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Some people you should know who are mentioned in this document: 1). Earnie Bailey, Kurt's main guitar technician, who has graciously proofread and corrected this page (his info to me and corrections are cited as source 59) and also sent a package of information to Chris Lawrence several years ago (included below and cited around the page as source 41). 2). Jim Vincent, Kurt's guitar technician from the "In Utero" tour whom I spoke with on the telephone (included below and cited around the page as source 40). 3). My telephone conversation with Mark Snyder, who supposedly made Kurt's rack and demoed Kurt Boogie gear,though Earnie believes Mark's info to be untrue (Mark's included info is below and cited around the page as source 58). 4).Finally, Ralph Smith, who did the original equipment FAQ and the precursor to this page.
***Table of Contents*** I. Guitars
Kurt played guitar left-handed, mostly using left-handed guitars, but
sometimes using a right-handed guitar strung for a lefty and played upside down.
If a right-handed guitar is mentioned in this document, it was being played this
way. A). Fender Mustangs. Kurt said that his favorite guitar was a Mustang
(9). 1). One of the most note-worthy of the assorted lefty Mustangs he used was a
1969 Lake Placid Blue "competition" model, serial # F 279651 (59).
It was purchased around the same time as his Jaguar (discussed
later), just prior to recording "Nevermind" (57). This is the guitar
from the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video; however, Kurt had been
seen using one often during shows (seen 2,10,15). Fender produced the Mustang
competition series from 1968-1973 and they are easily identifiable by the three
racing stripes on the body. Pretty much all of the colors were
"custom" except for a couple of standards; blonde for instance (11).
Others note that red, orange, or burgundy were the non-custom colors (12). The
"Fender Book" says that the competitions, quote, "sometimes"
came with matching headstocks. According to Fender, they do not have records as
to the exact years when their guitars were produced and production specifics. It
seems the public thinks the opposite but the fact is Fender simply doesn't know
(11). Kurt's Mustang was lake placid blue with matching headstock. It had two
black, single coil sized pickups with a white mother-of-pearl pickguard; the
bridge was replaced with a Stewart MacDonald Gotoh Tune-O-Matic (Kurt's
favorite)(57) before the Argentina trip. Despite his babying this guitar, he
trashed this guitar during the infamous Tree Club show (seen 2). As a result, it
had lower edge damage and a broken neck joint (41). This guitar can also be seen
on the relatively well-known "Hollywood Rock" festival concert footage
shot in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1993 (seen 13, 10). This guitar remained in
storage during the "In Utero" tour because Kurt really liked this
guitar (57). The Australian Hard Rock Cafe claims they have this guitar,
but Earnie Bailey says he saw a photo of the guitar they had and it was
right-handed. The photo said that it had come from Courtney. Either
she or Eric had a right-handed one exactly like Kurt's, I'm not sure whose it
was, but this is mostly likely that guitar" (59).
2). Fiesta red Mustang (seen 1), later routed for a humbucker. Kurt received
this guitar right before the first Roseland show. It came with a red-swirl
pickguard with white pickup covers. Earnie Bailey replaced the red
tortoise pickguard with a white pearl pickguard from Chandler. It was used
during the In Utero tour, most often seen with the white pearl pickguard. For
the first Roseland NY show, Earnie switched the bridge pickup with a Seymour
Duncan JB Hot Rails model in white, which is a fairly unusual pickup. When
he received the Chandler pickguard, he decided black pickup covers would look
better with the pearloid. This is when this guitar became Kurt's Japanese
Mustang to get a humbucker. The stock neck pickup only had the cover
changed (59). The bridge was routed to fit a full-sized humbucker. It was
fitted with a Seymour Duncan J.B. Kurt later wanted all of his Mustangs routed
for the J.B., that is, except for the '69 competition (41).
The March 1995 issue of "Guitar World" magazine mentions Kurt sent
out 4 new, stock, Mustangs to be routed for humbuckers (32). These were sonic
blue and one fiesta red (41). The way Earnie modified these guitars is
fascinating: "First, they had to be cut for the heavier strings. Then, the necks were
shimmed for a better bridge angle. Then, Gotoh Tune-O-Matic bridges were
installed. Then, Earnie had to modify the tailpieces (large, cylinder-shaped
object that the ball-end of the strings sit in). He removed the two springs (for
the vibrato bar) and added washers underneath to the posts beneath the bridge
plate, which locked it down to the plate. Earnie sent me (Chris) a diagram. but
it's hard to explain. Basically, this procedure made it solid like a stop
tailpiece. This meant that you couldn't use the vibrato bar, which Kurt detested
anyways. Last, Earnie flipped the tailpiece around, so instead of having to put
the strings through under the bridge, you could stick them right in normally.
The ball ends could then fit in the recesses" (41). 3). Sonic blue with a full-sized humbucker in the bridge (seen 15, 7). There
were three of these guitars, two of them set-up like above (41), one of them had
the serial # 0 016988 (59). One had a red-swirl pickguard (seen 7), another a
matte red pickguard. These three were sent out for the In Utero tour. The third
one was never set-up or modified and stayed at Kurt's house-- I don't know the
type of pickguard, although I'd assume it was red-swirl (41). It never came out
of its box because the "In Utero" tour people were waiting for the
other Mustangs to be broken, which they never were.. 4). Early 60's sonic blue Mustang, serial # F207901. It was used in Geffen's
"In Bloom" video (seen 42)(41)(59). Kurt picked up this guitar at the
time of the video shoot in Los Angeles. Earnie saw it at Kurt's house and says
it was really clean-- it had no body contours and stock hardware. It never
toured (41). The Mustang is visible behind the mannequin in the
"Sliver" video but with a single-coil pickup in the bridge (seen 36)
is this guitar (59). 5). Supposedly a no-name Mustang with no pickguard, used in the Sub Pop
"In Bloom" video (seen 43)(41). 6). Early 60's sanded-down Mustang used when Jason Everman was with the band.
Had no contours and no decal with unusual hardware. Had a Soundgarden sticker on
it (41)(seen pgs. 95, 96 on (25)). Also said to be visible in the "Incesticide"
cd insert, but I don't know if it is really the same guitar ("Incesticide"
44). Said to have a cut-up vinyl record for a pickguard (15). 7). 1977 sunburst Mustang with black pickguard, serial # S 714567 (59),
rosewood neck, and rusty parts(41). It got a Duncan Hot Rails upon
returning home from Rio (59). Earnie Bailey tells me he is "fairly
certain" this was used for the encore at the Rio show (59)(seen 13). On the
video which many of us own, he plays a Univox for the encore but like Chris
Lawrence says on his tutorial, "Although, there is some confusion as to
what the Rio concert was. Most believe it is the Hollywood Rock Festival,
January 23rd, 1993 (41). Aneurysm and Dive from 'Live! Tonight! Sold Out!' were
taken from this show (seen 16). However, the 'LTSO' book lists this as being in
Sao Paulo, while "Come As You Are" says otherwise (25)." Here
is what Earnie tells me, "[This guitar] was brought to Rio by Ron Stone of
Gold Mountain Entertainment. We received it the day we arrived in Rio.
