What Jaguars did Kurt Cobain play?

astrozombie

astrozombie

KatyPerryologist
I know he was a fan of strats, mustangs and jaguars... as well as some other guitars, ive seen him playing some epiphone strat-type...

any tips on getting a tone like "heart-shaped box" or "in bloom"?
 
Re: What Jaguars did Kurt Cobain play?

he also played a univox hiflyer but heartshaped box doesn't sound like that
 
Re: What Jaguars did Kurt Cobain play?

He played a left handed '65 Jaguar he found in a pawnshop that had been routed for humbuckers and the individual selector controls replaced (poorly) with a 3-way switch. He played mostly mustangs and Japanese Strats (some replaced with Fernades necks), with the occasional Epi or his Mosrites and Univoxes.

For a full list of his equipment: www.kurtsequipment.com

EDIT: Nirvana was my favourite band when I was 14/15, and found Strat guitar with a JB through a Marshall will nail most Nirvana tones, a Tele on the bridge with the tone rolled back does well for Heart Shaped Box, and I find my Phat Cat Tele can mimic the tone of the Univox Hiflyer he used playing Heart Shaped Box on SNL. Your Jag HH should be able to cover a LOT of Nirvana ground, considering he used a HH Jag quite a lot.
 
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Re: What Jaguars did Kurt Cobain play?

Fender_Punk said:
He played a left handed '65 Jaguar he found in a pawnshop that had been routed for humbuckers and the individual selector controls replaced (poorly) with a 3-way switch. He played mostly mustangs and Japanese Strats (some replaced with Fernades necks), with the occasional Epi or his Mosrites and Univoxes.

For a full list of his equipment: www.kurtsequipment.com

EDIT: Nirvana was my favourite band when I was 14/15, and found Strat guitar with a JB through a Marshall will nail most Nirvana tones, a Tele on the bridge with the tone rolled back does well for Heart Shaped Box, and I find my Phat Cat Tele can mimic the tone of the Univox Hiflyer he used playing Heart Shaped Box on SNL. Your Jag HH should be able to cover a LOT of Nirvana ground, considering he used a HH Jag quite a lot.
Click to expand...

Yeah, with the purchase of my jaguar (which had absolutely nothing to do with nirvana) i got into playing nirvana, ive always been a fan, but never really learned the songs.
 
Re: What Jaguars did Kurt Cobain play?

All Nirvana tones are easily copped with any Fender-style guitar with a good amount of twang, a single coil pickup (Kurt used whatever was in the guitars stock) for clean parts and a fat-sounding humbucker (Kurt used JB's for the bridge of most of his guitars, Hot Rails in some, and the dual-humbucker Jaguar was DiMarzio Virtual PAFn/ Super Distortionb) for the dirty parts.

To sound like him you have to use his approach to tone...i.e., whatever cool guitar you can afford into your favorite distortion pedal (he liked his stock DS-1 and Big Muff Pi) and a loud, clean amp and ROCK THE MOTHER****ING **** OUT OF THAT CHEAP GEAR LIKE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW OR CARE.

If that was my Jag and I was a teenage punk tryin to play Nirvana, I'd drop the bass side of that neck humbucker as low as it will go then raise the treble side as much as possible and EQ my amp with that pickup to be bright, full and jangly. Then I'd switch to the bridge pickup, turn on my stompbox and EQ that to sound heavy and crunchy with the gain maxed fully. Bingo, you're the king of grunge.

What amp / pedal are you using again? Cuz the cheap distortion pedal / loud clean tube amp really is a big part of his tone. I've been gettin it dead-on ever since i bought my Strat and DS-1 and Bassman.
 
Re: What Jaguars did Kurt Cobain play?

Empty Pockets said:
All Nirvana tones are easily copped with any Fender-style guitar with a good amount of twang, a single coil pickup (Kurt used whatever was in the guitars stock) for clean parts and a fat-sounding humbucker (Kurt used JB's for the bridge of most of his guitars, Hot Rails in some, and the dual-humbucker Jaguar was DiMarzio Virtual PAFn/ Super Distortionb) for the dirty parts.

