Editing Kurt Cobain (section)

== Equipment ==
In a ''[[Guitar World]]'' retrospective, Cobain's guitar tone was deemed "one of the most iconic" in the history of the electric guitar, while noting that rather than relying on expensive or vintage items, Cobain used "an eccentric cache of budget models, low-end imports and pawn shop prizes." Cobain stated in a 1992 interview, "Junk is always best," but denied this was a punk statement and claimed it was a necessity, as he had trouble finding high quality left-handed guitars.<ref name="Gill">{{cite web |last1=Gill |first1=Chris |title=The definitive Kurt Cobain gear guide: a deep dive into the Nirvana frontman's pawn shop prizes, turbo-charged stompboxes and blown woofers |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/the-definitive-kurt-cobain-gear-guide |website=guitarworld.com |date=February 17, 2021 |publisher=Guitar World |access-date=March 13, 2023}}</ref>

Cobain's first guitar was a used electric guitar from [[Sears]] that he received on his 14th birthday. He took guitar lessons long enough to learn [[AC/DC]]'s "[[Back in Black (song)|Back in Black]]" and began playing with local kids. Cobain found the guitar smashed after leaving it in a locker, but he was able to purchase new equipment, including a [[Peavey Electronics|Peavey]] amp, by recovering and selling his stepfather's gun collection, which his mother had dumped in a river after discovering his infidelity.<ref name="Gill"/> Upon forming what would be Nirvana, Cobain was playing a [[Fender (company)|Fender]] [[Fender Champ|Champ]] amplifier and a right-handed [[Univox]] [[Univox Hi-Flier|Hi-Flier]] guitar he flipped over and strung for left-handed playing.<ref name="Gill"/>

For the recording of ''Bleach'', Cobain needed to borrow a [[Fender (company)|Fender]] [[Twin Reverb]] due to his main amplifier, a solid-state [[Randall Amplification|Randall]], being repaired at the time, but as the Twin Reverb's speakers were blown, he was forced to pair it with an external cabinet featuring two 12" speakers. He used a [[Boss DS-1]] for distortion, while playing Hi-Flier guitars, which cost him {{USD|100|long=No}} each. Nirvana embarked on their first American tour in 1989, at the start of which Cobain played an [[Epiphone]] ET270; however, he destroyed the guitar onstage during a show, a subsequent habit that forced label Sub Pop to have to call local pawn shops looking for replacement guitars.<ref name="Gill"/> Cobain's first acoustic guitar, a [[Stella (guitar)|Stella]] 12-string, cost him {{USD|31.21|long=No}}. Cobain strung it with six (or sometimes five) strings, and while the guitar's tuners had to be held together with duct tape, it sounded good enough that the guitar was later used to record the ''Nevermind'' tracks "Polly" and "Something in the Way."<ref name="Gill"/>

Despite receiving a {{USD|287,000|long=No}} advance upon signing with Geffen Records, Cobain retained a preference for inexpensive gear.<ref name="Gill"/> He became a fan of Japanese-made Fender guitars ahead of recording ''Nevermind'', due to their slim necks and wide availability in left-handed orientation. These included several [[Stratocaster]]s fitted with [[humbucker]] pickups in the bridge positions, as well as a 1965 [[Fender Jaguar|Jaguar]] with [[DiMarzio]] pickups and a 1969 [[Fender Mustang|Competition Mustang]], the latter of which Cobain cited as his favorite, despite noting, "They're cheap and totally inefficient, and they sound like crap and are very small."<ref name="Gill"/> For the album, Cobain used a rackmount system featuring a [[Mesa/Boogie]] Studio preamp, a Crown power amp, and [[Marshall Amplification|Marshall]] cabinets. He also used a [[Vox (company)|Vox]] [[AC30]] and a Fender [[Fender Bassman|Bassman]]. Producer Butch Vig preferred to avoid pedals, but allowed Cobain to use his Boss DS-1, which Cobain considered a key part of his sound, as well as an [[Electro-Harmonix]] [[Big Muff]] fuzz pedal and a [[Small Clone]] chorus, which can be heard on songs like "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Come As You Are," and "Aneurysm."<ref name="Gill"/>

Cobain used his '69 Mustang, '65 Jaguar, a custom Jaguar/Mustang, and a Hi-Flier for the ''In Utero'' recording sessions. To tour behind the album, Cobain placed an order for 10 Mustangs split between Fiesta Red and Sonic Blue. As the [[Fender Custom Shop]] was new, the guitars were to be shipped out two at a time over a period of months. By the time of his death, Cobain had received six of the guitars. The remaining four, waiting to be shipped, were instead sold as regular stock at Japanese music stores without informing buyers the guitars had been made for Cobain.<ref name="Williams">{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Stuart |title=The story of Kurt Cobain's Fender Mustang guitars in Nirvana |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/kurt-cobain-fender-mustang-guitars-story-nirvana |website=musicradar.com |date=May 21, 2022 |publisher=Music Radar |access-date=March 13, 2023}}</ref>

For Nirvana's ''Unplugged'' performance, Cobain played a righthanded 1959 [[C. F. Martin & Company|Martin]] D-18E acoustic guitar modified for left-handed playing. The guitar became the most expensive ever sold when it fetched over {{USD|6 million|long=no}} at auction in 2020.<ref name="Kreps">{{cite web |last1=Kreps |first1=Daniel |title=Kurt Cobain's 'MTV Unplugged' Guitar Sells for $6 Million at Auction |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/kurt-cobain-unplugged-guitar-auction-1018229/ |website=rollingstone.com |date=June 20, 2020 |publisher=Rolling Stone |access-date=March 13, 2023}}</ref> Cobain's 1969 Competition Mustang, which he also played in the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video, sold at a 2022 auction to [[Jim Irsay]], owner of the [[Indianapolis Colts]], for {{USD|4.5 million|long=no}}, with an original estimate of {{USD|600,000|long=no}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kurt Cobain's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' guitar sells for $4.5 million at auction |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kurt-cobains-smells-teen-spirit-guitar-sells-45m-auction-rcna30044 |website=nbcnews.com |date=May 23, 2022 |publisher=NBC News |access-date=March 13, 2023}}</ref>