I found the secret to Kurt Cobain's guitar tone
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.พ. 2025
- Nirvana Nevemind is one of my favorite guitar tones of all time. I grew up listening to this record a lot and I spent the last year and a half figuring out how it was made. This is the holly grail cab. Hope you guys enjoy it!
Far too many guitar players spend way too much time focusing on pickups and amps when the majority of tone lies in the speakers. They are an actual eq that have a massive impact on the tone. Great video!!
Kurt had a Left-handed amp...
What???
@@Akyllesaky it's a joke man, there is no such thing lol. kurt was left handed
@@danielgriffith3633 I know it but wow you have a such great ideas
he used a left handed pick and a left handed cable, really essential for that tone
He recorded in left-handed studios
Aaron my friend… you’ve done it!!!!! Congratulations this is just incredible!!!! It’s been an honor watching your channel grow. I cant wait to see your progress in a few years.
Thanks so much!!
@@AaronRash of Course Man!!!! I already can’t wait for the next vid 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Here are the timestamps for the speaker comparison at the end:
13:58 - 12T-75
14:10 - 12K-85
14:22 - 1965 Oxford
14:34 - 1990 Greenback
14:46 - Pulsonic Greenback
Pulsonic sounds great.
With that said 1965 Oxfords sound amazing in different way
the pulsonic def sounds the best;so much mid grit! but i think the 12K-85 is also great but its quiet in this comparison
@@willwatkins6694the 12K-85 has a very similar grit and rasp like the pulsonic!!! Just that the green back has a nice growl to it:] i absolutely LOVE both:] I’ll see if I can get a 12K-85 or 12K-100 and there not THAT expensive
@@willwatkins6694ok so i just realized jajaja the pulsonic just has more mids and it sounds stronger and heavier and the 12K-85 is more scooped but it can be fixed:]
I love the sound of the 12T-75
For years I’ve been listen to people recreate these tones. The moment you play drain you is legitimately scared me. The Especially that clean tone. Teen spirit was exactly the same. It was absolutely mind blowing. It game he goosebumps hearing THAT tone.
Scumback makes a spot-on pulsonic recreation.
Awsome!!:] what moddle?
Which model scumback speaker?
Omg the ammount of work you put into this is crazy, easily one of the best guitar channels on youtube rn
Most guitar channels are pretty hard to watch on TH-cam. This one is a 10/10 for me. I don't even listen to Nirvana that often! Just a really well made channel
Yeah, honestly. I hope this doesn't come out wrong but this is too much effort for a video just about Kurt Cobain's guitar tone
Man this level of knowledge is what I crave, you knock it out of the park every time. Thank you for the time, money, energy and effort you do for tracking down Kurt’s tone
I'm glad you're back. I was wondering where you'd gone. I feel like I'm part of some special club when I watch your videos. It's hard to believe you're only at 29.5K subs because the quality of these videos is worthy of orders of magnitude more subscribers. Also, it's really cool that your wife supports your passion. It made me smile to see her helping you relic the cab. Amazing stuff.
Haha thanks!!
Dude went up nearly 1k subs in under a day
Congrats on finally getting THE Tone! It's crazy to me just how much more "correct" the vintage greenbacks sound; even after hearing how close you got in your Tone series vids.
The Pulsonics sound so sick!!! I'm really glad I discovered your channel. Not just because I'm a huge Nirvana geek. You've really changed my understanding of how tone is produced. I used to think the amp mattered more than the speakers, but you have proven otherwise. You've really flipped the script on the rampant amp fetishism prevailing within the guitar community. It also reminds me of seeing Nirvana at a small club in L.A. a few months prior to Nevermind's release when Kurt didn't even play through a guitar amp. He just ran a SansAmp pedal into a P.A. amplifier (a Crown, I believe), and it was the loudest, most toasty and saturated distortion I'd ever heard... absolutely immersive but not shrill. Very similar to the wall of sound Vig captured on Drain You. I appreciate the great lengths you have gone to find the Grail and document your quest. Great job, Sir!
Your channel is my favourite of all Nirvana channels on TH-cam. Also, that Drain You tone is incredible! Very well done.