To sound like him you have to use his approach to tone...i.e., whatever cool guitar you can afford into your favorite distortion pedal (he liked his stock DS-1 and Big Muff Pi) and a loud, clean amp and ROCK THE MOTHER****ING **** OUT OF THAT CHEAP GEAR LIKE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW OR CARE.

If that was my Jag and I was a teenage punk tryin to play Nirvana, I'd drop the bass side of that neck humbucker as low as it will go then raise the treble side as much as possible and EQ my amp with that pickup to be bright, full and jangly. Then I'd switch to the bridge pickup, turn on my stompbox and EQ that to sound heavy and crunchy with the gain maxed fully. Bingo, you're the king of grunge.

What amp / pedal are you using again? Cuz the cheap distortion pedal / loud clean tube amp really is a big part of his tone. I've been gettin it dead-on ever since i bought my Strat and DS-1 and Bassman.
Click to expand...

currently, a JCM800 and i own a ds-1 so...
 
Re: What Jaguars did Kurt Cobain play?

a JB would definitely help nail the tone...the MIM Hot tele pups do pretty well at approximating the sound, for the distortion I tend to use a fuzz type distortion.
 
Re: What Jaguars did Kurt Cobain play?

it was a LH 1966 sunburst fender jaguar he bought from the LA recycler premodded with a Dimarzio PAF/SD combo. Though later after Kurt stopped using it live after 08/06/93 tech earnie bailey gave it Kurt's new favorite the JB. But the JB is not on anything studio wise.

that Jag and a Boss DS-1 is the distorted foundation for nirvana. mainly the Super D is the catalyst here.

Clean wise we are talking about the neck pickups in late 60's fender mustangs and in late 80s/early 90s japanese strats. Add the vintage smallclone chorus and a blackface twin and you got it.

amps are his raggy fender twin, his mesa .22 preamp pretty much. though there is a bassman and a ac30 all over nevermind.

but you can get by with a fat strat, ds-1 and a lush chorus into a bright clean practice amp.
 
Re: What Jaguars did Kurt Cobain play?

astrozombie said:
Yeah, with the purchase of my jaguar (which had absolutely nothing to do with nirvana) i got into playing nirvana, ive always been a fan, but never really learned the songs.
Click to expand...

Most of the songs are pretty easy, as are the solos, which sloppiness is very key to playing them.

EP is dead on, clean tube amp loud with your DS-1, level cranked, tone about middle, I personally like the one I had a bit before middle, and the gain cranked. I personally like tube amop distortion more, so I sold my DS-1, but theirs nothing wrong with using a dirt box to get the tone you want if you like the sounds the pedal's giving you and don't mind power supplies/batteries.

I wouldn't say drop the bass of the neck all the way, but definitely have the treble side raised. Chorus and Flange pedals will also help get some crazy effects for Heart Shaped Box solo, added depth for Teen Spirit Solo, and is essential to playing Come As You Are.
 
Re: What Jaguars did Kurt Cobain play?

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=825385&songID=6746815

hsb.jpg


There's an example of a good tone for heart-shaped box, in my opinion anyways, lol.
 
Re: What Jaguars did Kurt Cobain play?

Just before he died, his new No.1 was a Tele...sooner or later, everyone converts: it's a basic law of physics.
 
Re: What Jaguars did Kurt Cobain play?

Yeah Bailey made Kurt a HH custom tele and prior to his death it was Kurt's new baby. I supose because it had a thin fast rosewood neck...

but Kurt had had a few japanese 60's style teles before. on the early 1992 aussie tour and seen backstage in late 1993.

http://www.nirvanaguide.com/images/1992/012592.06.jpg

01/25/92 - painted with latex house paint and a Heart & Courtney were scratched out revealing the stock sunburst finish.

http://www.livenirvana.com/pics/9311sg/images/springfield_14.jpg

11/10/93 - This later in 1994 would become the custom HH earnie bailey modded for Kurt.
 
Re: What Jaguars did Kurt Cobain play?

SO what it comes down to is, he played whatever guitar he could get his hands on until he found or was given one he liked better.

Most of them were Fender-style guitars with rosewood fretboards and JB humbuckers.
 
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