Thunderstruck amp settings — Max music Be 300

The AC/DC guitar tone for “Thunderstruck”, dialed in for a Max music Be 300 with a Max Electric. Studio version, The Razors Edge (1990)

Original rig

Angus Young: Gibson SG Standard → Marshall 1959SLP Plexi Super Lead (Gain 7, Bass 5, Mid 7, Treble 7, Presence 6, Volume 8). Malcolm Young: 1963 Gretsch Jet Firebird → Marshall JMP Super Bass 1992 (Presence 3, Bass 1, Middle 5, Treble 6, Volume 7). No pedals.

Bright, aggressive crunch with upper-mid bite and tight low-end; power amp saturation, not preamp fizz

Amp settings — Max music Be 300

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

Don’t have a Max music Be 300? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The Max Music Be 300 is an entry-level solid-state amp with a neutral, slightly dark voicing compared to a Marshall Plexi's bright mid-forward character. I pushed mids to 7 and kept treble moderate at 6 to compensate for the amp's lack of upper-mid bite. Gain is set to 6—solid-state amps don't compress like tube power sections, so you need preamp gain to simulate that crunch. Bass is pulled to 4 to keep the low-end tight like Malcolm's settings.

PRO TIPThe 'Thunderstruck' intro uses a right-hand palm-mute on the open B string while the left hand hammers-on and pulls-off—the percussive attack from your picking hand is 70% of the tone. Dig in hard with a heavy pick (1mm+) and mute aggressively to get that machine-gun articulation.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Max music Be 300. 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.