How did Angus get such a horrible guitar sound with his gear

[Mesa\Kramer]

I get all the band mix stuff, just still suprised to hear how rough it sounded all by itself.

Now this is what I expect to hear when I think of Angus's tone solo'd out

 

[skoora]

I know what the OP means, I don't like the tone on my fav AC/DC song "Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be" on the recorded version after hearing it first on the Donnington DVD.

They used Mesa's at Donington, can you believe that sh*t

I'm pretty sure that was just stage cabinets.

 

[Badronald]

Noob.

I will say that when I'm running my little 5 watt practice amp at home I set it for a hi fi sound (recorded tone). It's a tone I would never use with the entire band.
But I don't want to hear my live tone when noodling in front of the TV. It's brash.

 

[skoora]

You fuggin' serious?

Ahh yeah, sounds like the worst ever SS amp dimed with a half blown speaker.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

I get all the band mix stuff, just still suprised to hear how rough it sounded all by itself.

Now this is what I expect to hear when I think of Angus's tone solo'd out

+1!
Getting a good tone by yourself vs good tone with a band has been rehashed so many times on forums it's the expected response on this thread. I think it's way overblown. If your bedroom tone sucks at band practice, chances are it sucked at home too, you just had it covered up with excessive gain and fx to create an illusion that eventually gets exposed. I'm guessing many isolated tracks kick ass, especially ones that get highlighted on guitar driven material. Very few of us are delivering Pink Floyd layered soundscapes, so that example is basically irrelevant.

ACDC has the best tones ever on so many recordings, but on that 1st post it is dreadful, no matter what philosophical argument you throw out there...it's hideous. I like that Ian clip and hope he gets the gig to replace Malcolm, that would rock

 

[Anonymous]

I'm guessing many isolated tracks kick ass, especially ones that get highlighted on guitar driven material.

I don't think so, personally… Have you heard the isolated track of EVH's solo to "Beat It!" - Yuck! In the mix… awesome…

I've heard tons of them. Most sound shitty without the mix… which is all that matters anyway...

Steve

 

[kasperjensen]

Mix, mix, and mix...

Next time you are in a band situation, make a note of what's around you. Typically, there will be a singer of sorts, maybe another guitarist, a bassist and a drummer.

With the risk of sounding like a hippie, y'all need to not be stepping on eachothers pocket in the frequency spectrum.

 

[tallcoolone]

And this is why bedroom players insist that Marshalls are "too bright"

 

[Heritage Softail]

And this is why bedroom players insist that Marshalls are "too bright"

So true.

 

[glip22]

And this is why bedroom players insist that Marshalls are "too bright"

Touche

 

[jsp]

For whatever it's worth, I don't think the guitars sound all that great in the original mix either.

JMO.

 

[glip22]

For whatever it's worth, I don't think the guitars sound all that great in the original mix either.

JMO.

Yeah. It's just a classic tone that is instantly recognized and deserved. It's more about feeling the band live. Malcolm and Angus move some air! AC/DC RIP

 

[Dingleberries]

Stating the obvious, I think every situation requires a different approach. I think a player can really shoot himself in the foot by insisting "this is my tone, period".

 

[Bluplirst]

sometimes, the best tone is a shitty tone.

 

[Dingleberries]

sometimes, the best tone is a shitty tone.

Right on, got that one down pat!

 

[ronmail65]

It's called dialing in your tone for the mix...doesn't make one bit of difference how it sounds when solo'd. It's one of the biggest and most common things guitar players do wrong...dial in a tone that they like and sticking with it without considering how it gels with everything else. Angus has one of the most sought after Marshall tones of all time for a reason.

I remember watching a special on Pink Floyd recording either Dark Side or The Wall, and they solo'd out one of Gilmour's epic solos...it sounded like dog shit. Bring in the rest of the band and there it was...perfection.

Absolutely right! I've seen guys bring their polished, perfectly and painstakingly tweaked bedroom tone out to a gig and it just sounds awful!! Great solo bedroom tone does not equal good sounding cranked-up band mix tone. What's funny, is when some guys just don't get it -- they only listen to themselves and you can't convince them that their tone doesn't work.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

It's called dialing in your tone for the mix...doesn't make one bit of difference how it sounds when solo'd. It's one of the biggest and most common things guitar players do wrong...dial in a tone that they like and sticking with it without considering how it gels with everything else. Angus has one of the most sought after Marshall tones of all time for a reason.

I remember watching a special on Pink Floyd recording either Dark Side or The Wall, and they solo'd out one of Gilmour's epic solos...it sounded like dog shit. Bring in the rest of the band and there it was...perfection.

Absolutely right! I've seen guys bring their polished, perfectly and painstakingly tweaked bedroom tone out to a gig and it just sounds awful!! Great solo bedroom tone does not equal good sounding cranked-up band mix tone. What's funny, is when some guys just don't get it -- they only listen to themselves and you can't convince them that their tone doesn't work.

That's not a bedroom>band transitional issue, that's a 93% of the population's tone=sucks issue.
RigTalk posters quality is of much higher quality of course

 

[joepete77]

Yeah, it was hard for me at first to dial in a tone that on its own I wasn't so crazy about on its own, but recording or in a band situation you have to look at the big picture which is what u get with the acdc clip. Sounds like an old cranked up Superlead with presence , mids, and bass all on ten.

 

[skoora]

Yeah, it was hard for me at first to dial in a tone that on its own I wasn't so crazy about on its own, but recording or in a band situation you have to look at the big picture which is what u get with the acdc clip. Sounds like an old cranked up Superlead with presence , mids, and bass all on ten.

It does sound like they're hitting the mic pre pretty hard for Angus. Could you imagine what it sounded like in the room 'coz a mic usually tames it somewhat. LTBR is my favorite AC/DC album. Back In Black is sonic perfection but the songs attitude and sound of LTBR create the better package for me. The chords in Overdose are so beyond ballsy they should be playing it during testosterone infomercials...

 

[Mailman1971]

Never paid attention to his or Malcoms tone when I rocked them tapes.

Good music was all I heard.