Hells Bells amp settings — Boss Katana 100 MkII

The AC/DC guitar tone for “Hells Bells”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 100 MkII with a Ibanez RG550. Studio album cut, Back in Black (1980) - Angus Young rhythm & iconic intro riff

Original rig

1970 Gibson SG Standard (T-Top humbuckers) + Marshall 2203 JMP 100W Master Volume + Schaffer-Vega Diversity System (SVDS clean boost/compander) into Marshall 4x12 (Celestion Greenbacks)

Raw, punchy British master-volume crunch with biting upper-mids and dry, articulate string separation

Amp settings — Boss Katana 100 MkII

CHANNELCRUNCH amp type

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	6
Bass	5
Mid	7
Treble	7
Presence	6
Reverb	1
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The CRUNCH amp type delivers the punchy, dynamic breakup needed for Angus's rhythm work without oversaturating into modern high-gain. Compared to an SG's mahogany body and vintage T-Top humbuckers, the basswood body and V8 bridge pickup on the RG550 have a tighter low end and more aggressive upper-mid bite, so mids are pushed to 7 while gain is kept moderate at 6 to maintain chord clarity. Master volume can be adjusted to taste for room level without compromising the preamp response.

PRO TIPAngus Young attacks open chords extremely hard with heavy picks near the bridge to force the power section into natural compression; hit the intro arpeggios forcefully while letting each string ring completely clean.

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These settings are for a Boss Katana 100 MkII. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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