Back In Black — AC/DC1 / 2
Original RigYour Adaptation
GuitarCleanSolo

Back In Black Solo Guitar Tone Settings — AC/DC

AC/DC · 1980s · rock

studio

Original Recording

A reconstruction of the solo tone. Gear attributions and estimated settings are explained in the research notes below.

Guitar
1970 Gibson SG Standard
Pickups
Gibson humbuckers (stock, late 60s/early 70s spec)
Amp
Marshall Super Lead 1959 100W (Plexi) or Marshall JMP 2203 100W (exact model for solo not definitively documented, but both cited as used on Back in Black album)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup

Studio recording, 1980. Angus Young used a Schaffer-Vega Diversity System (SVDS) wireless unit for clean boost and compression. No pedals or additional effects confirmed for the clean solo section. All sources agree the signal path was guitar → SVDS → Marshall amp, no pedals. Settings and gear refer to the studio recording, not live.

Amp Settings

Suggested starting points on a 0–10 scale, not documented studio knob positions. Match to your gear for controls specific to your setup.

Mids
6.5
Bass
5.5
Gain
0
Reverb
0
Treble
7
Presence
6

Effects Chain

Guitar → Schaffer-Vega Diversity System (wireless/boost/compression) → Marshall Plexi/JMP amp → Marshall 4x12 cabinet

Tone Matcher

Match This Tone to Your Gear

Tell us your guitar and amp — we’ll calculate the exact settings translated to your specific rig.

Plans from $2.92/mo · Cancel anytime.

Tone Character

  • bright and clear
  • crisp attack
  • tight and percussive
  • articulate single-note lines
  • dynamic response to pick attack
  • full-bodied
  • slightly compressed (from SVDS unit)
  • no audible reverb or delay
  • bridge pickup bite
  • classic British clean rock tone

Sources