I’ll never forget the first time I heard AC/DC. “TNT” came on the radio when I was first learning to play guitar. The massive first power chord hooked me instantly. By the time the “Oi”s were over and the riff was in full swing, I was a dedicated rock and roll enthusiast.
It was my first exposure to raw, uncompromising hard rock, and if we’ve ever met, it’s obvious that it left a lasting impact.
In retrospect, it was the perfect introduction. AC/DC is one of the most recognizable rock bands in history. Their distinct sound makes any of their many iconic sounds identifiable within the first few notes. In my case, although I didn’t know it, it was one big, ringing power chord.
No small part of AC/DC’s sound is the bluesy, unfiltered lead playing of their lead guitarist, Angus Young. His crisp, punchy and biting sound has inspired countless guitarists and bands, myself included!
Any rock fan who can string together a few power chords has tried to recreate Angus’ instantly recognizable tone, with few getting anywhere close.
How does he achieve his unique sound? Is it possible to recreate it, and what does it take? Let me answer those burning questions by showing how you can recreate Young’s sound yourself. It’s up to you whether you want to put on an Australian school uniform.
Table of Contents
Young’s Amps
First, let’s take a look at Young’s amps. His amp setup is fairly straightforward and the only way to go here is with a Marshall.
Through the 70s and 80s, Angus Young used 100-watt Marshall Super Lead amplifiers. Check out any photo or video from the early years: AC/DC played before a wall of Marshall stacks!
There’s no shortage of old-school Marshall amps on the market these days. If you want full accuracy, there’s nothing like the real deal: a 100-watt Handwired Super Lead.
These are almost unusably loud in small venues, let alone for home use.
To recreate the Angus tone, I started with my Marshall Studio Vintage combo. It’s a 20-watt amp with no master volume. For all intents and purposes, it’s a vintage Marshall Super Lead in a smaller package.
If you already have a cab you like (preferably one loaded with high-headroom Celestions), the Studio Vintage head is a great option.
Of course, Angus’ choice of cabinet early on was the Marshall 1960A. This is a solid all-around extension cab and pairs very well with any vintage-voiced Marshall amplifier. For a more vintage sound, the Marshall SV112 would be the go-to: this is the matched cab for the Studio Vintage head.
For most of us on a budget, a combo amp would make more sense practically. Other than digital / modeling amps like Boss Katana and Positive Grid Spark, of course.
I’d also recommend Marshall’s jack-of-all-trades amplifier, the DSL40CR. With this amp I’d use the lowest-gain channel and crank the master volume to really get the tubes cooking for that classic AC/DC tone.
If you’re on an even tighter budget, you can definitely opt for a non-Marshall budget tube amp like the Bugera V5 Infinium. Even the Blackstar Fly 3 is capable of delivering a facsimile of the Angus sound: the key is in using real tubes to get the vintage-correct toe.
AC/DC Amp Settings for that Angus Young Tone!
With the right amp at hand, you can start to dial in the settings to recreate Angus’ classic guitar tone.
His guitar tone isn’t all that heavy or distorted, so there is no need for a lot of gain or bass. I find most guitar players mess this up by adding too much crunchy gain.
I think of the “Back in Black” tone or the “Highway to Hell” tone, and it’s not a very distorted sound at all. Other bands of the era, like KISS and Black Sabbath, used far more gain. Both Young brothers relied far more on poweramp saturation than preamp fizz for their authoritative guitar sounds.
I’ve had the most success in attempting to emulate the AC/DC sound by adjusting my midrange.
Depending on your amp and guitar, the only thing you might need to adjust a little are the mids. Setting them a bit higher just to round out the sound, but otherwise, everything is kept at around 12 o’clock.
Volume is the biggest key here, though. AC/DC is quite a loud band. The “You Shook Me All Night Long” sound is loud and clear. I find the best results from turning up the amplifier without strumming a single note. Once the amp starts to hiss and buzz a little, I know I’m in the territory for AC/DC tone heaven.
Your amp settings should then look something like this:
- Bass: 5
- Mids: 8-10
- Treble: 5
- Gain: 4-5 (note: my Marshall has no separate gain control, only volume controls)
- Volume: 7-8
Even with the same amps, keep in mind that you still won’t sound exactly like Angus. Play around with the settings until you feel like your sound is as close as possible.
