Back in Black
Dry punchy Gretsch-and-Marshall crunch.
What is the Back in Black guitar tone?
The Back in Black guitar tone is dry punchy Gretsch-and-Marshall crunch, heard on AC/DC's 1980s hard rock recording. It is a distorted riff tone, and AC/DC reportedly tracked it with Angus Young's Gibson SG through the Schaffer-Vega wireless into a 100-watt Marshall Super Lead, and Malcolm Young's 1963 Gretsch Jet Firebird through a 1971 Marshall Super Bass, recorded with Mutt Lange at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas. This is a mid-forward sound rather than a scooped one, and it usually sits closer to the edge of breakup than to full saturation.
You do not need that exact gear to land in the same place. What carries this sound is the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup choice and the order of the effects, and all four can be rebuilt on equipment that costs a fraction of the original. The numbers change from amp to amp, because a high-gain head and a small practice amp reach the same voicing from different knob positions. That translation is what Tonelify works out for the rig you actually own.
Back in Black amp settings: a starting point
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 6, Bass 5, Middle 6, Treble 6, Presence 6, Reverb 2, with the bridge pickup.
- Gain 6
- Bass 5
- Middle 6
- Treble 6
- Presence 6
- Reverb 2
- Signal chain
- Schaffer-Vega wireless (Angus) → Marshall crunch
- The control that matters most
- Middle. This is a mid-forward sound, not a scooped one. Scooping it is the single most common way players miss this tone.
These positions are free and they are a starting point. A Katana, a Spark and a valve head reach this voicing from different knob positions, so Tonelify rewrites every value above for the amp and guitar you own. Your first match is free with an account, and needs no card.
Adapt these to my amp- Pickup
- Bridge pickup
These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. If you tell Tonelify which amp you own, it rewrites every value above for the controls that amp actually has.
What gear did AC/DC use on Back in Black?
Angus Young's Gibson SG through the Schaffer-Vega wireless into a 100-watt Marshall Super Lead, and Malcolm Young's 1963 Gretsch Jet Firebird through a 1971 Marshall Super Bass, recorded with Mutt Lange at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas.
Sources: Guitar.com: the gear Angus and Malcolm Young used on Back in Black, Guitar World: Malcolm Young's guitar gear, Wikipedia: Back in Black
Tonelify reads that chain and translates it to the amp and guitar you already own, returning gain, bass, mids, treble and presence values along with a pickup position.
How do you get the Back in Black tone on your own amp?
Tell us your guitar, amp, and pedals
AI researches the original tone of Back in Black
Get exact knob settings adapted to your rig
Back in Black tone questions
What amp settings do you need for Back in Black?
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 6, Bass 5, Middle 6, Treble 6, Presence 6, Reverb 2, with the bridge pickup. These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. Tonelify rewrites the same values for the specific amp and guitar you own, because a high-gain head and a small solid-state combo reach the same dry punchy Gretsch-and-Marshall crunch from different positions.
What is the most important control for the Back in Black tone?
Middle. This is a mid-forward sound, not a scooped one. Scooping it is the single most common way players miss this tone.
Can you get the Back in Black tone without the original gear?
Yes. The original was tracked with Angus Young's Gibson SG through the Schaffer-Vega wireless into a 100-watt Marshall Super Lead, and Malcolm Young's 1963 Gretsch Jet Firebird through a 1971 Marshall Super Bass, recorded with Mutt Lange at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas, but the parts that define the sound are the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup position and the effects order. Those translate to other equipment, which is what the adaptation step does.
Is Back in Black a rhythm or a lead tone?
It is a riff part with a distorted character, from AC/DC's 1980s hard rock catalogue.
Does Tonelify cost anything to try?
Your first match for your own gear is free with an account, and needs no card. After that both plans start with a 7-day free trial: Stage is $6.99 a month for 20 matches, Headliner is $10.99 a month for unlimited matching within a fair use limit of 150 new matches a day, and yearly billing works out cheaper on both. Reading this page and the rest of the library costs nothing and needs no account.
Guides for this sound
How to get a good rock tone on any ampCrunch rather than saturation, the mids up and the gain lower than you expect. Rock amp settings for classic, hard and 90s rock on valve and modelling amps.
Positive Grid Spark settings for clean, blues, rock and metalSpark 40 and Spark 2 settings for clean, blues, rock and metal, a printable cheat sheet, the real amp behind each Spark model, and how to set a GO or MINI.
Fender Mustang LT25 settings for clean, blues, rock and metalMustang LT25 settings for clean, blues, rock and metal, a printable cheat sheet, the amp behind all 20 models, its 30 presets and how to set the hidden Middle.
