Back in Black
AC/DC — Back in Black (1980)
Tuning: Standard (E-A-D-G-B-E)
Guitar: Gibson SG-style guitar with medium-output humbuckers; bridge pickup
Playing: Precise riffing, punchy open chords, controlled palm muting, blues-rock bends and confident pick attack
Signal Chain
Build left to rightGAIN
Optional modest input boost
BRIT PLEXI 100 PATCH
Classic British valve crunch
412 BRIT 60B GB '71
Marshall-style 4x12 cabinet
Follow the chain from left to right. Optional blocks can be bypassed.
A raw, powerful classic-rock tone with tight bass, forward midrange and a bright, biting pick attack. The opening riff should sound big and aggressive without being heavily distorted. Each chord must retain its shape, and the spaces between the notes should remain clear and intentional. The amplifier supplies a lively, open crunch that responds to playing dynamics. Hard-picked chords break up more strongly, while lighter playing cleans up naturally. The sound should be relatively dry and immediate. There is no need for prominent delay, chorus, fuzz or modern high-gain distortion. This recipe focuses on Angus Young's guitar character on the original 1980 studio recording. Malcolm Young's separate rhythm guitar and the original studio recording contribute substantially to the full recorded sound.
Start with just Brit Plexi 100 Patch and 412 Brit 60B GB '71. Use the bridge humbucker on an SG-style guitar and set the amp for moderate crunch rather than heavy distortion. Play the opening riff slowly. Check that the muted notes sound short and punchy, while the open chords ring clearly. If the chords become blurred, reduce amplifier drive before adjusting the EQ. Keep the mids present. Do not scoop them out to create an artificially heavy sound. The important qualities are attack, definition and natural valve-like breakup. Leave the optional Gain block bypassed until the basic sound is working. If your pickups are weak or the amp needs a little extra push, add a small boost and compare at matched loudness. Above all, concentrate on the pauses, chord timing and right-hand dynamics. They are essential to making this simple rig sound convincing.
Angus Young is closely associated with Gibson SG guitars, vintage Marshall amplification and Marshall 4x12 cabinets. Published recording-era accounts identify 100-watt Super Lead amplifiers, alongside other vintage Marshall heads including JTM50 models, in his Back in Black-era equipment. Tony Platt, who engineered the album, explained that the band recorded with a strong live-performance approach. He describes using Neumann U67 and U87 microphones on the guitar cabinets, generally with multiple microphones capturing different speakers. Platt also confirmed that Angus played through a wireless system which imparted a distinctive midrange emphasis. The Schaffer-Vega Diversity System included preamplification and signal processing that could colour the tone. Brit Plexi 100 Patch is based on a Marshall Super Lead 100 and makes a strong starting point for this sound. The selected 412 Brit 60B GB '71 uses an early Greenback-style speaker sound. Period accounts describe Marshall cabinets fitted with G12-65 speakers, so this cabinet should be a practical tonal alternative. The optional Gain device is intended only to provide a small signal-level increase. It does not recreate the compression, preamplifier behaviour or frequency response of the original Schaffer-Vega wireless system. For a more advanced recreation, audition alternative Marshall cabinet captures or impulse responses, especially ones based on Celestion G12-65 speakers. The original album's guitar tracks were shaped by microphone placement, room acoustics, blending and mixing. This simplified mono signal chain is designed for practical playing, not an exact reconstruction of the multitrack recording.
This is an original, ear-led Quad Cortex recipe inspired by Angus Young's guitar sound on the 1980 studio recording. It is not a claim to reproduce the exact session settings or a supplied Neural Capture. Tune to standard E-A-D-G-B-E. Start with the bridge humbucker of an SG-style guitar. A medium-output humbucker is a good match. Very hot pickups may produce too much distortion, so reduce the amplifier drive or input level if necessary. Set your guitar volume fully open while dialling in the main riff. Experiment with rolling it back slightly to clean up the amplifier. The core signal path consists of one amp and one cabinet. No parallel routing is required. Use a comfortable monitoring level and match output loudness when comparing changes.
Build it in 8 steps
These settings are suggested Quad Cortex starting points, not documented values from the original recording sessions. Some controls may have different names or ranges on the selected device. Values expressed from 0 to 10 are approximate targets rather than guaranteed one-to-one parameter values. The aim is an open, dynamic crunch. Adjust the amplifier gain first, then the cabinet and EQ, and only then consider a small input boost.