Dude I gotta say I appreciate your dedication to tone chasing so much. I’ve been in this exact same scenario with a guitarist named Gotoh Masafumi of Asian Kung Fu Generation. Chasing his tone gave me something to work towards over the pandemic distracting me from the chaos around. Almost 3 years later I’m closer than ever and should be securing the exact amp in the next few days. It’s super rewarding when you properly mic everything up and it just sounds like that tone you’ve been after. Cheers to you my friend, you’re doing a great thing.
weeb tone lets fucking goooo. I did the exact same thing over the pandemic with Uehara Futoshi from Maximum the Hormone's bass tone. It's soooo rewarding to actually get close and i learned so much
Gotoh had such a great sound
ummmm please share
I've been fiending after a coaltar of the deepers tone but there's no information in English so I pretty much didn't even try anymore.
@@towardstar You've basically gotta 1:1 recreate his rig and match his settings:
- Fender Vibroking
- P90 Guitar
- Ibanez TS808
- Additional clean boost for more push
Could this mean that after Nirvana we might get a B-52’s tone series? My heart would probably stop beating if that happened, they’re one of my absolute favorites.
I mean he can definitely do it now since he has the mosrite for it
@@gavinalaniz3658 Yeah that’d be pretty awesome
just wanna say im glad that i found ur channel man, i didnt think anyone would be so much into kurts tone like me, then i found ur channel jq's, and a couple other but you my friend have the best quality videos when it comes to it, keep up the amazing content
I love your tireless effort to help us rabid Kurt C fans to truly appreciate and understand the importance of tone!!!!! You are special and I totally love you guitar playing! I would love to hear some of your music! Hope you are doing great and thanks!!! I have been making music for 25 years and I’m a kurdt disciple and I have been chasing that tone/sound for just as long I still use DS-1 and Rotovibe when possible people don’t really understand frequencies and tone like you I have found! I feel blessed to have stumbled across your TH-cam path! P
I honestly have to say after listening to the speaker comparison at the end a lot, that the pulsonic greenbacks sound the best…BY FAR! What a speaker! Thanks so much for all your research and investment all this time!
The pulsonics are something else man, they sound so complex and awesome!
Please give us more info about the pulsonics. 55hz? 75hz? Year? Model number?
There is a lot of info out there about vintage pulsonic come greenbacks and I'm trying to get this tone specifically. We're so close, please Aaron!
Or would you consider selling the speakers you got?
Pulsonic Greenbacks I've found:
T1217
T1534
T1281 G12H 30
T1234
T1511 G12M
75hz vs 55hz both on the G12Hs from the time
Please tell us more!
@@AMurder0fCrowsthat's the very question indeed ! Until @AaronRash answers, we still don't know what was used in the end 😢
@@sofiandjeghdir he did answer, though not as completely as I had hoped. I have another comment on here somewhere that has the info he did provide.
55hz greenbacks were for bass cabs. Any pre rolla greenback will sound like that. So any greenback from 68 to 72 that came in Marshall cabs. There's no important details, that was the standard speaker, the ones with pulsonic cones, so between 1968 and 1972. You gotta keep in mind though that even 2 speakers made on the same day in the factory can sound very different. I've had to go through tons of speakers until I got ones that I was happy with. Hope that helps
Hey guys. I had asked those questions in the comments in that past video. Gotta dig a little to find. This is what Aaron Rash responded to me. “Celestion G12M pulsonic speakers”“anything before 1973”. So that speaker is 25 watt, 16 Ohms, 75 hertz, Rola Celestion speakers based on what I found on the used market. Hope that helps!
@@AMurder0fCrowsthank you so very much!
this is insane, the pulsonic greenback just sounds fuller and more complex than the others at the end of the video. AMAZINGGGGGGG
This video deserves way more views, this is an impressive investigation,
Always been a massive nirvana fan but its videos like this that show how much. Clean love silver alnicos, dirty love g12m-25s always have.
Aaron, This is great video. I really appreciate you sharing your journey and attention to detail in researching this sound. I tip my hat to you my friend.
So satisfying seeing your work . Chasing with perseverance and finally getting your goal. I’m happy for you, I know that feeling after chasing a guitar tone for so long and finally nailing it down. Is the best feeling in the world!
Thanks Carlos! I'm just happy to share it with everyone
Holy, your videos never cease to surprise me, the amount of effort you put into this... wow. I admire your dedication so much, you work has been pivotal for all of us that have spent decades searching for that SWEET Nevermind tone. Thank you man, I want to hug you.
