Highway to Hell amp settings — JOYO MA-10-E

The AC/DC guitar tone for “Highway to Hell”, dialed in for a JOYO MA-10-E with a Spira Spira T-400 MBK. Studio version, Highway to Hell (1979)

Original rig

Gibson SG Standard (bridge pickup) → Marshall 1959 Super Lead Plexi 100W → 4x12 cab. Volume 10, Treble 8, Middle 7, Bass 7, Presence 7. No pedals.

Crunchy, aggressive mid-forward rock crunch with power-amp saturation bite

Amp settings — JOYO MA-10-E

CHANNELBritish

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	8
Bass	6
Mid	8
Treble	7
Reverb	0
Master	7

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE9 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The JOYO MA-10E's British voice emulates the Marshall character but with solid-state compression instead of power-tube bloom. Gain is set to 8 (vs original's volume-10-driven-power-amp saturation) to approximate the crunch without pedals. Mid is pushed to 8 (vs original's 7) because the MA-10E's solid-state circuit is naturally slightly scooped compared to a Plexi's forward mids. Your Spira T-400's humbuckers have higher output than an SG, so gain is already compensating downward slightly to avoid mush.

PRO TIPAngus Young's entire tone is pick attack intensity and right-hand aggression — dig in hard with the pick edge at a 45-degree angle to the strings. The crunch responds to pick dynamics, not effects.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a JOYO MA-10-E. 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.