Riff Tone
It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll)
AC/DC
Guitarrock1970s
Original Gear
Guitar1963 Gretsch Jet Firebird
AmpMarshall 1959 Super Lead (Plexi)
PickupsGretsch Filter'Tron humbuckers
Amp Settings
gain0
bass6
mid7
treble7
reverb0
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1975 for the album 'High Voltage'. Guitar and amp confirmed for Malcolm Young's rhythm part in the riff section. No evidence of pedals or additional effects used in the clean sections. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and typical AC/DC studio practice.
Tone Character(10)
clear and chimeytight and percussiveopen and uncompressedarticulate chord definitiondry, no ambienceslightly brightclassic British cleandistinct Filter'Tron clarityno breakup or distortionin-your-face rhythm
Difficulty
The riff is rhythmically straightforward but requires tight, consistent strumming and clean chord articulation to match the classic AC/DC sound.
Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear
Create Free AccountGuitarrock1970s
Original Gear
Guitar1963 Gretsch Jet Firebird
AmpMarshall 1959 Super Lead (Plexi)
PickupsGretsch Filter'Tron humbuckers
Amp Settings
gain0
bass6
mid7
treble7
reverb0
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1975 for the album 'High Voltage'. Guitar and amp confirmed for Malcolm Young's rhythm part in the riff section. No evidence of pedals or additional effects used in the clean sections. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and typical AC/DC studio practice.
Tone Character(10)
clear and chimeytight and percussiveopen and uncompressedarticulate chord definitiondry, no ambienceslightly brightclassic British cleandistinct Filter'Tron clarityno breakup or distortionin-your-face rhythm
Difficulty
The riff is rhythmically straightforward but requires tight, consistent strumming and clean chord articulation to match the classic AC/DC sound.
It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll) settings for your amp
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.
- It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll) on Boss Katana
- It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll) on Ibanez IBZ10G V2
- It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll) on Fender Blues Junior IV
- It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll) on Fractal Audio FM9
More AC/DC tones
- Back In Black · riff
- Highway to Hell · riff
- Thunderstruck · riff
- Hells Bells · riff
- T.N.T. · riff
- You Shook Me All Night Long · riff
- Back in Black · solo
- Shoot to Thrill · riff
- Whole Lotta Rosie · riff
- Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap · riff