed clean throughout — all of Cobain's distortion character comes from the pedal's specific hard-clipping circuit, which a modern high-gain amp channel doesn't replicate even at a similar gain level.
Setting the DS-1's distortion knob at a moderate level. The abrasive, compressed quality that defines the tone specifically requires the distortion control near maximum — a moderate setting produces a much tamer, more generic-sounding overdrive rather than Cobain's harsher character.
Running the Small Clone chorus together with the DS-1 distortion. As the signal chain section notes, Cobain used these two pedals for different songs, not stacked together — chorus-heavy clean parts ("Come As You Are") and full-distortion parts used the DS-1 largely on its own.
Overcomplicating the pedalboard with modern additions. The entire documented Nirvana rig is three pedals, and often just one (the DS-1) for a given song — adding delay, extra modulation, or boost pedals in an attempt to "improve" the tone moves further from the actual recorded sound, not closer to it.
ToneStakr's Take
For players chasing this tone, the Boss DS-1 at maximum distortion into any clean amp is genuinely the entire secret — resisting the urge to add more pedals or swap in a "better" distortion unit is the most important decision, since the DS-1's specific harshness is the sound, not a placeholder for something nicer. Add the Small Clone chorus only for the specific chorused songs it was actually used on, rather than as a general tone-sweetening addition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What distortion pedal did Kurt Cobain use?
The Boss DS-1 Distortion, set to maximum or near-maximum gain, was his primary and most consistent distortion source across every Nirvana album. He also used the Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion during the Nevermind tour as an additional or alternative option.
What chorus pedal did Kurt Cobain use?
The Electro-Harmonix Small Clone Chorus, heard on "Come As You Are," "Polly," and other Nevermind-era tracks. On earlier Bleach-era recordings, he used the larger EHX Poly Chorus instead.
What is the simplest way to get the Nirvana guitar tone?
A Boss DS-1 (Distortion at maximum, Tone at 12 o'clock, Level at unity) into any genuinely clean amp. The specific amp model matters far less than getting the DS-1 setting right — total cost is approximately £50 for the pedal alone.
Did Kurt Cobain use any pedals for reverb or delay?
No dedicated reverb or delay pedals are documented in his setup — what reverb appears in his live and recorded tone comes from the amp's own built-in spring reverb (on the Fender Twin Reverb), kept minimal rather than pushed as an effect.
Why does the DS-1 sound different from other distortion pedals at maximum gain?
Its hard-clipping circuit produces a harsher, more compressed, less harmonically smooth character than pedals designed around softer clipping — most modern boutique distortion pedals deliberately avoid this harshness, which is exactly why they don't replicate the Nirvana sound as accurately as the comparatively unrefined DS-1 does.
Is the Boss DS-2 a good substitute if I can't find a DS-1?
Reasonably, yes — it's a direct evolution of the DS-1 with a similar hard-clipping character, and Cobain used it himself during the Nevermind tour. It's slightly smoother and more compressed at maximum gain than the original DS-1, so the tone will be close but not identical.