I love your channel man. I found someone who’s as obsessed with Kurt’s music as me
AARON RASH, thank you so much for searching for this because I have always wondered how kurt cobain got his tone because I was never able to get it using various cabinets. This is amazing how you went down the rabbit hole and figured it out. I really believe that Butch Vig and Kurt together created and invented a new tonality and style of music that was different from punk music, glam 80s rock, Metal music. To me Kurt Cobain is a hybrid of the melvins tone, 80's dinosaur Jr tone, punk rock and Josh Hommes Desert stoner rock tone. Kurt and butch vig inverted a new tone that was a hybrid of all those but the melvins tone, dinosaur Jr started in the 80's plus you had Josh Hommes Desert stoner rock tone which Kurt Cobain had to be influenced by and take those tones to a new level which the album nevermind guitar tones did. Those Pulsonic Greenbacks have the punch grunge tone which I hope someone will make a guitar pedal to nail those nirvana nevermind tones.
Amazing quality video as always,the drain you tone totally blew me away. Amazing to see your channel gain more traction and attention over time because it is surley deserved,keep up the amazing work as always!
@Aaron Rash your intros are something else, theyre so amazing. you should make an album of just the guitar!
I can’t wait to get my hands on your impulse response pack. Love your work!
I was watching the tone recreation series as this was uploaded goated work you're doing my guy
Can’t believe how much work and research Aaron puts into all of this. Always look forward to watching these videos. Aaron, you are the man!!! Keep it up 👍
aaron, you are a legend, the music and cinematic cuts on these videos are the best things ive ever seen, you didnt shoot this like a netflix documentary, you shot it BETTER than a netflix documentary, in fact you NEED a netflix documentary!
When I watch your content, it’s like I am watching a movie!
That’s how good the editing is!
We appreciate you putting so much effort into your videos in the year of 2023. It’s ridiculous that the world is now okay with TikTok being the norm (not even real entertainment)
Keep doing what you’re doing and never get discouraged. Know that you have a loyal fan base who appreciate your art and get excited everytime you upload!
You are an inspiration to all tone chasers. Thank you!
Amazing Aaron!! Wow the amount of work and dedication you have put into this, is mind blowing (almost scary).
Guitar speakers rabbit hole can be a nightmare, great that you have found a speaker that works with your setup !!
One last thing Aaron, no doubts that you have spent a lot in this journey and will continue doing so. I am sure a lot of people would contribute (I would) if you release some quality profiles in Kemper or ToneX. You would make a lot of happy guitar players :)
Nolly Getgood did something like this with his huge V30s Oversized collection.
Just saying 😇
I dont know why, but the intro sound till 1:12 made me very emotional thinking about Kurt’s death.
I mean the sound is so on the emotion side to me and griped me inside in a complete different mood or universe from the first note.
I did not feel anything like this son often, maybe in the early days when I was a kid listening to Nirvana for the first time.
It is almost scary man.
I’ve been here since somewhere around the the very ape video! Its amazing to watch these amazingly high quality videos as a nirvana fan! It doesn’t even feel real! It’s amazing to see how far you’ve come! Amazing milestone!
Love your obsession with tone and with speakers. Shows again that speakers are one of the most important components of your rig.
whoa! who would've thought it was so hard to get the nirvana tone! Great video!
Holy, not Holly in your titles. Just so you know, love the videos. Great deep dives!
The depth and detail that you go to is really fantastic! Great job
My man, those pulsonic sound like a wall of sound, so different from the other ones, fuller and aggressive. Amazing video.
I think its really easy to get caught up on the rig and "how can I get my rig in the room to sound just like the record". You can only get so close with speakers, amps and pedals and the rest is up to how they mic'd the cabinet on the record, the microphones used, the mic preamps, compressors, the sound of the board and any other outboard processing. This is why I stopped chasing other people's tones. It was just driving me crazy knowing I could never get the sound exactly right. If the feel and the general sound is there I'm happy. Awesome video, sounds fantastic
Yep
This has to be one of my favorite videos by you, everytime you upload I learn something new
The Celestion Vintage 30 was actually designed to be a modern version of the G12 AlNiCo Blue, with higher power handling. Celestion's literature on the Vintage 30 specifically describes how they went about examining a vintage G12 AlNiCo Blue with laser interferometry to replicate the specific cone modes, but with a ceramic magnet for higher power dissipation. If you listen to a Vintage 30 and an AlNiCo Blue back to back, you'll hear the similarity.
First time viewer here. This is a multi million subscriber production. Honestly one of the best produced, directed, shot videos I’ve ever seen. Happy to add to your criminally low subscriber count.
