Kurt Cobain's Heart-Shaped Box guitar's tonal secret was unveiled by Aaron Rash, the Nirvana tone guru, solving a long-standing mystery - his revelation, however, stirs up the debate over tonewoods.
In a groundbreaking discovery, Aaron Rash, a renowned YouTuber and Nirvana tone enthusiast, has identified the electric guitar that Kurt Cobain used on the iconic song "Heart-Shaped Box." After four years of meticulous investigation, Rash has confirmed that the guitar in question is a 1969 Fender Mustang.
Rash's findings contradict the popular belief that the guitar used was a custom build by David Ferrington, as Rash does not believe this to be the correct instrument. The key evidence that led Rash to this conclusion was the distinctive quiet tailpiece and the open D string tone on the track, which did not match other guitars Rash tested, such as the "Inutro" guitar.
In a demonstrative video, Rash showcased how only the 1969 Fender Mustang replicated the recorded nuances of Cobain's performance on "Heart-Shaped Box." This realization marked a significant milestone in Rash's quest to understand the electric guitar tone of Kurt Cobain, particularly on Nirvana's final studio album, In Utero.
Rash's investigation led him to revisit his correspondence with In Utero producer Steve Albini and engineer Bob Weston. Previously, Weston had stated that Cobain played his normal Fender guitar during the recording of In Utero. However, Rash's findings suggest that Cobain may have used a different guitar for the recording of "Heart-Shaped Box."
Interestingly, Rash's preference for swamp ash body wood in guitars, which he argues makes a significant difference in the guitar's sound, aligns with the opinions of Paul Reed Smith and Earnie Bailey, Cobain's tech. Bailey, in fact, prefers swamp ash as his favorite-sounding tonewood.
However, not everyone agrees with Rash's assertion about the impact of tonewood on a guitar's sound. Jim Lill, a Nashville-based musician and YouTuber, argues that tonewood has less to do with a guitar's sound.
In his ongoing quest to unravel the mysteries of In Utero, Rash is currently back at the drawing board, trying to identify the exact make and model of the Heart-Shaped Box guitar. While the swamp ash Mustang Rash assembled gave him goosebumps upon playing the first chord, the remaining possibility for the Heart-Shaped Box guitar is still a Mustang.
[1] Rash, A. (2021). Kurt Cobain's "Heart-Shaped Box" Guitar Revealed. YouTube. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhq222G245s]
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