Back in black amp settings — Harley Benton 20R 20w

The AC/DC guitar tone for “Back in black”, dialed in for a Harley Benton 20R 20w with a Harley RX 10 V. Studio version, Back in Black album (1980)

Original rig

1970/71 Gibson SG Standard (bridge T-Top humbucker) → Schaffer-Vega Diversity System (wireless/compressor/boost) → 1970s Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W cranked to 10, Marshall 4x12 with Celestion G12-65 speakers

Crunchy, mid-forward British overdrive with percussive snap, note clarity in chords, and satisfying grit without mud

Amp settings — Harley Benton 20R 20w

CHANNELClean channel (distortion from pedal)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	2
Bass	4
Mid	7
Treble	5
Presence	0
Reverb	0
Master	6

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME6

Signal chain

01Nux Brownie Distortion

The Brownie is based on a cranked Marshall tone — this IS your gain source. Keep gain moderate; AC/DC's distortion is lighter than most assume. The amp stays clean to let the pedal define the crunch.

Volume 6 · Tone 5 · Gain 4

Why these settings

Your Harley Benton 20R is a solid-state practice amp with scooped, Fender-ish voicing — it won't produce natural Marshall breakup. The Nux Brownie becomes your entire gain stage; amp gain stays at 2 to avoid stacking mud. Mid pushed to 7 compensates for the amp's natural mid-scoop versus the original Plexi's mid-forward bark. Guitar volume at 6 replicates Angus's rhythm technique — he backed off volume for rhythm parts, hitting 10 only for solos.

PRO TIPAC/DC's secret is a medium-heavy pick attack with minimal palm muting — let the open strings ring and dig in hard on downstrokes. The SVDS compression on the original added percussive snap; your Brownie's compression will approximate this, but strike the strings firmly to get that authoritative chunk.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Harley Benton 20R 20w. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.