I get excited when I see your notifs pop up not just for the video, but for the mini song you put at the start of each one as well
Just got the notif, havent watched it yet, i can just tell by the title ITS GONNA BE GOOD!!
not gonna lie u did prank me with the relic work because when i saw the thumbnail my first thought was "OH NO HE DID NOT" and clicked instantly
Finally!!! I have waited many weeks for new video!! Just have to wait to get kids to sleep and open a beer and watch that video! Youre best, Aaron!
Congrats Aaron, been a fun journey. Even though I've never been a huge Nirvana fan, your quest for tone has been fascinating, which is why I've been following. Great job!
what a nice fucking clip. I grew up with Nevermind and Nirvana. and i started doing the tone chase a few years ago but then i left it due to change of plans. As a huge old nirvana fan i really appreciate your effort. Congrats man! the sound is spot on! the low end thump is there. I do wanna hear a bassman head with those speakers cause it reminds me of "drain you".
At last! you are making history Aaron! Cheers from Chile
I sincerely admire your work!
Bet you're the closest anyone has come to Kurt's sound.
Also, it's quite amusing to watch since your video editing skill is excellent.
Cheers from Korea!!
just wow! great job!
I was so damn lucky to find a 4x12 Marshall with the 6402 Coned Greenbacks. It was 2500 DKK (about 350$) and was delivered to me for free from the other side of the country. The seller said that there a bunch of people waiting in line to buy it, but was the first one by a few minutes... So damn lucky 😱
I love the sound of that cab and the "roar" it gives.
Anyway, you made a great video! The sounds, the editing and quality of filming. All great!
Keep it up!
High fives from Denmark!
@Aaron, amazing research about Kurt's tone. At 8:17, are you using any distortion pedal? Or is that just the amp turned up? And if so, what volume setting are you at?
incredible production and video as always aaron! i cant even express how amazed i am with your work and findings.
Aaron, you don’t know how much i love you and how i appreciate all your videos, keep going
We've all been waiting for this video. What a twist! Greenbacks? Who would've known. Keep making these, you've got the best videos on TH-cam period no competition.
This really blew my mind. Tone in the damn cone. Lesson learned. This whole series is superb! thanks so much for the effort :)
Love that you go above and beyond! Looking forward to the next video already!
Wow ! The sound man does it ! Definitely Pulsonic is it ! Thx for the research, Aaron
That's badass dude. Appreciate the effort and the high quality work
Was anticipating for this one like none other, I have to say this one totally tops any other video you've done on chasing kurt's tone, you've totally nailed it man and it's amazing! Keep doin what you do Aaron, love your uploads.
Edit: That slts and the drain you tone holy, i recieved goosebumps. I'm so happy man, didn't know drain you was recorded with mosrite p90s
Also glad to see a gospel and veleno build coming along.
Thanks Mirata, always good to see you in the comments!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE THAT YOU NAILED THE CLEAN TONES. Drain you is my favorite song from Nevermind and definitely in my top 3 favorite Nirvana songs and it’s that clean tone at the start that made it for me. Can you maybe do a full video for the Drain You tone?
The king is here! but no joke Aaron you are amazing and an inspiration for us all, thank you! congrats on 30k btw!
You couldn't afford it AND you didn't have the money for it? Damn, bro. That's rough. Just bustin' your balls. For real, though, major props on this passion project. I'm 45 yo and Kurt and Nirvana literally changed the trajectory of my life, not necessarily in all positive ways. So I get it. I think the essence, the very spirit of rock n roll gets passed down to each generation by way of specific individuals, with each one adding their own touch. Kurt was that medium for our generation. There was just something so pure, so perfectly imperfect and flawed, so sincere and vulnerable... the pain expressed so real, so visceral... each distorted chord strum, snare shot, or trashed-throated yell like an emotional bullet straight to the heart. Nothing was contrived or feigned. He meant every word, which we didn't know with absolute certainty until he pulled that unfortunate trigger. Sorry, I go off on tangents when it comes to Nirvana. Anyway, I say all that to tell you I get it. I feel ya. And I appreciate your effort, your motives, and your insight. Thank you.
