Riff Tone

Thunderstruck

AC/DC

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

Guitar1963 Gretsch 6131 Jet Firebird

Amp1971 Marshall JMP Super Bass 100-watt head (model 1992)

PickupsGretsch Filter'Tron humbucker (bridge position)

Amp Settings

gain6

bass3.5

mid6

treble6.5

reverb0.5

presence4.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1990, as used by Malcolm Young for the main riff on 'Thunderstruck'. Plugged into Channel 1 top input of the Marshall JMP Super Bass. Cabinet: Marshall 1960B 4x12 with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers. No pedals or effects used. Settings from Guitar World are for studio, not live.

Tone Character(10)

tight and punchydry and uncompressedarticulate and percussivebright and cutting highsfocused midrangelow bass for clarityclassic Marshall crunchminimal sustainno pedal colorationno reverb or ambience

Difficulty

The riff is technically demanding due to its speed, strict timing, and need for clean, consistent picking, making it challenging for most players.

Sources

The Secrets Behind Malcolm Young's Guitar Sound on AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" | Guitar World

This tone has been researched 28 times by the community

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