Riff Tone

Are You Ready

AC/DC

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson SG Standard (Angus Young, bridge pickup) or Gretsch Jet Firebird (Malcolm Young, bridge pickup)

AmpMarshall 1959 Super Lead (Plexi, likely with Schaffer-Vega Diversity System for Angus)

PickupsGibson humbucker (Angus), Gretsch Filter'Tron (Malcolm)

Amp Settings

gain5.5

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb1.5

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1990 (The Razors Edge album). Angus Young used a Gibson SG Standard with Marshall Super Lead amps, often with a Schaffer-Vega wireless system for added boost/comp/EQ. Malcolm Young used a Gretsch Jet Firebird into a Marshall amp. No evidence of pedals or additional effects for the riff section. Settings estimated based on AC/DC's typical studio approach for this era and genre.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivebright and articulateclassic British crunchdynamic pick responsemoderate sustainpunchy attackclear note separationslightly scooped lowsboosted mids for presenceminimal compression

Difficulty

The riff requires solid timing, palm muting, and dynamic control, but uses straightforward power chords and moderate tempo, making it accessible to most intermediate players.

Sources

Amp Settings for If You Want Blood (You've Got It) by AC/DC (guitars and tone) - Guitar Chalk AC/DC Amp Settings

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