The Secret To AC/DC's Classic Sound

11/11/2011
. Former AC/DC bassist Mark Evans is promoting his new book Dirty Deeds: My Life Inside/Outside of AC/DC and as a result we are learning even more about the band.

In an interview about the book with MusicRadar.com, Evans details how Angus and Malcolm Young arrived at the powerhouse AC/DC sound. Says Evans: "Like most great guitar duos, they were doing what came naturally. I think they came across the guitars and amps that they liked, and once they found what sounded good, that's what they stuck with. Malcolm loved playing his 1961 Gretsch Jet Firebird. It was given to him by Harry Vanda, who was in The Easybeats with George Young, Malcolm and Angus' older brother. Since he was 13 or 14, Malcolm's played that Jet Firebird. He also messed around with a Gretsch White Falcon for a little while. The Jet Firebird is pretty much gutted by now. It only has one pickup and one volume control. But it works for him. He plugs it straight into his amp, and there's his sound.

"As for Angus, he went for the SG because it was small and light. Angus is a tiny guy, so he couldn't have a big heavy guitar on him - he'd never get through a show. Also, he loved Leslie West, who played an SG on some recordings. [Malcolm and Angus] are not encyclopedias on guitars and amps, but they do know what works for them. When I was in the band, they both used early '70s Marshall JMP heads. They'd put those through a couple of quad boxes. They don't go in for trying to have tons of tones; they do what they do, and that's it. Guitar, cable, and amp-that's the two of them right there. And what they've done is amazing. I don't think there's any guitar combination on earth that's any better." More about the book here

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