Lithium
Loose, quiet verses of single notes and double stops that erupt into a dark, thick fuzz chorus.
What is the Lithium guitar tone?
The Lithium guitar tone is loose, quiet verses of single notes and double stops that erupt into a dark, thick fuzz chorus, heard on Nirvana's 1990s grunge recording. It is a distorted riff tone, and Nirvana reportedly tracked it with a Big Muff fuzz into a Fender Bassman for the distorted guitar, a bass amplifier that producer Butch Vig rented in Los Angeles because he liked a modified one at his own Smart Studios, recorded with what he believes was a U47, the microphone he usually put on bass guitar; Vig says the rented Bassman did not sound quite like the one at Smart but became the main guitar amp on this song and on some of the album's heaviest tones, and that the pedals on the sessions were Kurt Cobain's Big Muff, Vig's own Russian Big Muff, a Rat and the Small Clone chorus; which guitar Cobain played on it is not documented, and the album's guitars were a 1960s Fender Mustang, a Jaguar with DiMarzio pickups and Stratocasters with humbuckers at the bridge; the guitars are tuned down a whole step, so the song sounds in D while Cobain fingers shapes from E, and in the verses he plays single notes and double stops out of those chord shapes, which gives them their loose feel; the band kept speeding up on early takes, and after one failed attempt Cobain launched into the jam that became the hidden track Endless, Nameless, so Vig had Dave Grohl play to a metronome, making it the only song on Nevermind cut to a click; it was recorded in May 1991 at Sound City in Van Nuys, after a first version at Smart Studios in April 1990, and came out as the album's third single in July 1992. The point here is a raw, barely controlled tone, so cleaning it up too much moves it away from the record rather than towards it.
You do not need that exact gear to land in the same place. What carries this sound is the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup choice and the order of the effects, and all four can be rebuilt on equipment that costs a fraction of the original. The numbers change from amp to amp, because a high-gain head and a small practice amp reach the same voicing from different knob positions. That translation is what Tonelify works out for the rig you actually own.
Lithium amp settings: a starting point
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 6, Bass 6, Middle 4, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 2 for the loud choruses, with the bridge pickup. There is a second setting for the quiet verses below.
- Gain 6
- Bass 6
- Middle 4
- Treble 6
- Presence 5
- Reverb 2
- Signal chain
- Electro-Harmonix Big Muff fuzz → Fender Bassman, a bass amp, miked with a U47
- The control that matters most
- The jump from verse to chorus. The verses are quiet and loose and the choruses are a dark, thick fuzz, so set the clean sound first, then make the chorus a real step up in level and weight: a fuzz into a full, bassy amp rather than a bright distortion. Tune down a whole step, because the song sounds in D but is played with shapes from E.
These positions are free and they are a starting point. A Katana, a Spark and a valve head reach this voicing from different knob positions, so Tonelify rewrites every value above for the amp and guitar you own. Your first match is free with an account, and needs no card.
Adapt these to my amp- Pickup
- Bridge pickup
These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. If you tell Tonelify which amp you own, it rewrites every value above for the controls that amp actually has.
Second sound
Lithium amp settings for the quiet verses
For the quiet verses, start at Gain 2, Bass 6, Middle 4, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 3, with the neck or middle position.
- Gain 2
- Bass 6
- Middle 4
- Treble 6
- Presence 5
- Reverb 3
- Signal chain
- Straight into the amp
- Where the song switches
- The choruses are a Big Muff into a Fender Bassman; the verses are quiet, with Cobain picking single notes and double stops out of the chord shapes. Vig says getting the verses relaxed, the choruses intense and the change between them natural was the hard part.
- Pickup
- Neck or middle position
The same reference as the panel above: positions on a generic five-knob amp, a starting point rather than the settings on the record.
What gear did Nirvana use on Lithium?