I am fairly certain Kurt grabbed it for the encore. I am not sure if
the encore is on the bootleg video. The guitar had a baseball bat neck and
I didn't have a hot rails pickup with me in Brazil to install. I really
thought he was going to smash it because it didn't feel or sound right yet, but
he didn't" (59). Just a quick side note for those not
knowledgable about guitar terminology, "baseball bat neck" simply
refers to a really thick neck, don't think it actually means the guitar had a
baseball bat for a neck! I had to say something.. I could just see the
emails now.. Also, despite how many pictures appear, Kurt never used a white Mustang. The
sonic blue tend to look white, especially with the crazy light show NIRVANA had
during the "In Utero" tour. Jim Vincent's girlfriend did the lighting
for the shows and also designed the sleeve for the band's first single. If any
of you have any photos of the whole stage from the "In Utero" tour,
please let me know!! Jim has been looking for pictures of the stage for his
girlfriend's portfolio! Thanks. Unknown Mustang from the earlier days of the band B). The Fender Jaguar. 1). Kurt's main guitar during the Nevermind era was a 1965 sunburst (red faded out) Fender Jaguar (41), serial # 95747 (59). Had a red-swirl mother-of-bowling-ball pickguard (seen many 15), 2 volume knobs,1 tone knob, and a black chrome Schaller bridge (57)(41). There was tape covering the on/off and phase switches. The three switches were replaced with a Gibson-style toggle switch (15)(59). There are full-sized humbuckers in both the bridge and neck positions, the neck being a DiMarzio PAF and the bridge a DiMarzio Super Distortion (57)(41) until the In Utero tour when it was replaced with a black Duncan JB. This guitar was purchased around the time prior to recording "Nevermind" (57) already modified from the "L.A. Recycler" (info on source at 45). The Jag had an incorrect decal under the lacquer. It had an anvil-type flight case for a while. This wasn't the guitar Kurt claimed to baby. According to Earnie Bailey, Kurt never polished it. To quote Earnie from Chris' FAQ, "He NEVER polished the thing! It was disgusting. "Lithium" video it hits the stage hard (seen 46). In Rio (seen 13) it gets soaked in cantaloupe juice and seeds, then dropped onto the camera rails when Kurt is spitting on the camera" (41). It looks like this guitar actually had 3 strat buttons, the odd-placed one being on the other pointed part (opposite of the one with the normally-placed strat button) (15). The straplocks on this were Schallers, but initially they were rubber washers from Grolsch beer bottles. "A lot of bands use this old trick," says Earnie (59). The Jaguar was especially seen on tours circa 1991 (seen 19, 22, 10). It was also played by Eric Erlandson in Hole's "Doll Parts" music video (seen 23)(41). Pic
#1, Pic
#2, Pic
#3 (NOTE the apparent toggle switch in place of the 3 switches), Pic
#4, Pic
#5, Pic
#6 2). 60's sunburst Fender Jaguar, dot neck, bad reproduction pickguard (41),
serial # L83660 (59). It seems Kurt had another Jaguar but it wasn't the
same as his '65. It was lefty like Kurt's other Jag. It had DiMarzio pickups
which were returned to stock pickups by Airline Vintage in Texas where the
guitar was purchased in the Fall of 1992 for about $500 (41). C). There were occasional Fender Stratocasters (Japanese
preferred, because of availability and smaller frets (57)). 1). Two all-white Fender Strats with 3 white single-coil sized pickups. The
stock pickups were replaced with Seymour Duncan Hot rails, white or black at any
given time because these pickups damaged easily. Both guitars also had various
necks (41). One was used at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1992 for
"Lithium" (seen 47) and had the serial # K 039704 (59). This Strat was
trashed at the Seattle Center in 1992 and the other one, serial # K 039702 (59),
at Argentina (59)(41). 2). All-white Fender Strat with 2 white single-coil sized pickups and a
tilted black humbucker in the bridge. Had the "K" sticker (seen 37 and
also quickly in two of the segments in between "Sliver" and "On a
Plain" in (16)). (Owned before the above two other all-white strats) (41). 3). All-black Fender Strat, black pickguard, 2 white single-coil sized
pickups and a black full-sized humbucker in the bridge, used as early as 1991
(15). Serial # I 006414. The bridge humbucker was either a Seymour Duncan JB or
a '59. The last tone knob had come off (59). Had the sticker, "Vandalism:
As beautiful as a rock in a cop's face" (seen 15) and "Courtesy of the
Feederz: Office of Anti-Public relations" (41). The neck/headstock was
replaced with a Fernandes for the 10/31/91 Seattle Paramount Theater show (seen
15, 16, 10) where it was broken off again and replaced. This guitar was smashed
in Paris in the spring of 1992 or the winter of 1991 (41). 4). Black Fender Strat with a white pickguard, two single-coil sized pickups
and a full-sized black humbucker in the bridge (had a chrome ring around
it)(seen pg. 177 on (25)). Had a chrome Tune-O-Matic bridge and a stop chrome
tailpiece (41). It was smashed during the recording of "Endless,
Nameless" for "Nevermind" ("Nevermind" 33)(25)(41).
Once fixed, it had a black pickguard and black pickups which made it look like
the all-black Strat above, except with a Tune-O-Matic bridge (41). Currently at
the Hard Rock Cafe (59). 5). Kurt has also been seen with a sunburst Strat with a white pickguard and
three white single-coil sized pickups (seen 15 and pg. 273 on (25)). Smashed in
Florida. Earnie built it for Kurt out of Stewart MacDonald parts. The bridge and
pickguard assembly were leftovers. Earnie put an aftermarket Fender decal on it
(41).
6). Black Fender Strat which was set up like the all white Fender Strats and
also from around the same time. It had a black Hot Rails in the bridge. Dave
smashed this guitar at the Reading Festival in 1992 (seen 48)(seen pg. 274 of
(25))(41).
7). Candy apple red Japanese '57 Fender Strat reissue (41), serial # 0 035626
(59), early-style white Seymour Duncan hot stock pickup. Cost $200. It had a
maple neck and white single ply pickguard which Earnie Bailey switched to a
rosewood neck which Kurt like better. It was smashed during the east coast leg
of the In Utero tour (41). 8). Kurt used 5 or 6 black Fender Mexican Strats with white pickguards and
black Seymour Duncan Hot rails in the bridge during the In Utero tour, used
mostly for smashing (seen 16). They were pieced back together all the time (41). D). Occasionally, he used Fender Telecasters (not often
apparently). 1). Blue Fender Telecaster, Japanese-made (59), had the "'heart'
Courtney" scratched into it (seen 15). Well, actually it was sunburst, but
Kurt painted it blue with latex house paint and scratched the heart and the
"Courtney" into it; you're actually seeing the red sunburst underneath
(41). Seen in the "Come As You Are" music video (seen 49) briefly seen
a couple of times and very quickly. The large guitar seen often in the video is
discussed shortly. 2). I've been told a red Tele (from the Australian tour) has been seen, but I
don't know if it is true (10). Earnie says this guitar is either Tele #1
or #3 (most likely #1), as Kurt only owned two Japanese Tele Customs (59). 3). Sunburst Telecaster Custom, sent to Kurt by Fender in early 1994 (57),
Japanese made (59). Quoting Earnie Bailey from Chris' FAQ: "Fender sent
this out for the In Utero tour to replace the blue one (#1). Stock pickups were
very shrill. After Kurt's coma in Rome, I thought modifying this guitar would
make it a workhorse and get him away from the Mustang-Jaguar image. Hopefully
get him perked up. I put on new tuners (Gotoh's - his favorite). A Tele bridge
from Stew-Mac with a humbucker cut-out and individual saddles for each string.
