Tone library / Acdc / Back in black

Back in black amp settings — Gallien-Krueger MB110

The Acdc guitar tone for “Back in black”, dialed in for a Gallien-Krueger MB110 with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Studio version, Back in Black (1980) — main rhythm/riff tone

Original rig

1970/71 Gibson SG Standard (bridge humbucker) -> Schaffer-Vega Diversity System (SVDS boost/comp) -> Marshall 1959 Super Lead Plexi 100W cranked into 4x12 Marshall cabs with Celestion G12M Greenbacks.

Punchy, mid-forward classic British crunch with tight bass, aggressive upper-mid bark, and sharp pick attack
Amp settings — Gallien-Krueger MB110
CHANNELSingle channel (Contour switch OFF)BOOSToff
GAIN 7 BASS 5 MID 7 TREBLE 7 MASTER 6
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain7
Bass5
Mid7
Treble7
Master6
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Guitar
PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10
Signal chain

01Marshall-style Overdrive / Preamp (e.g. Marshall Bluesbreaker, Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret, or Boss BD-2)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; run direct into amp input

Drive 6 · Tone 6 · Level 7
Why these settings

The Gallien-Krueger MB110 is a solid-state bass combo designed for clean headroom and full low frequencies, while the original track relied on a cranked Marshall 1959 Plexi pushed by an SVDS boost. On your Strat, use the bridge pickup with tone slightly rolled back to 8 to thicken the single coil toward humbucker territory, and push the amp gain to 7 with mids boosted to 7 to approximate the British midrange bark. Because the bass amp cannot naturally produce authentic Marshall crunch on its own, adding a British-voiced overdrive pedal will fully capture Angus's biting rhythm crunch.

PRO TIPAngus Young gets his explosive crunch by digging in hard with heavy celluloid picks right near the bridge saddles—attack the opening E, D, and A chords with firm, aggressive downstrokes to push the transient response.

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These settings are for a Gallien-Krueger MB110. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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