Riff Tone

Whole Lotta Rosie

AC/DC

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson SG Standard (circa mid-1970s, likely 1968-1971 model)

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

PickupsGibson humbuckers (stock, likely patent sticker or T-top humbuckers)

Amp Settings

gain6

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb0

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1977 (Powerage sessions). Angus Young plugged straight into the amp, no pedals or effects, as confirmed by interviews and multiple sources. No Schaffer-Vega wireless used until later tours. Rhythm/riff section, not solo.

Tone Character(10)

raw and dynamicopen and uncompressedtight and percussive attackbright upper midsclear note separationpunchy and articulate chordsminimal compressionclassic British crunchresponsive to picking dynamicsno pedal coloration

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, accurate picking and tight chord changes at a high tempo, with dynamic control to maintain the punchy, percussive feel characteristic of Angus Young's playing.

Sources

Angus Young of AC/DC Discusses Guitar Riffs and Brown Gibson SG's in 1991 Guitar World Interview | Guitar World Angus's guitar tone : r/ACDC - Reddit I found a perfect AC/DC tone!!! : r/ACDC - Reddit

This tone has been researched 5 times by the community

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