In the bridge, I put a Duncan JB - black, and in the neck, a new Gibson PAF,
potted with a Chrome cover. He got this 2 weeks before he died, and said it was
his new favorite. He used it for the home recordings he was making with
Pat" (41) and Eric Erlanderson in March 1994 in Kurt's basement (57). E). Custom-made Fenders, built for Kurt 1). The Ferrington Guitar. The luthier Danny Ferrington made a custom guitar
for Kurt in 1992, based on the Fender Mustang (various sources). Had no serial
#, of course (59). Here are two articles on it. "Kurt is left-handed, and he really likes the Fender "Nirvana left for Australia a few days later, and Kurt "I built his guitar to be a lot like that old Mustang, The Ferrington guitar is distinguished by several Second article: "'Kurt called me from the backstage of Saturday Night Live "The bridge pickup variations are governed by a small toggle
2). The Jag-Stang (18). Another custom collaboration was with Fender, and was again based on the
Mustang. It was planned in February 1993, right before recording "In Utero"
(57). Before presenting two articles on it, take note of this. Earnie is
skeptical of Fender's A&R people's quotes. He feels Kurt would never
endorse the Jag-stang as he seems to in various quotes Fender claims. Earnie
says he doubts Kurt had any intentions of the Jag-stang ever being
mass-produced. "I believe he wanted a custom made guitar from Fender
and that was it. After Kurt's death, Fender was given the go ahead to mass
produce these and they sold a lot of them" (59). Read the section
after these articles for more of Earnie's thoughts on this guitar. "Cobain worked with the Fender Custom Shop to "'He was really easy to work with. I had a chance "The guitar features a Mustang-style short-scale Second article: "Wittenberg and Fender master builder Larry L. Brooks Fender cut a body and sent it to Kurt who sent it back with "The resulting instrument has an alder body, plus a 24-inch "'The Texas Special is a little hotter than most single coils,' "'Kurt requested two guitars' says Mark Wittenberg, 'one in The "Jag-stang" was seen starting in mid-to-late 1993 (18) although
Kurt rarely played it. A reviewer for Guitar Shop saw a "cross between the
Jaguar and Mustang, the Jag-stang features a sonic blue Jag body with white
pickguard and Mustang bridge" (24). As most of you know, the Jag-stang has
hit the stores a long time ago, but currently are no longer made. Like Chris
points out on his FAQ, and others have told me via e-mail, the mass-produced
Jag-stang isn't exactly as Kurt intended it to be (41). Kurt didn't even like
the Jagstang that much when he received it (57). He forgot to have Fender do the
contours for the arm and the stomach (41). It was as thick as a Telecaster and
rather misbalanced. He wouldn't even play it for the (first?) month he had it.
It was also tough to set up. Earnie immediately changed the pickups, putting a
Duncan JB in the bridge (57)(59). As previously stated, he installed a Tune-O-Matic
bridge on it (41). Kurt had trouble with the Mustang's slider switches, which
oddly appeared on the Jag-stang, but not on the Ferrington. Earnie's also
puzzled as to how the Jag-stang wound up with a Mustang tremolo and bridge
(59). "Kurt was funny, with both the Jag-stang and the Ferrington, he was
very excited when he received them, but soon he found things about both
that he overlooked or wanted to change." He had also talked with Kurt
about re-shaping the body for a more traditional Fender look. Earnie told Mark
Wittenberg about these changes (also, the fitted bridge). Mark was interested in
the changes, but he passed away, too. So Fender released that Jag-Stang in the
way Kurt had received it (41)(59). Kurt eventually became comfortable enough to
use his Jag-Stang on rare occaions for a whole show (57). Courtney gave
the Jag-Stang to Peter Buck after Kurt passed away (41). He played it in the
"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" music video (seen 27), and Mike Mills
plays it live on "Let Me In" (41). F). Although Kurt is known for his Fenders, he used a non-Fender from
time to time. One type which definitely needs to be noted was a Univox.
Note: a couple of these may overlap and be the same guitar. "1). Univox Mosrite copy. Actually called "Hi-Flyers" on
pg.116-117 of Rolling stone's Cobain book (source info?). White pickguard, maple
fretboard" (direct quote 41). 2). White Univox, serial # 037472. Used in the Heart-Shaped Box video.
Purchased at a NYC pawn shop in the Chelsea district (59). It had
different string trees than the one used in the video (41), it had black
roller-type string trees (59). "Earnie sent him this guitar to use in the
video when he couldn't find...[the] 1969 competition Mustang, which turned out
to have been under his bed the whole time!" (41) It was smashed in
Kansas City 1993 but there is another one just like it (59). 3). White Univox (also mentioned (32), serial #034638. Purchased at The Trading Musician in Seattle for $200 and survived the last tour. It had a maple fingerboard and a B.C. Rich made Badass bridge (59). Upon showing Earnie a picture that was sent to me of a white Univox which was supposedly the last one Kurt purchased, Earnie had this to say: "I bought Kurt's white Univox's for him. They were the same as that one [in the photo], but I always put on good tuners and a bridge that would intonate. Kurt hated being out of tune, the stock bridge in the photo has a non-adjustable bridge designed for a wound G string. Even set up lefty, the D would be horribly out. Kurt avoided music stores after he could afford to pay someone to go deal with them" (59). 4). Sunburst Univox Custom (also mentioned (32)), serial # 1002904. Had a
mahogany neck, single coils, and was purchased from Danny's Music (59). Used
on SNL 1993. It had a nailed on logo that said "Univox" as opposed to
"Univox Custom" which was previously thought (58). This was his
favorite Univox. This was the first guitar that had a Duncan JB installed in it.
Kurt loved the sound of this "plywood beast". Earnie bought it for him
for $150. The previous owner was a Minister in Everett, Washington (41). This
had an Ibanez Gibraltar bridge installed (59). Possibly seen on pg. 286-287 of
(25), (41). 5). Univox Hi-Flyer, mahogany neck and stock single coils at the Rio show
encore (59). Kurt liked this one too. Later got a humbucker in the bridge (41). 6). Natural Univox Hi-Flyer, he had two of these, in Fall 1993, both with
maple necks and fretboards (41). One had the serial # 038706. This one was
purchased at Guitar Maniacs for $150 (59). They had stock humbuckers (which
Kurt liked very much), Badass bridges (the stock humbucker models had
single-piece bridges, while the P-90 single coil models had Jazzmaster type
bridge-tail piece units). A friend of his painted one of these in a Van Gogh
style (41). 7). "Univox, with pink and green stickers all over it. Also had Monkees sticker and "WASP: We are scary posers" written on it. First ever smashed guitar. Seen pgs.61, 116 of (25)." (direct quote 41). The first guitar Kurt smashed. It was at Washington's Evergreen State College on 10/30/88, said to be in response to frustration with Chad's drumming. Kurt bought a lot of Univox's (for an average of $100 over a course of 5 years) from Guitar Maniacs in Tacoma, Washington and Danny's Music in Everett, Washington. Guitar Maniacs says that Kurt bought a lot of the Hi-Flyers with humbuckers and also the P-90 version (57)(59).
