Riff Tone
Sink the Pink
AC/DC
Guitarrock1980s
Original Gear
GuitarGretsch G6131 Jet Firebird (Malcolm Young's main rhythm guitar, bridge pickup, 1963 model, modded with removed neck pickup and stripped finish)
AmpMarshall Super Bass 100W (model 1959, late 1970s/early 1980s, likely JMP era, no master volume, run clean to edge of breakup)
PickupsGretsch Filter'Tron humbucker (bridge position, original 1960s spec)
Amp Settings
gain5
bass6
mid7
treble7
reverb0.5
presence6.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1985, Fly On The Wall album. Malcolm Young's rhythm guitar for the riff section. No evidence of pedals or effects used in the studio for this part; classic AC/DC dry signal chain. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and known rig. No amp reverb or effects loop.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivedry and unprocessedmidrange punchclear and articulateslight breakup on hard strumsbright but not harshfocused low enddynamic responseopen and airyno audible effects
Difficulty
The riff requires solid timing, tight muting, and dynamic control, but uses straightforward chord shapes and moderate tempo, making it accessible to intermediate players.
Sources
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Original Gear
GuitarGretsch G6131 Jet Firebird (Malcolm Young's main rhythm guitar, bridge pickup, 1963 model, modded with removed neck pickup and stripped finish)
AmpMarshall Super Bass 100W (model 1959, late 1970s/early 1980s, likely JMP era, no master volume, run clean to edge of breakup)
PickupsGretsch Filter'Tron humbucker (bridge position, original 1960s spec)
Amp Settings
gain5
bass6
mid7
treble7
reverb0.5
presence6.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1985, Fly On The Wall album. Malcolm Young's rhythm guitar for the riff section. No evidence of pedals or effects used in the studio for this part; classic AC/DC dry signal chain. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and known rig. No amp reverb or effects loop.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivedry and unprocessedmidrange punchclear and articulateslight breakup on hard strumsbright but not harshfocused low enddynamic responseopen and airyno audible effects
Difficulty
The riff requires solid timing, tight muting, and dynamic control, but uses straightforward chord shapes and moderate tempo, making it accessible to intermediate players.
Sink the Pink settings for your amp
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.
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