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
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