8). Black Univox Les Paul Custom copy (41), no serial # (59), which publicist
Anton Brooks gave Kurt on the European tour in 1991 (41). It had a bolt-on neck,
a Witchy Poo sticker on the body (41) (59), stock hardware, and a painted
Flipper fish over logo in white (41). 9). Sunburst Univox, serial # 1002467. Had a mahogany neck, single
coils, and was purchased from Danny's Music (59). 10). Natural Univox, serial # 139675. Had a black pickguard, humbucker pickups, and was pruchased from Guitar Maniacs. G). Miscellaneous Guitars 1). Sunburst Mosrite Gospel with white pickguard, which Kurt loved. It was
used at the Motor Sports show (41)(seen 51). The day of this show, Kurt bought: 2). Orange Vantage Les Paul copy, had a bolt-on neck. Also smashed at this show (41). 3). The Hard Rock Cafe's collection of guitars mistakenly claims Kurt's
"trademark" Fender Jazzmaster which is autographed. Kurt has told
Earnie Bailey on several occasions that he never used a Jazzmaster. Earnie
chased down a lefty Jazzmaster for Kurt once but he and Krist decided it was too
expensive, as it was going to be purchased as a surprise (59). The photo also
has, I believe, Kurt's all-black Strat which was destroyed and pieced back
together (35) (see Strat #4 above)(59). Another good example is of a Poloroid I
received. It's of a candy apple red 1966 Fender Jaguar that's signed by
Kurt, the owner claiming it to be his. I've seen lots of examples of
things Kurt "owned" such as an early 70's Marshall Superlead with
"NIRVANA" painted on the side ("...we never painted
"NIRVANA" on anything, that's asking to have it stolen," says
Earnie Bailey), Univoxes, an Antigua Mustang, etc.. it's all nonsense. Earnie
went on to say, "I grilled him [Kurt] about a lot of his gear, and things
that didn't get destroyed wound up at their homes or in storage. I think
it's safe to say that anything early on not reduced to splinters, I worked on at
some point. So all this mystery stuff that people are claiming is out of
hand. They really didn't have, or go through as much gear as everyone thinks or
as much as they wanted you to think." Lots of times fans simply have
bands sign guitars; oftentimes people will wait for bands at airports to sign
them (59). 4). Bluish Gibson SG Standard, pickups taped in. Used in Tijuana where it was
broken in half and had the neck broken off. It reappears at the HUB Ballroom on
1/6/90. However, a guitar resembling guitar #14 below may be the (or one of?)
the HUB guitar(s) (Seen on pg.131 in (25))(41)(57). 5). Mid 60's Sunburst Fender XII (57) electric 12-string, serial # F 136692
(59), dot neck, right-handed (unlike most, if not all, of Kurt's other Fenders).
It had cherub stickers on it. He wrote "Serve the Servants" on this
guitar. Courtney had one too, but both guitars were damaged in the Spring of
1992. Kurt hid some guitars, songbooks, and tapes in their bathtub figuring
burglars wouldn't look in the tub, were the house ever robbed. The bathtub
filled with sewage and damaged his guitar the most-- the body was water-stained
about halfway up, split, and warped. Earnie offered to build a new body for it,
but Kurt didn't think the guitar was worth saving. Kurt was very depressed about
the unfortunate accident to this guitar (41). Purchased around the end part of
the "Nevermind" tour (57). 6). Black Epiphone Les Paul which was used for (and probably only for) the
"Nevermind" under photoshoot (41)(seen (25), pg. 184 I believe). 7). Red sunburst Epiphone ET270, Japanese-made, used during the Bleach era,
no serial #. Kurt had taken off the neck and filled the neck pocket with
Elmers Glue, to stop the neck from shifting. It was messy, but worked.
He had also put right-handed six-in-line tuners on this three on a side
headstock. The fingerboard came off the last time he threw this guitar
around (59). Said to be used in the SubPop "In Bloom" video (43)
and was his main guitar around that time (41)(57)(possibly seen (25), pg. 132;
and is on pg.135, says Earnie). 8). Blonde F-hole Archtop Harmony. It had fake painted flame maple on
the sides and top, and had a maple fretboard. It was used in Come as You
Are video. It sat in the doorway to Kurt's home with a broken headstock. Kurt
said he liked it that way (41). 9). National Map Body Resoglass, turquoise, serial # G14667 (59),
right-handed, tremolo, small body fiberglass model, had 2 pickups.. not a big
Glen Wood, strung lefty but the strap button wasn't moved. It never toured (41) 10). Hagstrom blue glitter 3/4 size Les Paul copy. He got this in December
1992, paid $500, a lot for that model at the time. Had a pearloid fingerboard
and back (41). 11). Lefty Rickenbacker 4001 Bass, natural, which he loved (41). The following I quote directly from Chris' page (I only changed the numbering and conformed it to my source system): 12). "Ibanez Les Paul custom copy, cherry sunburst, Dimarzio X2N
pickups, 2 coil tap mini switches (installed when bought), lefty, set neck,
flame in top (but not super flamey (59)-- Brian), black pickguard and pickup
rings, pickguard may have been removed. Black or gold speed knobs. This was a
great lefty guitar but Kurt wouldn't play it live because he said it looked too
much like Jimmy Page! Earnie may have sent this for the "In Utero"
recording. 13). Blue Mosrite Mark IV. Damaged in bathtub incident, Kurt gave this to Pat
at SNL 1993 (seen 50)." End quote from Chris' page. 14). Greco Mustang copy purchased from Guitar Maniacs. Supposedly destroyed
on 7/9/89 in Pennsylvania but it may have reappeared in some form at the HUB on
1/6/90 (57). 15). The odd, unknown guitar on my pictures page has been said to be a BC
Rich guitar but who knows if this is true (10). 16). Kurt's first guitar was said to be a Lindell, given to him on his 14th
birthday by his uncle, Chuck Fradenburg (53) along with a 10-watt amp. This
guitar was left in an abandoned meat-locker he practiced at with some friends.
When he finally was able to get back to the meat-locker, it was in pieces. He
saved the neck, electronics, and hardware and attempted to build a new body for
it in woodshop. However, he couldn't get its intonation and tuning right
(57)(25). 17). Supposedly an unknown right-handed black guitar with a white pickguard,
headstock similar to some Gibsons, newer Epiphones. Was completely smashed.
Could be one of the above guitars? (15) 18). Greco SG copy, belonging to Dale Crover. Earnie says "...I spoke with Dale Crover and he reminded me of a guitar of Kurt's that was dropped off at Dale's apartment on an early NIRVANA tour. It was a Greco SG copy with a bolt-on neck that Kurt robbed for parts. I restored it for Dale with parts from Kurt's old guitars and painted it baby blue for him" (59). 19). Hagstrom model 3, probably belonging to Mark Arm of Mudhoney (59). 20). Framos Jaguar copy which was used as a prop in an "Alternative
Guitar" magazine cover. Probably from 1992 and also probably just a prop
guitar (41). 21). I just figured I'd include this picture of a 1966 Fender Jaguar NOT
owned by Kurt, but signed by him. Once again, there are a lot of
guitars, amps, etc. out there claiming to have been owned by Kurt. Just
because he apparently signed something, doesn't mean he owned or played it.
