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

[Mesa\Kramer]

Really bad sounding solo'd out.
Almost sounds as if the recording input was set too high and clipping

(Skip to 1:07 after the 21 sec mark)

Malcom's tone is for sure better, but still not great

 

[supersonic]

You fuggin' serious?

 

[Mesa\Kramer]

You fuggin' serious?

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

 

[rupe]

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.

 

[supersonic]

rupe is right, big guitar does not = big mix. The proof is right here. That song has serious attitude, and a great rock tone.

 

[JackTripper]

Awesome song, especially tone.

 

[War Admiral]

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.

I thought this was common knowledge...playing with yourself in your bedroom and playing with a band wont be the same tone lol....saying ACDC doesnt sound good??? come on man

 

[Rocksoff]

George Young knew about how to mix his brothers guitars.

Mics and positions, the room etc etc and the mixing and blending.

I think George and Harry got a raw sound and kept it in that sort of way.

I prefer George and Harry producing to the other producers AC/DC have used.

Around the Let There Be Rock period is also when they started using 2203's and Angus started using the Schaffer wireless and he not only used it live but also for recording.

 

[mixeduplydian]

 

[geetarmikey]

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.

Their guitars sit much better in the context of the mix though I agree.

 

[Anonymous]

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

 

[ejecta]

Love that video

 

[mixeduplydian]

Love that video

The man speaks the truth! He has another one called "tone is the truth" (I think that's what it's called) that offers another interesting perspective.
As a mastering & sometimes mix engineer, I think this vid should be required viewing for all guitarists before they enter the studio.

 

[ejecta]

Love that video

The man speaks the truth! He has another one called "tone is the truth" (I think that's what it's called) that offers another interesting perspective.
As a mastering & sometimes mix engineer, I think this vid should be required viewing for all guitarists before they enter the studio.

Totally agree.

 

[messenger]

I can't count the number of times I've adjusted my tone before my band shows up because I don't like it, only to have myself go and set it exactally the same way once everyone starts playing. Sounds COMPLETELY different. By myself my band tone is thin and maybe shrill and once everyone starts it sounds thick and sits great in the mix. While the tone I dialled in before the guys show up sounds thick and awesome by myself but disappears once the band kicks in.

 

[Anonymous]

I know people like to hear clips of amps by themselves and I know a lot of folks only play by themselves, but to me, the only thing that matters is how a guitar amp sounds in a full band mix. Everything else is really just totally irrelevant. I think a lot of people would hate their favorite guitarists mixed guitar tones solo'd…

Steve

 

[mr. moon]

I have the original version of the "Let There Be Rock" CD (pre-cd mastering) as well as a couple of the more recent remastered version of this, and my opinion is that rather than hearing crappy guitar tone, you're hearing the guitars hitting the board too hard during the recording process.

Once Mutt started recording them with "better" gain staging, their guitar tones improved, IMHO. That said, "Let There Be Rock" is still my favorite AC/DC album by far!

George Young knew about how to mix his brothers guitars.

Mics and positions, the room etc etc and the mixing and blending.

I think George and Harry got a raw sound and kept it in that sort of way.

I prefer George and Harry producing to the other producers AC/DC have used.

Around the Let There Be Rock period is also when they started using 2203's and Angus started using the Schaffer wireless and he not only used it live but also for recording.

 

[Aristocat]

I actually really dig the isolated tracks. It's great when you can hear every single nuance and it's awesome about old NMV amps is that it takes a lot of attention to goose out a killer sound. You need to be aware of muting, attack etc.

MV amps are almost too easy to play for a couple of reasons. We don't need to play past 3 anymore to get something convincing going. In addition to that, a lot of guys do not EQ their amps for different volumes. Sure, getting off with the Bass on 8 is cool but when you're wide open, it's gonna get boomy quick.

 

[blackba]

It is all about the band mix. I remember being able to get a pretty nice tone from a boss metal zone into a GEQ-7 band eq (EQ behind the metalzone is the secret) at home. I tried this setup a gig where we recorded it. Metalzone went up for sale on ebay the next day.

 

[ejecta]

I know people like to hear clips of amps by themselves and I know a lot of folks only play by themselves, but to me, the only thing that matters is how a guitar amp sounds in a full band mix. Everything else is really just totally irrelevant. I think a lot of people would hate their favorite guitarists mixed guitar tones solo'd…

Steve

Which is why I've been saying for awhile that even though clips of just the guitar and amp can be fun... for me they really totally useless.