Kurt Cobain was regarded as the front man of Nirvana as he served as the voice and the face of the generation, but this is not the only Kurt Cobain was known for. The man was also known as one of the few people that switched up the course of the music industry as he kicked off the course of alternative and counter culture rock music. However, he was considered as a skilled guitarist, but what guitar did Kurt Cobain play? Read on for answers to this question.
Kurt Cobain was one musician that made songs using conscientious lyrics combined with the use of wild pop that would catch the heart and mind of anybody that was listening to his kind of song. Not so long after this musical discovery, Nirvana dropped a song titled love buzz which so many people didn’t know was just a taste of so many classical hit songs to come, but it had to be in 1991 that something significant happened.
It was in 1991 that Nirvana and Kurt Cobain released a life changing hit song titled smells like teen spirit. Before Kurt Cobain turned out to be a digitalized character on Guitar Hero, Nirvana and Kurt Cobain were nothing but the biggest acts on the planet. This is because they found a way to fuse a good sound, punk music, and lovely aesthetics which formed the foundation for all of their hit songs.
Behind all of the hype and good music, Kurt Cobain was a very skilled guitarist that mastered the art of playing Fender guitars. There are quite couple of guitars people have associated with Kurt Cobain over the years, and the Fender Mustang was the first main guitar associated with Kurt Cobain back in 1969. This is one of the guitars Kurt Cobain used for a very long time throughout his career, and this guitar boasted of having a left handed version.
Interestingly, Kurt Cobain was a left handed guitar player and you can see why he found it easy to work with the Fender Mustang guitar. Kurt Cobain once admitted to the fact that being left handed while playing guitar was a little problem to deal with as it proved very difficult to find a high quality guitar at a very reasonable price. It seemed like finding a guitar for a left handed person came with a special price tag.
In his interview with Guitar World, Kurt Cobain disclosed that there were so many guitars in the world but he was pleased and in love with the Fender Mustang guitar. However, the Fender Mustang isn’t the only guitar associated with Kurt Cobain all through is career, but the Fender Jaguar guitar was one he was seen playing back in 1965. This is one guitar that came with some very important accessories for playing.
The Fender Jaguar guitar’s bridge position had a Dimarzio super distortion, while its neck position had the Dimarzio PAF pickup. It also came laced with original pickup selectors and an extra volume control function. You can see that this guitar had everything to work with, so there was really minimal stress playing this guitar.
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What Guitar Did Kurt Cobain Play
Apart from the fact that Kurt Cobain played the Fender Jaguar and Fender Mustang guitars, there was another guitar this highly prolific guitarist was also associated with. This is the Martin D-18E guitar, and this is the only acoustic guitar Kurt Cobain made use of in his entire career. The Fender Mustang and Fender Jaguar guitars were all electric guitars. However, there are people who believed Kurt Cobain made use of other acoustic guitars.
If you are familiar with Kurt Cobain, you will agree to the fact that the man only had a knack for very rare instruments. He fancied working with instruments that were very difficult to come by, and the Martin D-18E guitar was only manufactured for only one year. This is one of the few acoustic guitars that had electric pickups, and it is also needless to stress that this guitar was used for only one performance.
There is little or nothing to learn about Kurt Cobain’s reaction when working with this guitar, but using this guitar on stage made it one of Nirvana’s most iconic guitars of all time. Kurt Cobain wasn’t pictured or captured making use of this guitar on several occasions, but it was this guitar that was used when he was delivering his “The man who sold the world cover” and “Where did you sleep last night” performances.
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Now, there are so many people that are aiming at singing, playing, or sounding like Kurt Cobain. What we want you all to note is that there are a lot of things that needs to be taken into consideration or lots of instruments to work with if you want to sound like someone or replicate the same sound. This isn’t something that can be easily achieved, so let us give you a rundown of the instruments Kurt Cobain worked with.
Amps
When it comes to making use of an amp, you can make use of a decent amp if you want to sound like Kurt Cobain. Making use of the clean channel all the time will be required, and adding distortion to a pedal is also likely. In this case, it would be wise if you can get an amp with fifty watts combined with a combo amp. A modeling amp on the other hand is something you can invest in if you need an amp to practice in your room.
Effect Pedals
A distortion pedal might be what you need when trying to sound like Kurt Cobain, and Kurt made use of the Boss DS-2 amplifier during his later years. When it came to creating a wobbly effect. Kurt Cobain added a Electro Harmonix Small Clone Chorus pedal, and this wobbly effect was evident in his “smells like teen spirit” song.
Strings And Picks
Dean Markley Heavy strings is what you need if you want to sound like Kurt Cobain, and this is what Kurt Cobain himself made use of. You will also need to get a pack of Dunlop Tortex 60mm picks
Wrapping It Up
Apart from all the glory associated with his name, Kurt Cobain was just a guy who found a way to make good music with anything around him. His legacy is one that has been placed high, making it quite impossible for people to reach in this time, but we want our readers to know that there are certain approaches that can be taken, combined with the right use of instruments and accessories that can make you send appealing like Kurt Cobain.
My name is Johnson Lewis and I am a music coach, producer and Blogger. I enjoy writing about music, instruments, music equipments and I love helping people become better singers.
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