Bro your channel had about doubled in side since I have been watching it's soooo cool to see how far you have grown I adore the videos you make there is hardly anything like what you do on yt keep up the awesome work 👍
Been waiting for this video since youtube recommended your channel couple months back
I've been following you since your first tone recreation video) You're the only video I'm really waiting for, I go in every day in the hope that you released something
I found your channel by accident ….great job bro thanks for pursuing this long forgotten tone…
Amazing videos man. I love the way you have unveiled the secrets of Kurt's tones little by little. The moment I watched your video "the secret to nailing ANY guitar tone" I thought to myself "this guy is in the right path". It's crazy how much mythological bs goes around guitar gear and tones, when most of it comes from the speakers. Guitars, pedals and all that also play a role, but not as crucial as the cones. I've been in sound engineering for 20 years, and it was a huge revelation when I discovered it myself, so I am pretty happy that someone has made all these videos unveiling the truth. The only thing I am missing in some of your videos is the signal chain. This one, for example, what pedal did you use? Anyway, good job man and keep on chasing and recreating amazing tones!
This should be a national holiday for tone chasers,,, thanks dude you're giving the future generations a chance
Man, that’s a pure gold what you’ve done here. I am serious. Love it. Thanks a lot, man. Great job ❤️
Pulsonic by a mile!!! You are my spirit TH-camr.... Thanks for all the pains and length man!
I’ve heard many TH-cam channels trying to replicate the “sound,” but you’re the one that’s spot on. Spectacular Aaron, keep up the good work
this guy is so awesome. aaron really inspires me and i love these videos. i felt so mad when i found out the factory burned down, but the end made me so happy
A chase of a life, fantastic Aaron!! 🎉🎉🎉
Just discovering this channel. Amazing work. Beautifully shot. Your channel is going to blow up.
never feel guilty or bad about chasing a tone! Usually what everyone says is usually wrong. Great video!
Beautiful production. Sweet content. Love from Australia 🇦🇺
What’s absolutely incredible to me, at least to my ears through headphones, is that the pulsonic cones have all of the characteristics of the other compared speakers in them, but with the addition of their own brightness and a very specific and well detailed crunch. Seriously great job, Aaron.
I’ve got a Super Six Reverb and now all I want to do is yank the stock fender speakers out and throw some vintage greenbacks in there!
I'm a metalhead and a thrasher but I love guitar and gear in general and I'm a fellow tone chaser so this video is highly entertaining and interesting and scratches my tone chasing itch. I'm personally completely obsessed with James Hetfields Ride The Lightning and Master Of Puppets sound. I don't have the money for a vintage Mesa Boogie Mark 2 C+ but maybe one day...
Love this video man.
Buy the Fluff2C plugin from ML Sound Lab or the Mark2C from Neural DSP.
How do these videos get even better every time? Amazing stuff dude.
This is just amazing. I'm lost for words
Your attention to detail is amazing!
Wow! Congrats on finding the speakers man! Really cool you take us allong and make these videos!
Man this is crazy. you really nailed it, dead-on. Impressive as fuck, you should be proud. Your content is such high quality. Please keep doing this.
Aaron Aaron buddy so great to hear and see this result. Interested to hear the aluminium guitar. Awesome video great that your back can't wait for the next one.
This channel is perfect, thx for it !
Great work figuring that out. Greenbacks! I’d heard that a long time ago but I never saw or heard anyone prove it. I also love that you confirmed the AC30 for the clean tone. It’s what I’ve come to use because it sounds like Kurt’s clean sound. I had no idea that’s actually what he used. I figured it was the Gospel but had no idea about the vox. Thank you to your total need to figure it out and for not giving up. Awesome!
Glad to finally see more guitarists learning that cab, speaker, mic, and mic placement is literally everything in guitar tone. amp has effect, but it really is gramms compared to tonnes.
Awesome man! Can't wait for the vid about the quad.
Please write a full album of your own songs in the likeness/vibe of Nevermind. You’re the only one who can help us experience the Nirvana sound we all missed our on Obiwan Neo. 🙏🙏🙏
Hi Aaron, which Pulsonic greenbacks did you get? There's the G12H (30watts Heavy magnet) or the G12M (25 watts Medium magnet) They both sounds quite different. Also there are 55hz versions and 75hz versions.
Hey man! BRILLIANT Stuff! Love your setting and the way you position these videos! Still a HUGE NIRVANA fan!
*I really appreciate your cinematic style, Aaron. The visuals are dramatic and interesting. Cinematic background a little loud, but that’s minor.*
Just making a comment so that it might help you with the ad revenue. Those gears are not cheap! Awesome content as always
It's amazing to see your subscriber count grow. I started watching your videos when you had 3k. 😀
I'm so into your drive and determination.
Thanks! Love your vids