# Kurt Cobain Pedalboard 1993: Full Gear & Pedal List > The 1993 Kurt Cobain pedalboard, pedal by pedal: DS-2 Turbo Distortion, SansAmp Classic, PolyChorus and 1 more. Signal-chain order, settings and cited sources. - Canonical page: https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/kurt-cobain/in-utero-tour-1993/ - Machine-readable index of the archive: https://pedalboardarchive.com/llms.txt - Evidence and reconstruction conventions: https://pedalboardarchive.com/methodology/ ## At a glance | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Artist | Kurt Cobain | | Board | In Utero touring chain | | Date | 1993-12-13 — December 1993 (month precision) | | Context | Live and Loud period | | Scope | Touring-period rig | | Signal path | 4 units · Guitar to amplifier | | Routing | Serial path | | Unit evidence | Documented | | Order evidence | Source-described | | Status | Guitar-tech documented signal order | | Audited | 2026-07-18 | | Sources | 2 | 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. ## Signal chain **Order evidence — Source-described.** A source states the sequence. `Guitar → DS-2 Turbo Distortion → SansAmp Classic → PolyChorus → Small Clone → amplifier` | # | Unit | Role | Zone | Unit evidence | Position evidence | Catalog page | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | DS-2 Turbo Distortion | Begins Cobain's In Utero touring chain as one of two alternative distortion voices. | — | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/ds-2-turbo-distortion/ | | 2 | SansAmp Classic | Provides Cobain's principal In Utero distortion voice after the DS-2. | — | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/sansamp-classic/ | | 3 | PolyChorus | Adds the aggressive chorus or flanging stage after distortion. | — | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/polychorus/ | | 4 | Small Clone | Closes the chain with a simpler chorus voice after the PolyChorus. | — | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/small-clone/ | ## Reconstruction note 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. ## Questions ### 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. ## Sources 2 cited sources across 2 independent groups. Two sources sharing an independent group report the same observation and count once. 1. [Nirvana: Super Fuzz Big Muff](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/nirvana-super-fuzz-big-muff) — Guitar World (Primary source · interview), published 2008-02-21, accessed 2026-07-18, independent group `ernie-bailey-cobain-rig-interview` 2. [Kurt Cobain's In Utero guitars and gear](https://www.groundguitar.com/tone-breakdown/kurt-cobains-in-utero-guitars-and-gear/) — Ground Guitar (Specialist source · archive), published 2025-10-06, accessed 2026-07-18, independent group `ground-guitar-cobain-research` ## Related pages - Every documented board by Kurt Cobain: [Kurt Cobain board history](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/kurt-cobain/) - [John Frusciante — Unlimited Love rehearsal board](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/john-frusciante/unlimited-love-rehearsal-board/): shares DS-2 Turbo Distortion - [John Frusciante — Californication era board](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/john-frusciante/californication-era-board-1999/): shares DS-2 Turbo Distortion - [John Petrucci — The Astonishing tour switching system](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/john-petrucci/astonishing-tour-loop-system-2016/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Multi-effects & Modeling, Modulation, Gain) - [Ariel Posen — Suitcase touring pedalboard](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/ariel-posen/suitcase-touring-board-2026/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Multi-effects & Modeling, Gain) - [Tom Morello — Long-term effects-loop board](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/tom-morello/long-term-rig-2019/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Multi-effects & Modeling, Modulation) - [Chris Buck — Cardinal Black touring system](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/chris-buck/cardinal-black-touring-board-2022/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Multi-effects & Modeling, Modulation, Gain) - Previous board in archive order: [Kirk Hammett — WorldWired remote-wah rig](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/kirk-hammett/worldwired-rack-wah-rig-2017/) - Next board in archive order: [Lari Basilio — Three-stage Violet demonstration board](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/lari-basilio/sweetwater-board-march-2025/)