Riff Tone

Flick of the Switch

AC/DC

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarGretsch G6131MY Malcolm Young Signature (original '63 Jet Firebird modded, bridge pickup only, neck/middle removed)

AmpMarshall Super Bass 100 (model 1992, late 60s/early 70s, cranked, no master volume)

PickupsGretsch Filter'Tron humbucker (bridge only, original vintage spec)

Amp Settings

gain6

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1983; rhythm guitar for riff section. Malcolm Young's stripped Gretsch Jet Firebird with only the bridge Filter'Tron pickup, into a Marshall Super Bass 100 head and 4x12 cabinet. No pedals or effects, pure amp drive. Angus Young played lead/solos, but the main riff is Malcolm's part. No evidence of pedals or amp effects used in the studio for this section.

Tone Character(10)

dry and percussivetight and punchygritty midrangearticulate attackBritish crunchraw, aggressive energyclear note separationno reverb or ambiencefocused low endslightly compressed from amp drive

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, percussive palm muting and precise timing to maintain the song's drive and clarity, but uses straightforward chord shapes and moderate tempo, making it accessible to intermediate players.

Sources

AC/DC Members, Gear & Sound | Equipboard Malcolm Young | Equipboard

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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