H). Acoustic Guitars 1). Prior to the In Utero tour, Kurt's main acoustic was an Epiphone Texan
(32); purchased after completing "In Utero" as a replacement for the
Stella (57). It was probably from 1961. It is easily identified by the
"Nixon" (or is it "Nixon Now"?) sticker. The guitar's
adjustable bridge was changed to a lefty flat-top bridge (41) and a standard
saddle (57). Earnie says this was one of the best-sounding acoustics he's heard,
and Kurt's best; despite this, he wouldn't use it on "Unplugged"
("Unplugged" 21)(41). I think I've seen this guitar used on (52),
during the "In Utero" tour. 2). Takamine acoustic (seen 15), cutaway, and rented for use at a radio
show-- seen with Kurt wearing a black (?) leather jacket. NIRVANA wasn't happy
of pictures getting around of them playing "modern" equipment (41). 3). Yamaha acoustic, so I'm told (seen 15). 4). Ibanez Vantage (or Vintage) acoustic, used for a Tower Records store
performance (source info?)(supposedly seen 51). 5). Natural finish Harmony (41), serial # 5226H913 (59), 12-string
acoustic. Other than the finish, it is identical to (41): 6). Stella 12-string acoustic, see "Recording of "Nevermind"
and "Recording of In Utero" sections. Also used live. 8). I quote Earnie, "I once ran across a broken off, lefty, Ferrington Strat-shaped headstock that had bronzewound strings attached to it! This leads me to think that he had a Ferrington acoustic made for him. It is possible that it was a spare Strat or Mustang neck, but where did the acoustic strings come from!" (59) 9). Funny, little acoustic (15). "Bleach" (34) era: 1). Randall heads used in conjunction with the Japanese Epiphones noted in
"Guitars" section and whatever cabinets were available. It was said he
later used: 2). Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp (56)(57), rack-mounted, tubed with either
Mesa/Boogie or Groove Tubes 7025 preamp tubes (59). Kurt said he turned all the
midrange up (57). This was the amp set-up for the latter part of the "Nevermind"
tour and all of the "In Utero" tour (57). As a side note, Kurt didn't
break any "important" equipment during the In Utero tour (40). The
first Studio Preamp Kurt had was given to Pat, and Earnie ordered three more for
the "In Utero" tour... two new ones for Kurt and a spare for Pat.
"I kept tons of spares of everything on hand to avoid being stranded
and unable to get parts, and to make sure the show never stopped due to a dead
amp. I really liked the long, drawn out demolition sessions, and the more
indestructible the amp rigs were, this part of the show would last as long as
the guitar would, sometimes longer" (59). 3). 4 Crown 800W power amps (9)(22). This never worked out very well and was
"a particular source of frustration" for "Nevermind" tour
tech, Nick Close. He says the band didn't have a lot of spending money yet, and
because of time and money, a lot of gear which would have worked better for Kurt
didn't get tried. Plus, Kurt wasn't a gear head and didn't want to take the time
to sit down and talk about what could be done. The output on the Boogie Studio
preamp was so hot, the Crown power amp would blow up a lot and have to be
repaired. The Crown was replaced with: 4). Two Crest 4801 power amps. Finally, they found amps which could take the beating. Earnie Bailey called these "the amp that wouldn't die" (41)(57). 5). Kurt also used a Carver power amp (20)(59), which are made in the northwest and are very unique, Earnie tells me (59). Miscellaneous pictures of Kurt's amp rig: 6). Fender Twin Reverb. Used on "In Utero" (32) and
"Unplugged." See each section for more details on this amp. 7). Marshall 4x12 cabinets (seen in many 15). They're visible in most any
concert footage or photographs. For the live set-up on the "Nevermind"
tour (very similar to the setup for "Nevermind" album), the individual
speakers were 25 watt Greenbacks, 75 watt Celestions, and then Vintage 30's
(Kurt's favorite) (41). The predominant speakers of this tour were the Celestion
75's (59). I believe Jim Vincent told me the speakers during the "In
Utero" tour were 25 watt Greenbacks (40), but Earnie says they were Vintage
30's (59). During their last tour Kurt used 8 cabinets, Chris 8, and Pat 4 (32).
Pat received Kurt's old 4x12's with the Celestion 75's when Kurt got his
new ones with the V30's (59). See #18 in this section for more on Kurt's
Marshall 4x12's. 8). Small, red vinyl Marshall "MiniStack" (or "MicroStack"?)
head and cabinets (seen 7). It is *most likely* the Marshall Lead 12 "MicroStack"
(10). This was just for fun, it was never used or plugged in. Supposedly at the
fall 1993 show in Chicago, Kurt asked the crowd if they wanted him to break
anything; he picked up the MiniStack and threw it across the stage (10). 9). Fender Champ (25). 10). 70's Peavey Vintage with the fake vinyl tweed covering, 2x12, tube
model. It's said to be Kurt's first amp on Chris' page, but technically the
small 10-watt amp given to him by his uncle was his first (57). The Peavey was
however, his favorite amp. Kurt's father gave it to Goodwill; Kurt was always
trying to find another one (amp, that is!)(41). Another source simply says the
amp "disappeared sometime between early 1986 and late 1987" after it
was loaned to Krist when trying to get him to join the band. With this amp and
an unknown guitar, sold and retrieved from a pawn shop and almost lost again
when loaned to a drug dealer, Kurt formed his first band in 1985-- Fecal Matter
(57). 11). The Mesa/Boogie amp head we've all wondered about from the Jonathan Ross
show is said to be a Strategy 400 Stereo, stereo power amp, rackmounted. Thanks
to Matt Salleo of the Krist Bass FAQ who saw a picture of this head in a
two-year old issue of the "Australian Music Trader" magazine (source
info?), or something to that effect (10). 12). '68 Fender Twin. Used for recording "Bleach" and also the
Reciprocal Studio session (59)(54). See "Recording of Bleach" and #19
in this section below for more info. 13). A Randall amp (probably solid-state) was used on 1/23/88 session when
Dale was on drums. It was probably also used that summer at the "Love
Buzz" session. Not used on "Bleach," however (54). If this amp
was only a head, it was probably used in conjuction with a BFI Bullfrog 4x12
cabinet, the Epiphone ET270 guitar, and a Boss DS-1)(57). 14). Hiwatt 4x12 speaker cabinet(s). Seen at least once, at the Beehive
Record Store on 9/16/91 (57). 15). Marshall head and cabs seen on the "Top of the Pops" show were
NOT used.. (seen (15)). Just figured I'd mention this setup. Again, Kurt didn't
actually use it. Take the last three bits of information here with a grain of salt, Earnie doubts these claims by Mark Snyder. Read carefully: 16). Kurt's actual rack (which held his rackmounted preamp and power amps)
was specially made for him by a guitar tech named Mark Snyder (58). Earnie
Bailey, on the other hand, claims Kurt's rack was rebuilt weekly. "There
was nothing to it, eight screws and one patch cord. It seems strange to me
that someone would claim to have 'built' this for him. I have met many
people over the years who have claimed to have done certain things that I know
aren't true." 17). Mesa/Boogie Tremoverb. Kurt supposedly tried out the first
Mesa/Boogie Tremoverb amp which Mark claims he brought to Kurt at the NY
Roseland Ballroom show (1) where it was on stage, and Kurt eventually sent this
amp back (58). However, Earnie says they always worked with a fellow
named Kevin at Mesa/Boogie, not a Mark. 18). Mark seems to recall Kurt using Marshall heads as a power amp, using the Boogie preamp and the Marshall's returns (58). Earnie Bailey's response to this: "Regarding the Marshalls, Kurt really disliked Marshall amps. Partly,
due to the whole hair metal stigma happening in the 80's, and he didn't like the
sound of them. I think it was too generic for him. If you recall on his 4x12
cabs, he had his Marshall logos taped over, not removed (which is a simple
task), as a statement towards the status associated with owning Marshall gear.
