Kurt was seen playing a Phase 2 Univox Hi-Flier with black P90 pickups during the encore at the January 23, 1993, concert in Rio de Janeiro (Hollywood Rock Festival), where he famously wore a dress and a crown. The same guitar was used exactly six months later, on July 23, 1993, at the Roseland Ballroom in New York, NY, for the last two songs, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Endless Nameless.”
In Utero Studio Sessions
In Utero was recorded in February 1993 at Pachyderm Recording Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, United States. Since Kurt obviously had the guitar with him at that time, some people believe this was the instrument he used during those studio sessions. This view is notably held by Aaron Rash, who is famous for painstakingly trying to recreate Nirvana’s In Utero sound.
Whether he used it or not remains open to interpretation, but Aaron makes a strong case. We won’t go into detail here; if you are curious, it is best to watch his video, I FINALLY found the guitar kurt cobain used to record in utero; Aaron Rash on YouTube.
It is worth noting, however, that one cannot reliably determine the exact instrument used simply by listening to the recorded guitars. There are many factors to consider, including the way the record was mixed, the amplifier used, the settings applied, and, perhaps most importantly, our own confirmation bias.
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