Thunderstruck amp settings — Marshall Mg15r or

The AC/DC guitar tone for “Thunderstruck”, dialed in for a Marshall Mg15r or with a Ibanez Grg320. Studio version, The Razors Edge (1990)

Original rig

Angus Young: Gibson SG Standard (bridge humbucker) into Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W cranked for power-tube overdrive, no pedals. Malcolm Young: Gretsch Jet Firebird into Marshall JMP Super Bass 1992 head (Presence 3, Bass 1, Mid 5, Treble 6, Volume 7). Both recorded through Marshall 4x12 cabs with Celestion speakers.

Bright, biting, mid-forward hard rock crunch with articulate pick attack and no fizz — pure tube saturation from cranked non-master-volume Marshalls

Amp settings — Marshall Mg15r or

CHANNELOD (Overdrive)

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

Don’t have a Marshall Mg15r or? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The MG15R's OD channel is preamp-driven solid-state, not power-tube saturation like Angus's cranked Super Lead — it lacks that spongy compression, so gain 7 gets you into crunch territory without turning fizzy. Bass dropped to 4 (vs original's 5-6) because the MG series has a looser low-end than a tight vintage Marshall. Mid pushed to 6 and treble to 7 to capture that bright, honky AC/DC bark. The MG15R has no presence control.

PRO TIPThe famous tapped intro is played with a very light pick attack on the B string — dig in harder when the full band enters to match the dynamic shift. Your Ibanez's hotter ceramic humbuckers will get you close to the SG's output; keep tone knob wide open for that scratchy high-end bite.

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These settings are for a Marshall Mg15r or. 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.