Solo Tone

Jailbreak

AC/DC

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson SG Standard (early 1970s, likely 1970-1973, as used by Angus Young in studio)

AmpMarshall Super Lead 1959 100-watt (Plexi, late 60s/early 70s, likely with Celestion speakers)

PickupsGibson humbuckers (stock, likely patent sticker T-tops from early 1970s)

Amp Settings

gain5.5

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb0

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1976. Angus Young used his main Gibson SG straight into a Marshall Super Lead head with no pedals. No evidence of effects loop or outboard effects. No evidence of pedal use in the studio for this track. All sources indicate a direct guitar-to-amp setup for solos in this era.

Tone Character(10)

bright and fizzy high endraw and powerfulBritish crunchaggressive bridge pickup attacksinging sustaindynamic and touch-sensitiveopen and uncompressedno pedal colorationclassic Marshall breakuparticulate single-note lines

Difficulty

The solo requires intermediate to advanced control of classic rock phrasing, fast pentatonic licks, and expressive bends, but does not involve extreme technical demands or complex timing.

Sources

TIL Angus Young's rig consists of an SG straight in to ...AC/DC's Angus and Malcolm Young: 'Most of our early tracks speed up toward the end...'How To Get The Perfect (or close) Highway To Hell Sound - forum topic | Ultimate Guitar Something harsh in the high end | Guitar Forum r/guitars - What's your favourite AC/DC tone?

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