Riff Tone

Baptism By Fire

AC/DC

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarGretsch G6131 Jet Firebird (heavily modified, bridge pickup only, neck pickup removed, middle pickup cavity empty, custom wiring)

AmpMarshall Super Bass 100 (model 1992, late 1960s/early 1970s, run clean-to-crunch, no built-in effects)

PickupsGretsch Filter'Tron humbucker (bridge position, original 1960s spec)

Amp Settings

gain6

bass4.5

mid5

treble7

reverb0.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1985 (Fly on the Wall album). Malcolm Young's rhythm part for 'Baptism By Fire' riff. No pedals or effects used, straight into amp. Pickup selector fixed to bridge. Guitar volume and tone typically run high. No evidence of live-specific gear or alternate amp for this track.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivedry, minimal ambiencebright and articulatefocused midrange punchslightly gritty edge-of-breakup crunchclear chord separationfast note decayuncompressed, dynamic attackno sustain or bloomclassic Marshall rhythm snap

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, fast downstroke rhythm with precise muting and dynamic control, but uses straightforward chord shapes and no advanced techniques.

Sources

Malcolm Young's guitar gear: how the AC/DC rhythm machine perfected high-voltage rock 'n' roll tone | Guitar World Angus Young's guitars and gear: nail the AC/DC star's tone

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