Highway to Hell
Open-chord riff with a dry, edge-of-breakup Marshall crunch.
What is the Highway to Hell guitar tone?
The Highway to Hell guitar tone is open-chord riff with a dry, edge-of-breakup Marshall crunch, heard on AC/DC's 1970s hard rock recording. It is a distorted riff tone, and AC/DC reportedly tracked it with Angus Young's 1971 Gibson SG Standard through the Schaffer-Vega wireless that producer Mutt Lange asked him to bring from the stage into Marshall heads, and Malcolm Young's 1963 Gretsch Jet Firebird through a Marshall Super Bass. 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.
Highway to Hell 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.
- Signal chain
- Schaffer-Vega wireless (Angus) → Marshall crunch
- The control that matters most
- Gain, kept on the edge. Malcolm Young described the sound as a fine line between too clean and too distorted, so back the gain off until the chords ring with just a sharp edge.
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.
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 Highway to Hell?
Angus Young's 1971 Gibson SG Standard through the Schaffer-Vega wireless that producer Mutt Lange asked him to bring from the stage into Marshall heads, and Malcolm Young's 1963 Gretsch Jet Firebird through a Marshall Super Bass.
Sources: Guitar.com: the gear Angus and Malcolm Young used, Guitar Player: Angus and Malcolm Young on Highway to Hell, Guitar World: Malcolm Young's guitar gear
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 Highway to Hell tone on your own amp?
Tell us your guitar, amp, and pedals
AI researches the original Highway to Hell tone
Get exact knob settings adapted to your rig
Highway to Hell tone questions
What amp settings do you need for Highway to Hell?
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 open-chord riff with a dry, edge-of-breakup marshall crunch from different positions.
What is the most important control for the Highway to Hell tone?
Gain, kept on the edge. Malcolm Young described the sound as a fine line between too clean and too distorted, so back the gain off until the chords ring with just a sharp edge.
Can you get the Highway to Hell tone without the original gear?
Yes. The original was tracked with Angus Young's 1971 Gibson SG Standard through the Schaffer-Vega wireless that producer Mutt Lange asked him to bring from the stage into Marshall heads, and Malcolm Young's 1963 Gretsch Jet Firebird through a Marshall Super Bass, 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 Highway to Hell a rhythm or a lead tone?
It is a riff part with a distorted character, from AC/DC's 1970s hard rock catalogue.
Does Tonelify cost anything to try?
Both plans start with a 7-day free trial and nothing is charged until it ends. Stage is metered and Headliner is unlimited within a fair use limit of 150 new matches a day, and yearly billing works out cheaper on both; the current prices are on your account page once you have one. Reading this page and the rest of the library costs nothing and needs no account.