Marshall 4x12's are easy to find whether you are buying, or renting overseas.
This is a likely reason why he used them considering how often they had to be
replaced. Kurt using a Marshall head for a power amp is pretty out there, think
about it, a Marshall's output stage is rather dirty and would be even more so at
the volumes Nirvana played at. I brought an old plexi 100 to the
Reciprocal session in 1993(?). It had 6550's in it and had the gain lowered to
sound like a Dual Showman. It took a long time to get him to even try it. Kurt
wound up recording with Endino's Twin again, and Krist used the plexi for
bass" (59). Speaking of Krist, Earnie asked me to make note of this correction. I quote him directly: "...to correct something I said in an article a while back, concerning Krist's Hiwatt. It was not a stock 200 watt model, but a Custom 100 model modified to 200 watts by Andy Marshall of THD Electronics in Seattle. He did whatever extensive work was needed on Nirvana's tube gear and has never advertised this fact. He is a meticulous professional that I would trust to take out my brain and pull out all the dents (of course, this would take some time)" (59). 20). Borrowed Fender Twin Reverb, belonging to Steve Turner, used for the
Bellingham show where NIRVANA opened for Mudhoney. Amp was a new blackface
reissue (59).
1). Roland (BOSS) DS-1 Distortion pedal (9) - Kurt always referred to these
as "Roland" pedals, rather than BOSS. Seen throughout
"Bleach" and "Nevermind"-eras. The settings on this were
about the same as on his DS-2 (see #2 directly under this). Used until
February 1992 when it was replaced with: 2). Roland (BOSS) DS-2 Turbo Distortion pedal (19)(20). Used on
"Unplugged" ("Unplugged" 21) and the "Nevermind"
tour. This pedal was first used in February of 1992 (57). Kurt's settings are as
follows. Level: all the way up, tone: at about 11 to1 o'clock (usually at 11),
distortion: usually all the way up but occasionally came down to about 1 or 2
o'clock in the studio, and the last knob was set to position one, the non-turbo
setting (59). Eventually it was probably only used on "The Man Who Sold the
World" live. 3). "Roland EF-1 distortion" (a transcription error for the DS-1
(56)), "I go through about five a tour..." (22). 4). Tech 21 Classic SansAmp amp-simulator box (seen 7). This was Kurt's MAIN
distortion during the "In Utero" tour, despite popular beliefs and was
used throughout the entire tour. Pat also had a SansAmp but preferred his Rat.
His settings on the DIP switches were as follows, from left to right: three-up,
three down (Jim said he remembered it's settings as "Three-up,
three-down"(40)), two-up, and all of the knobs were turned all the way up
except for the high control which was at about 12 o'clock. Jim doesn't recall
where the SansAmp's three-position selector switch's setting was, but thinks it
was the Normal (center) setting (57). This pedal was certainly NOT used on
Nevermind, like some magazines claim (59). 5), Electro-Harmonix Small Clone Chorus, purchased sometime in 1990 from
Guitar Maniacs. This pedal was used extensively throughout a good portion of
Kurt's career and was one of his favorites until his death (57). It is visible
in most any concert footage (including "Unplugged" it looks like,
("Unplugged" 21)) which catches a glimpse of the floor by Kurt's feet.
Two of the best pictures of it I've come across is the insert in the In Utero cd.
It's visible on the black-and-white side under the track listing "6 Dumb
2:29" ("In Utero" 8) and also in a huge picture in
"Circus" magazine (39). Kurt used many rate and color settings in the
Small Clone; some light for rhythm and others more obvious (57). 6). Despite beliefs, Kurt never used a Electro-Harmonix Small Stone phase
shifter pedal (56). 7). Unknown MXR pedal seen live possibly. Possibly the above? (10)(seen 15).
May also be: 8). Orange MXR Phase 100 which was used for "Curmudgeon" (available
on several bootlegs, etc.). This was owned by Kurt (59). An MXR pedal has been
said to be seen in photos from a bootleg cd. It had 2 knobs. Also visable in the
picture is said to be the Arion stage tunerPictures may be from a studio
recording or live (15). 9). DOD Grunge pedal. This was just a joke (40). At one show, it was thrown
into the crowd! (10). Jim Vincent supports this-- although he says it wasn't
"thrown," persay (40). 10). Supposedly a Dunlop Rotovibe (26)(10) but I seriously doubt he ever did use one. Someone told me they saw Kurt use one at a show, but I can't verify it by any means. Supposedly, the only time Kurt ever "used" rotovibe was from January 28-30 of 1994 at Bob Lang's North Seattle studio when Kurt forgot his pedals and a pedalboard of Earnie's. The rotovibe in the pedalboard was not used, though. The effects it had were: a Boss flanger, a Boss vibrato, a Boss delay, a rotovibe, and an Ibanez Supermetal. Kurt recorded one song, "You Got No Right" ("On the Mountain")(on bootlegs, etc.) where the Ibanez Supermetal and maybe the Boss flanger were used (41)(57). (Jim Vincent didn't know if Kurt ever used rotovibe (40)). 11). Electro-Harmonix EchoFlangers (32)(40) and PolyChorus (37)(seen 15). He
supposedly only had one EchoFlanger, despite what is said in (32). Kurt used the
EchoFlanger on the Brazil shows (source info? Rio perhaps?) and the song
"The Priest They Called Him" (found on various bootlegs, etc.). Both
pedals were taken on the "In Utero" tour. The EchoFlanger "acted
up" sometimes and Earnie gave Kurt his PolyChorus as a back-up. This
PolyChorus was used on "In Utero" for the "Heart-Shaped Box"
solo, "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter," and "Scentless
Apprentice" (41). Earnie sent out another PolyChorus to Kurt, hoping to get
his back, but the "new" one broke and was given to Eric Erlanderson of
"Hole" who had it fixed. Earnie did eventually get his PolyChorus
back, but not before Kurt marked his settings on it with nail polish and put
Velcro on it. The EchoFlanger was supposed to be used on "Unplugged"
("Unplugged" 21) but caused too much 60-cycle hum in the control room
because it is an AC unit. What he would have used it on, I don't know. Possibly
a normal, chorus-sound for "Come As You Are." Courtney now has Kurt's
EF (40). Just wanted to point out that despite the different names, PolyChoruses and
EchoFlangers all have the same internal circuitry and somewhat similar casings. 12). ProCo Rat. See "Recording of 'Nevermind'" for more details. 13). Electro-Harmonix Big Muff. See "Recording of 'Nevermind'" for
more details. 14). Univox Superfuzz. Kurt had it before "Bleach"
("Bleach" 34) but it was stolen from the band's practice space. Earnie
built him a handwired duplicate in a silver, metal box on which he humorously
labeled it "Yung-Mann Fuzz" (41). 15). Electro-Harmonix Clone Theory, an AC unit which Kurt didn't like as much
as the Small Clone and broke it (41). 16). Supposedly a Vox Tone Bender Fuzz, two of them actually, hooked up next
to each other. Apparently, these two pedals are on a poster of Kurt from around
the "In Utero" tour where Kurt is using his sonic blue Mustang;
kneeling down pressing one of the pedals on. The name (Vox Tone Bender Fuzz) is
supposedly visable on the boxes (10). Nobody who knew Kurt's gear remember Kurt
using this, though (56) and Earnie suspects the photo was altered (59). 17). Unknown wah-wah pedal on "Bleach" ("Bleach" 34). In the "Bleach/Nevermind" days, Kurt's effects were normally as
follows (from Kurt's point of view looking down, right to left): DS-1 (DS-2),
Small Clone chorus. Later it would be the DS-2, SansAmp, Polychorus, Small Clone, for example.
