AC/DC Amp Settings & Guitar Tone
AC/DC's guitar tone is the definition of rock crunch — cranked Marshall Plexis, Gibson SGs, and the secret ingredient of the Schaffer-Vega Diversity System. Angus Young's tone hasn't changed in 50 years because it's already perfect.
Signature Sound
AC/DC's sound is built on simplicity: a Gibson SG through a cranked, non-master-volume Marshall with the SVDS providing compression and boost. The tone is crunchy but clear — you can hear every note in the chords. There are no effects pedals, no complicated setups. It's the purest expression of rock guitar tone: guitar, amp, volume, done.
Featured Tone
Back in Black (1980)
1971 Gibson SG Standard → 1970s Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W
Crisp, crunchy, mid-forward overdrive with natural amp breakup. Clean enough for note clarity in chords with satisfying grit. SVDS compression adds percussive snap and harmonic richness.
Typical Gear & Settings
Average Amp Settings
Amplifiers
- 1970s Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W
- Marshall 1959 Super Lead
- 1970s Marshall 1959 100W Super Lead (Plexi)
Guitars
- 1971 Gibson SG Standard
- Gibson SG Standard
- Early 1970s Gibson SG Standard (factory second, cherry red, purchased 1978)
Pickups
- humbucker
Effects & Pedals
wireless/compressor/boost
Schaffer-Vega Diversity System (SVDS) (3 songs)
Playing Style
AC/DC Song Tones
Back in Black (1980)
1970s Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W
Thunderstruck (1990)
Marshall 1959 Super Lead
Highway to Hell (1979)
1970s Marshall 1959 100W Super Lead (Plexi)
The Jack (1975)
100W late-1960s Marshall Super Lead (Plexi) with EL34 output tubes
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