A Big Muff fuzz into a Fender Bassman for the distorted guitar, a bass amplifier that producer Butch Vig rented in Los Angeles because he liked a modified one at his own Smart Studios, recorded with what he believes was a U47, the microphone he usually put on bass guitar; Vig says the rented Bassman did not sound quite like the one at Smart but became the main guitar amp on this song and on some of the album's heaviest tones, and that the pedals on the sessions were Kurt Cobain's Big Muff, Vig's own Russian Big Muff, a Rat and the Small Clone chorus; which guitar Cobain played on it is not documented, and the album's guitars were a 1960s Fender Mustang, a Jaguar with DiMarzio pickups and Stratocasters with humbuckers at the bridge; the guitars are tuned down a whole step, so the song sounds in D while Cobain fingers shapes from E, and in the verses he plays single notes and double stops out of those chord shapes, which gives them their loose feel; the band kept speeding up on early takes, and after one failed attempt Cobain launched into the jam that became the hidden track Endless, Nameless, so Vig had Dave Grohl play to a metronome, making it the only song on Nevermind cut to a click; it was recorded in May 1991 at Sound City in Van Nuys, after a first version at Smart Studios in April 1990, and came out as the album's third single in July 1992.
Sources: Wikipedia: Lithium (Nirvana song), Guitar.com: Butch Vig on recording guitars with Nirvana, Wikipedia: Nevermind
Tonelify reads that chain and translates it to the amp and guitar you already own, returning gain, bass, mids, treble and presence values along with a pickup position.
How do you get the Lithium tone on your own amp?
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Lithium tone questions
What amp settings do you need for Lithium?
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 6, Bass 6, Middle 4, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 2 for the loud choruses, with the bridge pickup, and at Gain 2, Bass 6, Middle 4, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 3 for the quiet verses, with the neck or middle position. These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. Tonelify rewrites the same values for the specific amp and guitar you own, because a high-gain head and a small solid-state combo reach the same loose, quiet verses of single notes and double stops that erupt into a dark, thick fuzz chorus from different positions.
Does Lithium use one amp setting or two?
Two. The choruses are a Big Muff into a Fender Bassman; the verses are quiet, with Cobain picking single notes and double stops out of the chord shapes. Vig says getting the verses relaxed, the choruses intense and the change between them natural was the hard part. On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 6, Bass 6, Middle 4, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 2 for the loud choruses, and at Gain 2, Bass 6, Middle 4, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 3 for the quiet verses.
What is the most important control for the Lithium tone?
The jump from verse to chorus. The verses are quiet and loose and the choruses are a dark, thick fuzz, so set the clean sound first, then make the chorus a real step up in level and weight: a fuzz into a full, bassy amp rather than a bright distortion. Tune down a whole step, because the song sounds in D but is played with shapes from E.
Can you get the Lithium tone without the original gear?
Yes. The original was tracked with a Big Muff fuzz into a Fender Bassman for the distorted guitar, a bass amplifier that producer Butch Vig rented in Los Angeles because he liked a modified one at his own Smart Studios, recorded with what he believes was a U47, the microphone he usually put on bass guitar; Vig says the rented Bassman did not sound quite like the one at Smart but became the main guitar amp on this song and on some of the album's heaviest tones, and that the pedals on the sessions were Kurt Cobain's Big Muff, Vig's own Russian Big Muff, a Rat and the Small Clone chorus; which guitar Cobain played on it is not documented, and the album's guitars were a 1960s Fender Mustang, a Jaguar with DiMarzio pickups and Stratocasters with humbuckers at the bridge; the guitars are tuned down a whole step, so the song sounds in D while Cobain fingers shapes from E, and in the verses he plays single notes and double stops out of those chord shapes, which gives them their loose feel; the band kept speeding up on early takes, and after one failed attempt Cobain launched into the jam that became the hidden track Endless, Nameless, so Vig had Dave Grohl play to a metronome, making it the only song on Nevermind cut to a click; it was recorded in May 1991 at Sound City in Van Nuys, after a first version at Smart Studios in April 1990, and came out as the album's third single in July 1992, but the parts that define the sound are the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup position and the effects order. Those translate to other equipment, which is what the adaptation step does.
Is Lithium a rhythm or a lead tone?
It is a riff part with a distorted character, from Nirvana's 1990s grunge catalogue.
Does Tonelify cost anything to try?
Your first match for your own gear is free with an account, and needs no card. After that both plans start with a 7-day free trial: Stage is $6.99 a month for 20 matches, Headliner is $10.99 a month for unlimited matching within a fair use limit of 150 new matches a day, and yearly billing works out cheaper on both. Reading this page and the rest of the library costs nothing and needs no account.
