Riff Tone

Sin City

AC/DC

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

Guitar1968 Gibson SG Standard

AmpMarshall Super Lead 1959 100-watt head (Plexi, late 60s/early 70s, into Marshall 4x12 cabinet with Celestion Greenbacks)

PickupsGibson humbuckers (likely patent sticker T-tops, stock for late 60s SGs)

Amp Settings

gain5.5

bass4.5

mid5

treble5

reverb0

presence3.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1978 (Powerage album). Angus Young's signal path for 'Sin City' riff is confirmed as SG straight into Marshall Super Lead, no pedals or effects except possible Schaffer-Vega wireless preamp coloration. No evidence of pedals or amp effects on the riff section. All sources agree on minimal/no pedals for this era and song.

Tone Character(10)

British crunchraw and punchy rhythmtight, percussive attackopen, dynamic responseclear note separationminimal compressionmidrange biteslight natural breakupno pedal colorationclassic rock rhythm

Difficulty

The riff is rhythmically tight and requires precise picking and timing, but uses straightforward chord shapes and moderate tempo, making it accessible to intermediate players.

Sources

Angus Young's guitars and gear: nail the AC/DC star's tone AC/DC Tone : r/HeadRush TIL Angus Young's rig consists of an SG straight in to Marshall amps. No pedals at all!

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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