Tune the guitar and select the pickup
Tune to standard E-A-D-G-B-E. Select the bridge humbucker. Begin with the guitar volume and tone controls fully open. Check that your pickup height and input level are sensible. Use confident downstrokes and make the muted notes rhythmically precise.
Add Brit Plexi 100 Patch
Select Brit Plexi 100 Patch, the Quad Cortex model based on a Marshall Super Lead 100 with patched input channels. Begin with moderate drive. If separate bright and normal channel volumes are available, start with the bright channel around 5/10 and the normal channel around 3/10. Adjust these by ear to achieve crunchy chords without excessive compression or saturation.
Dial in the amplifier EQ
As approximate starting targets, try Bass 4/10, Middle 6.5/10, Treble 6/10 and Presence 3.5/10 where equivalent controls exist. The midrange should be prominent, with enough treble to make the opening riff cut through. Keep the bass controlled. If the sound is harsh, reduce Presence before heavily cutting the upper mids.
Choose the Marshall-style cabinet
Add 412 Brit 60B GB '71. Begin with a dynamic microphone positioned slightly away from the centre of the speaker cone. If the cabinet block offers filtering, try a low cut near 75-85 Hz and a high cut around 7-8 kHz as starting points. Move the mic towards the edge if the tone sounds too sharp. This Greenback cabinet is a substitute for the period G12-65-equipped Marshall cabs.
Check the amount of distortion
Play the opening riff at the intended performance level. Individual chord notes should remain recognisable and muted notes should sound punchy. If the sound resembles modern high gain, reduce the amplifier channel volumes or input drive. A slightly cleaner sound that responds strongly to picking will usually work better than excessive saturation.
Experiment with optional input gain
If additional push is needed, insert the stock Gain utility block before the amplifier. Begin at unity gain, then experiment with a modest increase of roughly 1-2 dB. This may bring the amplifier into breakup a little sooner. It does not model the original Schaffer-Vega wireless system. Bypass it if the guitar already drives the amplifier adequately.
Set the rhythm Scene
Make Scene A the main rhythm tone. Keep the optional Gain block bypassed initially. Use enough amplifier crunch for hard-struck chords to sound aggressive while retaining the riff's spaces and definition. Avoid added delay or reverb at this stage.
Create a slightly hotter lead Scene
Copy the basic rhythm sound to Scene B. Raise the amplifier drive a small amount, or activate the optional Gain block with a modest boost. Increase output level slightly if needed for solos. Avoid a large increase in distortion. The lead should sound like the same guitar and amplifier being played more assertively.
Set up your scenes
Back in Black Rhythm
The main opening-riff tone. Brit Plexi 100 Patch and 412 Brit 60B GB '71 active. Optional Gain bypassed. Moderate crunch, prominent mids, controlled bass and crisp chord attack. Keep the sound dry and rhythmically focused.
Angus Lead
The same amp and cabinet with a little extra push. Increase channel drive slightly or enable a modest input boost. Add a small level lift if required for a solo. Maintain the natural midrange and avoid heavy additional effects. This is a practical performance variation, not a separately verified studio amplifier setting.
Too much distortion?
Reduce the amplifier channel volumes or drive first. Check that the optional Gain block is bypassed. The riff should have punch and definition, not dense saturation.
Too bright or harsh?
Lower Presence slightly. Move the cabinet microphone further from the speaker centre. Reduce Treble only if the sharpness remains.
Too muddy?
Reduce amplifier Bass and check the cabinet low cut. Avoid excessive input drive. Keep enough midrange to preserve chord clarity.
Sounds too thin?
Increase the normal-channel contribution on the patched Plexi if available. Try a fuller microphone position or add a little low-midrange. Do not immediately raise the gain.
Not enough punch?
Reduce distortion slightly and make the pick attack more deliberate. Try a modest input boost only after the basic tone is balanced. Check that the cabinet is not excessively filtered.
Lead Scene is too loud?
Reduce the Scene B output level while preserving its slightly hotter amplifier response. Compare both Scenes at matched perceived loudness before deciding how much solo lift is required.