Pedalboard Archive

Kurt CobainPedalboard, 1993

Kurt Cobain's late-1993 In Utero touring chain stacked two distortion voices — a Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion and a SansAmp Classic — into two very different choruses: an EHX PolyChorus and a Small Clone.

Board
In Utero touring chain
Context
Live and Loud period
Board date
Evidence
Documented equipment · 2 cited sources
Order
Source-described
Scope
Touring-period rig
Routing
Serial path
Audited
Signal
4 units · Guitar to amplifier

In Utero touring chain

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InputGuitar
DS-2 Turbo Distortion
SansAmp Classic
PolyChorus
Small Clone
OutputAmplifier

A source states the sequence

Inside the rig · 4 units

Pedal roles & evidence

How each unit fits Kurt Cobain's 1993 setup. Board-specific roles and the evidence behind each identification and position.

Cited sources

Source-described orderIdentity and position are evidenced separately. Reconstructed positions are not observed connections.

Gain

DS-2 Turbo Distortion

Role in this rig

Begins Cobain's In Utero touring chain as one of two alternative distortion voices.

Identity
Documented
Position
Documented

Multi-effects & Modeling

SansAmp Classic

Role in this rig

Provides Cobain's principal In Utero distortion voice after the DS-2.

Identity
Documented
Position
Documented

Modulation

PolyChorus

Role in this rig

Adds the aggressive chorus or flanging stage after distortion.

Identity
Documented
Position
Documented

Modulation

Small Clone

Role in this rig

Closes the chain with a simpler chorus voice after the PolyChorus.

Identity
Documented
Position
Documented

Documented equipment · Documented order · Serial path

Guitar tech Earnie Bailey published the serial order. The PolyChorus or EchoFlanger position depended on which working unit was available; this snapshot uses the PolyChorus seen during the period.

Cited sources

Methodology
  1. Guitar WorldNirvana: Super Fuzz Big Muff
  2. Ground GuitarKurt Cobain's In Utero guitars and gear

Questions about Kurt Cobain's 1993 pedalboard

What pedals did Kurt Cobain use in 1993?
This dated entry lists 4 units: DS-2 Turbo Distortion, SansAmp Classic, PolyChorus, Small Clone. This is the recorded inventory, not a claim that every connection or model identification is confirmed; see the evidence and routing notes.
What order were Kurt Cobain's pedals in?
A cited source states the order: Guitar → DS-2 Turbo Distortion → SansAmp Classic → PolyChorus → Small Clone → amplifier.
Is this Kurt Cobain's full guitar rig?
No. This dated entry covers 4 units in the effects path, not every piece of gear Kurt Cobain owned or used. Floor pedals, rack units and routing devices are included only where recorded; omitted equipment and uncertain connections are explained in the notes. It is not a complete or current rig inventory.
When and where was this pedalboard used?
December 1993. Live and Loud period. This is the rig documented for that touring period, not a career-wide gear list.
How does the archive know what was on this pedalboard?
2 cited sources, listed above with the date each was read, including Guitar World, Ground Guitar. Among them an interview and an archive record. The units are recorded as documented equipment, and the page was last audited on 2026-07-18.