Thunderstruck amp settings — Yamaha THR10II

The AC/DC guitar tone for “Thunderstruck”, dialed in for a Yamaha THR10II with a Yamaha Pacifica 112V. Studio version, The Razors Edge (1990)

Original rig

Angus: Gibson SG Standard + Marshall 1959SLP Plexi. Malcolm: Gretsch Jet Firebird + Marshall JMP Super Bass 1992. No pedals.

Crunchy, mid-forward rhythm grind with bright treble zing and tight low end — power amp distortion, not preamp fizz

Amp settings — Yamaha THR10II

CHANNELBRIT HI — Marshall-voiced high gain model

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

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Why these settings

Original Plexi settings were Gain 7, Mid 7, Treble 7. Your THR10II's BRIT HI model is voiced brighter and more compressed than a real Plexi at volume, so I dropped treble -1 and gain -1 to avoid fizz. Mid stays high at 7 to capture the honky bark that defines AC/DC's rhythm tone. Bass at 4 keeps it tight like Malcolm's settings (he ran bass at 1 on the real amp, but the THR's bass control is less aggressive).

PRO TIPThe Thunderstruck intro is all technique — Angus mutes strings with his picking hand palm while hammer-ons and pull-offs on the B string create the machine-gun effect. No effects, no tricks. Practice the left-hand legato strength; the tone is secondary to the precision.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Yamaha THR10II. 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.