Riff Tone

Rock 'N' Roll Train

AC/DC

Guitarrock2000s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson SG Standard (Angus Young, bridge pickup) or Gretsch G6131 Jet Firebird (Malcolm Young, bridge pickup)

AmpMarshall Super Lead 1959 (plexi, 100-watt, non-master volume, cranked)

PickupsGibson SG: Gibson humbucker (bridge); Gretsch Jet: Filter'Tron humbucker (bridge)

Amp Settings

gain5

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb0.5

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording for 'Black Ice' (2008). Angus Young (lead/rhythm) used Gibson SG into Marshall Super Lead, no pedals; Malcolm Young (rhythm) used Gretsch Jet Firebird into Marshall, no pedals. No evidence of pedals or effects on riff section. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and typical AC/DC studio setup. Studio, not live.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivecrunchy British overdrivedynamic and punchyclear attackopen powerchordsbridge pickup biteminimal compressionraw simplicityuncompressed, natural tube breakuparticulate chord definition

Difficulty

The riff is rhythmically driving but uses straightforward open powerchords and downpicking, requiring tight timing and stamina but no advanced techniques.

Sources

Phrasing, vibrato and rock-solid timing: inside the essential elements of AC/DC's legendary guitar style | Guitar World "Every metal band does this: Van Halen, AC/DC, Steve Vai, all of ...The 25 greatest classic rock guitar tones of all time | Guitar World

This tone has been researched 3 times by the community

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