The Grunge would be between the DS-2 and the Sansamp. Again, if other pedals
were ever used, I don't know where their positions would have been if they were
even actually used. Jack Endino says in the early days a Univox guitar (Hi-Flyer (57)) with stock
humbuckers was used (54). Jack bought of these type of stock Univox pickups from
Kurt once. It was in pieces, but Jack was able to stick the wires together (57).
The Univox(s) was around approximately until "Sappy" was recorded; a
new guitar was seen at least by the time Jack did the "In Utero" demos
which he remembers as being a small Fender guitar, "perhaps a
Mustang." Jack Endino's '68 Fender Twin amp was used on the album. It
didn't have any speakers and was run into a closed-back 2x12 cabinet loaded with
70 or 75-watt Celestions of Kurt's (54). This cabinet was Kurt's BFI Bullfrog
2x12 (59). Jack says Kurt used a bottom-of-the-line orange Boss distortion pedal
(perhaps a DS-1?)(54). Sounds like a wah-wah pedal was used, as well
("Bleach" 34). The album was recorded closed-miked with a Shure SM-58
(54). See Jack Endino's Web
Page for more details! "Nevermind" was recorded at the following studios: Sound City, Van
Nuys and Devonshire, North Hollywood. It was produced by Butch Vig and NIRVANA.
With the monetary advance for recording the album the band had more money to
choose equipment; Kurt bought "a bunch" of guitars and effects from
Guitar Maniacs (57). The guitars used were his competition Mustang, his Jaguar and a new
Stratocaster(s) with humbuckers in the bridge positions (6). Kurt purchased a
bunch of Japanese Strats (had humbuckers installed in the bridges) and effects
for this album from Rick King of Guitar Maniacs. Just prior to recording this
album Kurt apparently developed a taste for Fender guitars. It has been said his
main amp was a Mesa/Boogie Studio .22 but it has recently been said that the
recording setup was really similar, if not identical, to his upcoming live setup
(purchased before entering the studio): Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp with a Crown
power amp, and a variety of Marshall cabinets. Note: in live performances, his
Crown power amp was eventually replaced with 2 Crest power amps, discussed in
the "Amplification" section (57). He also used a Fender Bassman on
about four songs and a Vox AC30 for some clean tracks. Four microphones were
used to mike Kurt's speaker cabinet (he would pick which mic he liked best for
each song and its signal was sent through the Neve console at Sound City): a
Shure SM57, an AKG 414, a Neumann U87, and occasionally a Sennheiser 421. His
main effects were the aforementioned DS-1 Distortion and Small Clone (like his
rack setup and Marshall cabs, these pedals were also used in live settings). A
ProCo Rat distortion pedal was also probably used on some songs on the album
(6). According to Vig, the Small Clone was the key to "the watery guitar
sound you hear on the pre-chorus build-up of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and also
'Come As You Are.'" An Electro-Harmonix Big Muff fuzz box was used on
"Lithium" for that "dark, thumpier sound." Vig recalls using
the U87 mike on "Lithium" because it wasn't so bright and had a
heavier sound. "Polly" was recorded at Vig's Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin
during demo sessions for "Nevermind." The guitar had only 5 strings
which had never been changed; it was tuned down about a step and a half down
from E and was recorded with an AKG 414 microphone. The same guitar is on
'Something in the Way.'" (6). It was a 12-string Stella Harmony, serial #
1460H912 (59) but only had 5 nylon strings on it. It was sunburst in color,
flattop, with a white screw-on pickguard, and a floating wood bridge which was
glued down. It was purchased from Edgewater Pawn Shop and Sheridan Jewelry (cost
$29.00 plus $2.23 in sales tax) on October 12, 1989, when Kurt was living in
Olympia. Recorded "Polly," "Something in the Way," and the
"Lithium" demo version with this guitar (Stella seen pg. 4 on 38 and
also quickly in two of the segments in between "Sliver" and "On a
Plain" in (16))(41). VI. Recording of 'Incesticide' Almost all of this section is unknown and any info on it is pure speculation, simply taking into account what gear Kurt was using at the time. A few things to note. NIRVANA used Tad's equipment (while they were at dinner) to record the "Sliver" single. Also noteworthy is that you can hear the Small Clone chorus on the intro to "Aneurysm" (57). "In Utero" was recorded at Pachyderm Studios in Minnesota with
producer Steve Albini (25). As for guitars, Kurt used his Fender Jaguar (57) and
possibly the Ibanez Les Paul mentioned in the "Guitars, Miscellaneous"
section. The Stella acoustic, after it was fixed-up with new tuners and strings,
was used for the acoustics on the album (41)(57). A Fender Twin Reverb, 1982 blackface 135-watt (Chris' page says 120 watts
which seems to be incorrect) "Ultra-Linear" model, was the main amp
used (57). It was a 1980's blackface "Ultra Linear" model which was
very clean in sound. It had missing knobs, broken off pots, and a fallen in jack
when Earnie took it in for a makeover. It was functioning, but the pots crackled
and it only had two Peavey 6L6 power tubes in it (which meant it was only
running on half the power with the two tubes missing)-- Kurt didn't know how it
worked with only two output tubes, but felt it was the key to it's sound. Earnie
knew it would sound even better with 4 matched power tubes. He replaced
the two Peavey 6L6's with a quartet of Groove Tubes 6L6's (GE or Sylvania) and
biased it for him, as well as fixed all of the above. The amp had 7025
preamp tubes (59). Earnie pulled a prank on Kurt for the "In Utero"
rehearsals and told Kurt he only cleaned the pots. Kurt said it sounded better
than ever and Earnie let him in on the secret (41)(57)(59). As for effects, the Boss DS-2, Small Clone chorus (on what I don't know--
possibly the solo to "Verse Chorus Verse"?), Earnie's Polychorus (57),
his own EchoFlanger, (41) and supposedly a Tech 21 Classic SansAmp amp-simulator
effects box (32) were used. No rotovibe was used despite what it says in the
tablature book ("In Utero" sheet music book 26)(41). NIRVANA chose Steve Albini to record "In Utero" because he was able
to get a sound which was "very in-your-face and real" according to
Kurt (38). Kurt said that because mics are so directional, to get a surrounding sound
you need to use many tracks or use an omnidirectional microphone farther away
from the instruments to pick up the reverberation from the walls. The key was to
use many microphones, a technique he had been trying to get producers to do ever
since they had been recording. Old, large German microphones were taped to the
walls, ceiling, and floor "all over the place" (38). VIII. Recording of 'Unplugged' The acoustic guitar Kurt used on "Unplugged" ("Unplugged
21")(and his main acoustic guitar around this time, but he also used the
Epiphone Texan as well in live concert settings) was a late 50's Martin D-18E
(57, etc), serial # 166854 (59), that he had bought at Voltage Guitar in Los
Angeles in the fall of 1993. The D-18E was one of Martin's earliest electric
guitars. Only 302 were made before it was discontinued in 1959. It is basically
a D-18 acoustic but with two pickups, three control knobs (one volume and two
tone), and a selector switch. Kurt probably didn't have any idea how rare the guitar was when he bought it,
according to Earnie Bailey. The D-18E didn't sound very good, so in addition to
the instrument's DeArmond pickups (which were designed to be used in conjunction
with nickel strings, and therefore sounded poor with bronze-wound), a Bartolini
3AV pickup was added to the top. Kurt was interested in the pickup because of
it's usage by Peter Buck (21)(29)(32)(57). Although the standard procedure for "Unplugged" is for acoustics to
run direct, Kurt insisted on putting his Martin through his Fender Twin Reverb
amp; but it was only used as a monitor! To keep the amp as clean as possible,
the 7025 preamp tubes (59) were replaced with 12AX7's and the 12AT7 phase
inverter was replaced with a 12AU7. Alex Coletti ("Unplugged"
producer) made a box out in front of the amp to make it look like a monitor
(32)(57). Earnie believes this amp was used ONLY as a monitor, as the
guitar on the album sounds to him as if it's coming off of the D.I. box. He
can't be sure, though (59). Along with the Twin Reverb, the DS-2 distortion pedal and E-H Small Clone
Chorus were also used (seen 21)(57). The Echoflanger and Polychorus were also
brought to the rehearsal but they weren't used because they created too much
60-cycle hum (57). Kurt also used Finger-ease on the fretboard of the Martin to smooth out the
solo to "About A Girl." "You know that goofy-ass stuff? It's like
anal gel" said Kurt, who knew to use the roll-on as opposed to the spray.
