kurt-cobain

The Melvins' Buzz Osborne joins the party to talk about how he helped Kurt Cobain find the right sounds.

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Illustration by Kate Koenig

Nashville producer James Cody examines plugins from IK Multimedia, Native Instruments, Line 6, Waves, Neural DSP, STL Tones, Positive Grid, and Universal Audio that can help you take your guitar-recording to pro levels.

There are more audio plugins at our fingertips than ever before. Whenever new products or software hit the market, I always ask myself, “Will I actually use this and will it serve my needs?” On the topic of guitar amplifiers and simulation, I take a “best of both worlds” approach. When performing live, I use solid-state Quilter amplifiers because they sound great to me, and they’re lightweight and easy to transport to gigs. If something isn’t broken, why fix it?

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The ET-270 has a tone switch that offers a powerful boost to the guitar’s low end.

This guitar, which Kurt Cobain used in the late ’80s, has pickups that really shine with high gain.

As 2023 draws to a close, I find myself in an unusual place. Why? Because I’m just about the happiest I’ve ever been in my life—seriously! Seeing my kids grow and loving what I do has all coalesced into a wondrous feeling of bliss. Also, yours truly turned 50 this year! To be honest, I never thought I’d make it this far, and perhaps that’s why I feel such joy lately. Who knows, who cares? Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, I think?

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