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Come As You Are (Nirvana) bass tone and bass amp settings

Come As You Are bass tone on a Fender Rumble 40 V3: light drive (Drive 2.5), medium gain (Gain 5.5), forward low-mids (Low Mid 2), neck P pickup.

Tuning: D standard

Settings for your amp

Pick a reference amp

Come As You Are settings on a Fender Rumble 40 V3

Fender Rumble 40 V3 settings for every song

AmpFender Rumble 40 V3

Gain5.5
BrightOff
ContourOff
VintageOn
OverdriveOn
Drive2.5
Level5
Bass+1
Low Mid+2
High Mid+1
Treble-1
Set to your roomMaster

BassPassive P/J bass

Neck Volume (P)10Dominant P pickup gives a round, punchy foundation
Bridge Volume (J)3A little bridge pickup adds definition without thinning the tone
Tone6.5
The same settings in text

Amp

Gain
5.5
Bright
Off
Contour
Off
Vintage
On
Overdrive
On
Drive
2.5
Level
5
Bass
+1
Low Mid
+2
High Mid
+1
Treble
-1
Master
Set to your room

Passive P/J bass

Neck Volume (P)
10
Bridge Volume (J)
3
Tone
6.5

Come As You Are settings on an Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-108

Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-108 settings for every song

AmpAmpeg Rocket Bass RB-108

SGTOn
Set to your roomVolume
Bass+1
Midrange+2
Treble-1

BassPassive P/J bass

Neck Volume (P)10P pickup supplies the round, punchy low-mid foundation.
Bridge Volume (J)2Keep the bridge pickup low to avoid excess bite.
Tone6
The same settings in text

Amp

SGT
On
Volume
Set to your room
Bass
+1
Midrange
+2
Treble
-1

Passive P/J bass

Neck Volume (P)
10
Bridge Volume (J)
2
Tone
6

Blend a SansAmp-style DI with a miked amp for closer recorded warmth.

Come As You Are settings on any bass amp with Bass, Mid, Treble, Drive

Amp

Bass6
Mid7
Treble4
Drive3

BassPassive P/J bass

Neck Volume (P)10Prioritizes the round, punchy low-mid sound.
Bridge Volume (J)3
Tone5
The same settings in text

Amp

Bass
6
Mid
7
Treble
4
Drive
3

Passive P/J bass

Neck Volume (P)
10
Bridge Volume (J)
3
Tone
5
The control panel of a vintage guitar amplifier, close up

Why it sounds like that

Guitar strings over the frets, close up

Krist Novoselic played a blonde Ripper bass on Nevermind, with an Ampeg SVT amp. The sessions combined a DI with microphones, which gave his bass an extremely warm, fuzzy sound. Of the two microphones placed, only the FET 47 was used, which has a thumpy, mid-range sound. The DI was a customised Tech 21 SansAmp, which gives more of an amp sound.

What amp did Krist Novoselic use on Come As You Are?

A guitarist’s pedalboard, a dozen pedals cabled together

Krist Novoselic

Bass
blonde Ripper[1]
Amp
Ampeg SVT[3]
  • Novoselic said he played a blonde Ripper bass on Nevermind. (on the album Nevermind)[1]
  • Novoselic said he used a DI on Nevermind but not on In Utero. (on the album Nevermind)[2]
  • Vig said Krist Novoselic used an Ampeg SVT amp. (on the album Nevermind)[3]
  • Sound On Sound says the extremely warm, fuzzy sound of Novoselic's bass on Nevermind came from a combination of DI and miking. (on the album Nevermind)[3]
  • Vig said he miked the bass with a FET 47 and a Sennheiser RE20 on Nevermind and used only the 47, which has a thumpy, mid-range sound. (on the album Nevermind)[3]
  • Vig said he does not use normal DIs on bass but a customised Tech 21 SansAmp, which gives more of an amp sound. (on the album Nevermind)[3]
  • Guitar World says Kurt Cobain's intro is played in D standard tuning, a whole step down. (on this song)[4]

Questions

What amp did Krist Novoselic use on Come As You Are?

The sources on this page document Krist Novoselic's gear on Come As You Are by Nirvana: bass, blonde Ripper [1]; amp, Ampeg SVT [3]. Each value cites the numbered source it comes from, listed at the foot of the page.

What are the Come As You Are settings on a Fender Rumble 40 V3?

For the Come As You Are bass tone on a Fender Rumble 40 V3, set Gain 5.5, Vintage On, Overdrive On, Drive 2.5, Level 5, Bass +1, Low Mid +2, High Mid +1, Treble -1; on the passive P/J bass, Neck Volume (P) 10, Bridge Volume (J) 3, Tone 6.5. Set Master to your room. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.

What are the Come As You Are settings on an Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-108?

For the Come As You Are bass tone on an Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-108, set SGT On, Bass +1, Midrange +2, Treble -1; on the passive P/J bass, Neck Volume (P) 10, Bridge Volume (J) 2, Tone 6. Set Volume to your room. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.

What tuning is Come As You Are in?

Come As You Are by Nirvana is played in D standard, according to the cited source [4]. Tune to it before you set the amp, or the riff will not sit right against the record.

Can I get the Come As You Are tone on my own amp?

Yes. The settings above cover 2 reference amps and any amp with the basic controls. For your exact rig, KnobMaster, an iPhone app, sets every knob of your own amp, bass and pedals for Come As You Are, using only the controls your gear has.

Get it for your exact rig

KnobMaster sets every knob of your own amp, bass and pedals for this song.

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