He said that he had never used fretboard lubricant before but that his
"country and western aunt" used to (32). (For LOTS more cool non-technical/instrumental stuff on
"Unplugged," see "Guitar World/Archives"-- source 32). IX. Brief Summary of Tour Gear/Info "Bleach"-era (and before): Mostly Univox Hi-Flyers, Epiphone ET270
for guitars. Lots of miscellaneous guitars were used, though. Usually The
Randall solid-state head with a BFI Bullfrog 2x12 cab, but not a whole lot is
known for sure about these early days. Lots of miscellaneous stuff for all his
gear. The same goes for distortion pedals, but eventually it was the DS-1. "Nevermind"-era: Initially only the 1965 Jaguar, '69 Mustang, and
Japanese Strat for guitars; later the sunburst Tele painted blue. Univox's
continually used occasionally. Mesa/Boogie Studio preamp, Crown power amp
(replaced with 2 Crest 4801 power amps), Marshall cabs. Boss DS-1 and the Small
Clone chorus. Basically the same setup used for recording "Nevermind."
Nick Close said everybody had the exact amount of things needed to play a show.
If anything broke, they were in trouble. He tried to get them to have extra
cords and pedals. Nick was always looking for a backup for his DS-1 (which
opposes what Kurt said about going through 5 a tour). One time when the Crown
blew up, it took the speakers with it; Nick (and Kurt?) was in a music store
looking for Marshall cabs and he saw the DS-2 and bought it. Kurt didn't seem to
like it at first but then started using it after he broke his DS-1 in Hawaii.
Nick got a small supply of replacement neck for Kurt's strats but soon he was
replacing necks every night. He contacted Danny Ferrington in Los Angeles in
late December of '91 to make replacement necks, but Danny instead offered to
make a whole new guitar (the Ferrington). He also got an Echoflanger from Guitar
Maniacs for $99 around this time (57). "In Utero"-era: Everyone knows Kurt's usual guitar of choice was
the Mustang. New sonic blue (red pickguard) and fiesta red (red swirl changed to
white pearl) Mustangs used almost all of the time. The '65 Fender Jaguar was
used, according to Earnie Bailey (41). A Univox occasionally. Mexican strats for
destroying. Same amp rig as the end of the "Nevermind" tour. A small,
red Marshall ministack was on stage, but it was never used. Pedals included (in
this order in his chain) the Sansamp Classic as Kurt's main distortion, Boss
DS-2 (mainly used on the acoustic "The Man Who Sold the World." But
occasionally Kurt used both the DS-2 and Sansamp at once!), E-H Polychorus &
Echoflanger (whichever worked that day), and Small Clone chorus. Kurt took care
of the settings on his pedals, "He knew all the sweet spots really
well" (57). Martin D-18E acoustic; also the Epiphone acoustic which seems
to be the only acoustic seen at the end of the tour. All the work to his new
Mustangs (and Mexican Strats) was done before the band went on this tour.
Sometimes Kurt would want one of his Mustangs to smash at the end of a show,
instead of the predetermined black Mexican Strat, but they talked him out of it!
Kurt agreed by saying, "Yeah, all right, I don't want to break that guitar
because it feels really good" (57). All of Kurt's techs were always recylcing parts from smashed guitars, often
piecing them together. Sometimes, only a pickguard or the pickups were changed
(57). 1). Picks: Kurt has been seen using (orange) Dunlop .50mm's (seen 15)(10).
Still used during the In Utero tour- sent straight form the factory with no logo
(40). 2). Strings: Heavy-bottom Boomers (.010's-.052's) during the In Utero tour
(40). Also Dean Markley .010-.052's (the red pack)(41). 3). Ernie Ball straps, in solid black or solid white. A Fender strap has also
been seen (seen 15). 4). Kurt claimed to use a Radio Shack burglar alarm (9) and Radio Shack
speakers (22). Its sounds like he's kidding, but you never know. He also claimed
to use strings made of piano wire, shipped in long boxes, as he couldn't find
guitar wire thick enough for his taste (9). I seriously doubt this one. I also
read somewhere, though I can't remember where, that he would use whatever
strings he could find. 5). Arion Stage Tuner, used on the "Bleach" tour. It was made of
black plastic (with white stripe) and broke on tour (41)(seen pg. 146 of (25)). 6). Kurt's strap locks on his Mustangs and (blue) Jagstang appear to be a
Schaller-type (15). 7). Picture of Kurt's roadcase for his guitars from the "In Utero"
tour: NIRVANA was offered a Gibson endorsement, but Kurt couldn't find a Gibson he
liked (22). XI. A Note on Guitar
Destruction An often unnoted aspect of NIRVANA's equipment destruction was that Kurt
often switched to a (presumably) expendable guitar for the last song, then
trashed it. It would be wrong to think he didn't like certain guitars. "On tour, they'd find cheap guitars at pawnshops - sometimes fans would
give them a guitar or in a pinch Jonathan Poneman (from SubPop records) would
FedEx one out to them and string them left-handed and smash them that
night" (25). Ralph Smith has seen Courtney Love of Hole switch guitars for the encore (she
only played one guitar up until that point), then stage-dive with the
"encore" guitar. Nothing important needed replacing on the In Utero tour. Kurt didn't break the important stuff (40)! Joe Hartley, Mark Saucier, The Rev. Justin A. Redd, and John Dee. |