Good grunge guitars?

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  • grungebobgrungebob Frets: 3300
    edited May 2018
    Finally a topic I might know the answer to!

    what Nirvana sound are you after, bleach is different from nervermind, as is in utero. 

    Most of kurts guitars had a JB humbucker in the bridge. I’ve owned mustangs and jaguars and jagstangs etc and the best of the bunch is a good hss Strat with a JB in the bridge with a nice clean fender amp coupled with a RAT or a good multi stage overdrive pedal, the Marshall jackhammer is a good cheap pedal for the sounds you’re after and can be set to overdrive or distraction with a good eq range. 

    oh and the chorus pedal is an ehx small clone. 
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  • Calum13Calum13 Frets: 37
    edited May 2018
    @duppy03 Is there much difference between the cyclone and the mustang? A cyclone seems like it's hard to find in the UK as I don't want to pay like £100 shipping for one from the states
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  • flying_pieflying_pie Frets: 1806
    @Calum13 the type of guitar, amp or pedal doesn't really matter. It's down to the music and the way it's played. Kurt still sounded like Kurt with an acoustic. 

    The quirks of his technique shaped the sound more than the gear. Two classic examples:

    About A Girl - it looks like he plays Em to G for the main riff but it's actually E5 as he damps the G string with this middle finger. The next section sounds and looks lily is C#m but it's actually major again due to the way the ring finger catches the B string. People play that song wrong because they go with what sounds and feels more musically correct. 

    Teen Spirit - the intro riff is often played wrongly. You can probaly guess why... That's right... It's the "wrong" notes from the fingering. The first chord sounds like F barre child but it's actually more of a stud 4 from the way it's fretted. 

    Kurt played all stories of stuff "wrongly" but it worked. That's why he did it and that's what his sound is about. 
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  • SchnozzSchnozz Frets: 1926
    edited May 2018
    Get a G&L Tribute Fallout

    https://www.premierguitar.com/ext/resources/images/content/2014_03/LNU/Mar14_LNU_FCS_GL-Fallout-Exclusive_WEB.jpg
    Both Jane's Addiction and Alice in Chains used G&L...Not that it really matters, but the Fallout will nail Grunge.
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  • BloodEagleBloodEagle Frets: 5320
    Listen to @camf
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  • ModellistaModellista Frets: 2039
    edited May 2018
    @Calum13 the type of guitar, amp or pedal doesn't really matter. It's down to the music and the way it's played. Kurt still sounded like Kurt with an acoustic. 

    The quirks of his technique shaped the sound more than the gear. Two classic examples:

    About A Girl - it looks like he plays Em to G for the main riff but it's actually E5 as he damps the G string with this middle finger. The next section sounds and looks lily is C#m but it's actually major again due to the way the ring finger catches the B string. People play that song wrong because they go with what sounds and feels more musically correct. 

    Teen Spirit - the intro riff is often played wrongly. You can probaly guess why... That's right... It's the "wrong" notes from the fingering. The first chord sounds like F barre child but it's actually more of a stud 4 from the way it's fretted. 

    Kurt played all stories of stuff "wrongly" but it worked. That's why he did it and that's what his sound is about. 
    Stud 4? Sus 4? You mean 1333xx?

    Since we're on the topic, would you play the Bb with bass on the A string like x1333x? Would be the sensible move from the F. 

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  • camfcamf Frets: 1190
     Listen to @BloodEagle. ;)
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  • dindudedindude Frets: 8534
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  • StrangefanStrangefan Frets: 5845
    New person you have been given a fair bit good info here and a welcome, a "thanks for your help guys etc wouldn't go a miss. 
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  • Calum13Calum13 Frets: 37
    @dindude I like the look of that. A black one with a red tortoiseshell pickguard would look cool. One of my dads friend has a mustang from 1965 I think which plays quite good.
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  • JezWyndJezWynd Frets: 6021
    Schnozz said:
    Get a G&L Tribute Fallout

    https://www.premierguitar.com/ext/resources/images/content/2014_03/LNU/Mar14_LNU_FCS_GL-Fallout-Exclusive_WEB.jpg
    Both Jane's Addiction and Alice in Chains used G&L...Not that it really matters, but the Fallout will nail Grunge.
    Good call, that's a really adaptable guitar, though I always associate Nirvana with short scale guitars - when Cobain got the chance to design his own, he made it 24" - I think it suits his style somehow.
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  • prlgmnrprlgmnr Frets: 3964
    brooom said:
    There are no grunge guitars... grunge is a made up thing. 
    As opposed to all the other genres of music, which were found naturally occurring in the wild.
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  • Calum13Calum13 Frets: 37
    Thanks for all your advice guys! I'm quite new to guitar so it's good having help from people that know what they're doing! I'm think of a HSS strat or a HS duo sonic.  :)
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  • timhuliotimhulio Frets: 1286
    edited May 2018 tFB Trader
    I'd posit Mudhoney as the archetypal grunge band, and the rig is right here: Hagstrom III or Fender Mustang and Univox/Shin Ei FY6 Superfuzz and Big Muff on the pedal front.


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  • soma1975soma1975 Frets: 6627
    stonevibe said:
    It was called 'Post Punk' when I was in Rough Trade at the Nirvana signing for Bleach.
    Same when I saw them at ULU  B)
    My Trade Feedback Thread is here

    Been uploading old tracks I recorded ages ago and hopefully some new noodles here.
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  • FlametopFlametop Frets: 52
    Calum13 said:
    @dindude I like the look of that. A black one with a red tortoiseshell pickguard would look cool. One of my dads friend has a mustang from 1965 I think which plays quite good.
    Mustang Sally?
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  • DaiCappDaiCapp Frets: 135
    That was my main gigging and writing time - a lot of what we did was influenced by Nirvana, Bowie, Joy Division etc. My rig was a standard strat, a les paul deluxe, a Boogie 25 (or big gigs 2 x quad 606 into Marshall cabs.) and pedals were just a DS1 and CE2 or small clone. In essence mainly clean using pedals to drive but always loud.

    Thing is, all everyone playing that stuff at the time was using what they could afford or borrow, getting out there and playing because they loved it... 
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  • flying_pieflying_pie Frets: 1806
    modellista said:

    Stud 4? Sus 4? You mean 1333xx?

    Since we're on the topic, would you play the Bb with bass on the A string like x1333x? Would be the sensible move from the F. 

    Autocorrect typo! Yes that would be sus4. 

    It would instinctively follow that it would be Bb. You could add in the occasional x1333(3) to give it a bit more Kurt. The whole vibe is that it's intentionality a bit messy in terms of the chords but tight with the drums and bass.

    And speaking of bass, Krist's dirty bass is also a massive part off Kurt's sound. 
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  • Calum13Calum13 Frets: 37
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  • punchesjudypunchesjudy Frets: 1020
    Calum13 said:
    I'm just thinking of a good guitar to get next as I can't really stick with a squier and I think kurt used some sort of chorus pedal. Also my jag doesn't have humbuckers
    Honestly a Squier VM Jag is a great guitar. It should also be able to get you the "grunge" sound you're after. 
    You said you have a big muff so just dime the gain knob and it should be big and heavy sounding enough easily. 
    If not, maybe just a bridge pickup swap for something higher output. It's cheaper than buying a new guitar at least. 

    My two main guitars at the moment are completely at the opposite end of the price scale, a Fender Lee Ranaldo Jazzmaster and a Squier Ryan Jarman Musuar thing. Don't think that getting a Fender will instantly be a better guitar than what you have, you may even prefer your Squier Jag in the long run. 
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