You also don’t need the exact same amps. Any amp with good gain and volume should be more than enough to get you close to the same sound.
The amp is only one part of the equation. There’s another major piece of the puzzle: Angus’ choice of guitar.
Young’s Guitars
I challenge anyone to find a photo of Angus Young live or in the studio playing anything other than a Gibson SG.
Angus has boasted a number of signature models over the years. Really, any old-school Gibson SG does most of the work for getting in the zone of the Angus tone. It’s possible to get very close with other Gibson-style humbucker-equipped guitars. My Les Paul does a decent job, as does my friend’s Flying V.
The key issue here, especially with such a signature tone as this, is that there aren’t many ingredients. The recipe is Gibson SG, Marshall amp, and Angus’ hands. An SG is really the only guitar for this sound!
For pinpoint accuracy, the Gibson Custom 1961 Reissue is as close to Young’s guitar as you will probably get. Angus himself used a late 60s model for most of his work with AC/DC, but the ‘61 spec SG Standard (in black, like Angus’) is an awesome guitar.
At a lower price point, the Gibson SG Standard is also a great option. Similarly, the Epiphone SG Standard ‘61 or SG Special are ideal for a more budget-friendly recreation of Angus’ guitar setup.
I would encourage any fans of the tone from “Thunderstruck” to swap in some aftermarket pickups to these Epiphones: Angus used stock Gibson pickups for most of his life, but switched to Seymour Duncans in the mid-2000s. I’d recommend the ‘59 pickup, but really any Seymour Duncan humbucker will do.
Angus’ own guitars feature humbuckers with Alnico II or V magnets. I personally prefer the lower-gain voicing of the Alnico II magnets for old-school AC/DC sounds like “TNT” and “High Voltage.”
Young’s Pedals
Angus Young has never been particularly known for using pedals or elaborate pedalboards. He prefers the more tried and true method of a guitar straight into an amp.
I’ve heard, anecdotally, that the Young brothers even regarded tuners with suspicion. Anything coming between the guitar and the amp was too much for Angus and Malcolm.
There is, however, a vital piece of Angus’ tone. AC/DC were early adopters of wireless guitar systems.
In particular, they used the Schaffer-Vega “tower,” either building a transmitter into Angus’ SG or attaching it to his guitar strap. This unit included a distinctive preamp, the which added a touch of attack and fizz to Angus’ tone.
This is what’s responsible for what I consider the secret sauce of Angus’ tone. You can hear the little bit of fizz and crackle in the solos from “Back in Black” and “Hell’s Bells”, and in the intro riff from “Thunderstruck.”
Fortunately, a dedicated AC/DC fan painstakingly designed a replica unit.
For true accuracy, the SoloDallas Storm is an almost exact replica of the Schaffer-Vega pedal that Young used live and in the studio from around “Back in Black” onwards. It is quite expensive, but an excellent pedal if you absolutely must get his tone right.
Picks and Tricks
When discussing such minimalist guitar tones, there’s always room to talk about extra ingredients.
Angus, to this day, used Fender Heavy guitar picks and Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings. Both are vital for the minutiae of chasing his tone: a wide, aggressive vibrato and a strong, assertive pick attack. Softer picks lack the attack, and heavier strings are harder to manipulate into Angus-esque legato.
Another Young trick is to use the volume knob on your SG heavily. For AC/DC tones, I roll the volume knob on my bridge pickup down to 5 or 6 for rhythm playing, and up to 10 for leads. You can actually hear him do this swell right at the start of the solo for “Hell’s Bells”!
Conclusion
That is all there really is to recreating one of the most iconic sounds in rock music. It’s deceptively simple. All you really need is a Gibson and a Marshall, turn up the volume, and you have recreated the legendary Angus Young’s guitar sound. Get ready to spend hours smiling at your amp as you work your way through the AC/DC discography.
I’ll take this opportunity as a huge AC/DC fan to remind you that few guitarists sound, and look, as iconic as AC/DC lead guitarist Angus Young.
His signature Gibson SGs and school uniform look is matched only by his signature vibrato-laden loud classic rock guitar tone!
@Brandiamo. Do you really know guitars. Because if you guitars, you would know that this is an SG 61’ with a Maistro vibrola.
That’s a picture of an ES335, not an SG
Thanks for spotting that accidental slip up, it’s been corrected.