Nirvana – MTV Unplugged In New York
The music gear and equipment used by the artists, producers, engineers, and more involved in the making of the 1994 album MTV Unplugged In New York.
Music from MTV Unplugged In New York
Gear Used On MTV Unplugged In New York
Explore the instruments, equipment, software, and production tools used in the making of Nirvana – MTV Unplugged In New York (1994). Click more on each item to see exactly how it was used.
Guitars used by Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged In New York
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Avg price: $69,999.00
Cobain used a C.F. Martin & Company D-18E Acoustic Guitar on Nirvana's career defining preformance on MTV Unplugged Live, as see in this photo of Cobain performing. This information is originally sourced from the official Martin website's "Famous Martin Owners" section.
This Guitar was later put up for auction on June 20, 2020 and sold for a record $6 Million U.S. Dollars, making it the most expensive guitar of all time.
Microphones used by Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged In New York
Kurt Cobain used this microphone at the MTV Unplugged gig.
Other Gear used by Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged In New York
Avg price: $155.46
Kurt Cobain's 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic guitar, famously used during Nirvana's "MTV Unplugged" performance, was equipped with a Bartolini 3AV soundhole pickup. This modification was made because the original 1959 DeArmond pickups did not perform well with the bronze strings Cobain preferred. According to Julien's Auction House, the guitar featured this pickup, as detailed in their listing and confirmed at timestamp 1:56 in their video. Additionally, Cobain's 1961 Epiphone FT-79 Texan acoustic, acquired in mid-1992, was similarly modified. Used live for the first time on September 26, 1992, at the Castaic Lake Amphitheatre, it was later altered by Earnie Bailey to include a 1/4" input jack. By October 1993, this guitar also received a Bartolini 3AV pickup, enhancing its versatility as an electric/acoustic instrument. Notably, Krist Novoselic's Buck Owens American "Red White Blue" acoustic, played by Pat Smear during the In Utero Tour and MTV Unplugged, also featured the Bartolini 3AV pickup.
Amplifiers used by Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged In New York
Fender 1982 Fender Twin Reverb Blackface
Kurt used a 1982 Fender Twin Reverb Blackface (not Silverface) on studio session (In Utero and maybe others), MTV Unplugged and (maybe) others.
Studio Equipment used by Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged In New York
Countryman Type 85 FET Direct Box
Avg price: $246.38
Citing a "[p]ersonal communication" with Earnie Bailey, Caio Leme of LiveNIRVANA.com reports that Cobain used a Countryman Type 85 DI for live shows starting on October 26, 1993 (at MECCA Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin), including for Nirvana's MTV Unplugged show. Leme includes this photograph taken by Kevin Mazur of Cobain at the MECCA Auditorium show.
Typically placed before the effects, with one output connected to them and then balanced out to the desk. On Unplugged, it was used after the effects.
Krist Novoselic
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Bass Guitars used by Krist Novoselic on MTV Unplugged In New York
Acoustic & Acoustic-Electric Basses
Avg price: $829.02
This Bass Guitar was used in Nirvanas iconic Mtv Unplugged Concert
Guitars used by Krist Novoselic on MTV Unplugged In New York
Harmony F-70 Buck Owens "American" Acoustic Guitar
Avg price: $2,000.00
Krist Novoselic used a Harmony F-70 Buck Owens "American" Acoustic Guitar during Nirvana's MTV Unplugged performance, as seen in a photo from Feelnumb.
Guitars used by Pat Smear on MTV Unplugged In New York
Harmony F-70 Buck Owens "American" Acoustic Guitar
Avg price: $2,000.00
Pat played the famous Buck Owens guitar on an MTV unplugged show with Nirvana. The link has a great deal of history of the guitar.
Harmony H169 Buck Owens American
Avg price: $2,000.00
Pat Smear used the Harmony H169 Buck Owens American guitar during Nirvana's performance of "Polly" on MTV Unplugged, as seen in the remastered video provided by NirvanaVEVO on YouTube.
Other Gear used by Pat Smear on MTV Unplugged In New York
Avg price: $155.46
Pat Smear had this pickup in his Buck Owens guitar used on MTV Unplugged
Drumsticks used by Dave Grohl on MTV Unplugged In New York
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Avg price: $23.92
Clearly, Dave is playing the "Hot Rods" at the Unplugged in New York, 1993.
Drum Sets used by Dave Grohl on MTV Unplugged In New York
Despite being known for using Tama drums in his time in Nirvana, Dave Grohl used a '60s Slingerland drum set in Blue Agate for Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York show. Dave Grohl did not use the 12" rack tom that comes with these drum sets. Instead he placed the 13" tom in place of the rack tom.
In the video, you can clearly see that Grohl is using this drumset multiple times throughout the performance.
Dave Grohl using this Slingerland set was also confirmed by users on this Drum Forum (https://www.drumforum.org/threads/daves-grohls-unplugged-kit.165985/page-2) in 2019.