Pickup for AC/DC?

[Cob85]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

Hi guys, here I am again after a few tests with a couple of amps in the studio room.
Actually the Distortion can get a nice sound if you work with the volume knob on the guitar and the EQ settings, yes it's not the best sound but it can get harsh enough.
For now the Distortion can fit.

Question is, what about the neck pickup?
I'm used to play rythm with the neck pickup and solos with bridge, but the neck pup (Duncan Designed single coil) is too gloomy and little distorted for Ac/Dc.

Do you play Ac/Dc only with the bridhe pickup?

 

[Adieu]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

Honestly?

I don't think AC/DC ever had the IQ and sophistication to change settings. Plug in, booze up, play.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

Do you play Ac/Dc only with the bridhe pickup?

Yes, I do, because I'm a Malcolm-style player. His most famous guitar didn't even have a neck pickup.

Based on Angus's tone, I am guessing that he goes to the neck pickup fairly often when soloing, and uses the bridge pickup a lot for chords.

 

[Cob85]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

Yes, I do, because I'm a Malcolm-style player. His most famous guitar didn't even have a neck pickup.

Based on Angus's tone, I am guessing that he goes to the neck pickup fairly often when soloing, and uses the bridge pickup a lot for chords.

Yeah I know, Malcom played with no neck pickup and 12-56 strings.
It's the Angus sound I'd like to meet, the neck pup could be good for soloing too.

 

[formula73]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

Malcom, not Marcus lol

I don’t ever remember hearing a neck tone from Angus, either, but I could be wrong. Example?

 

[Cob85]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

Malcom, not Marcus lol

I don’t ever remember hearing a neck tone from Angus, either, but I could be wrong. Example?

I've always thought they both played with bridge pickups only.
Problem is, I like to switch between bridge and neck for rythm/solos.
Should I go only with bridge and work on the volume tone knob for solos/rythm change?

 

[formula73]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

Play what you want to hear, man. A nice ‘ooooooooooooooo’ lead tone is great.

But...yeah. Bridge pickup, volume.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

Yeah, I don't know a single AC/DC song/sound that can be attributed to a neck pickup. If someone does know that info, let us know.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

According to an interview with Angus that directly asks him if he ever uses the neck pickup, he "used to do it a lot," but "rarely" does it when on stage these days. He explains how he changes picking position instead when playing live, because he doesn't "diddle" as much now.

To my ear, there's plenty of neck pickup use on Angus's leads, especially from the '70's period.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

Switch appears to be in the neck position here.

Appears in the middle position here

Seems to have used the bridge also, back in the day

He doesn’t seem too picky, though the neck position seems to show up more in older pictures.

 

[formula73]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

Tracks...?

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

Tracks...?

I always thought the intro to 'You ain't got a hold on me' was too smooth for your classic AC/DC lead tone. (High Voltage Album Australia or 74 Jailbreak elsewhere)

 

[formula73]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

Oh yeah! “Beatin Around the Bush” sounds like middle, too.

I stand corrected.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

I'd have to re-listen to everything closely, but from memory, the first thing that jumps out is that the solo on "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" sounds like it could be done on the neck pickup. The "chewy/rubbery" Angus solo tones all sound kind of neck pickup-like to me.

Remember that those neck pickups back then probably would have been T-Tops or pre T-Tops, which were thin, bright, low output pickups by today's standards – and in an SG, not in the thicker sounding Les Paul. Played cranked through the amps of the time, there would have been more clarity than you might expect from a neck pickup played with today's higher pre-amp gain amps. I actually like T-Tops more than I like "real" PAFs, mainly for this exact reason. The other main reason is that they were built remarkably consistently, and over a long period. As such, each one will sound pretty close to the next.

Anyhow, if you don't usually play clean, low output pickups cranked through old-style low gain, non-master-volume amps, I can see why you might not think of those old Angus solo tones as neck pickup tones. But I'm pretty sure quite a few of them are.

 

[formula73]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

T Tops are great.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

Angus was 12 when most of those pics were snapped!

 

[Cob85]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

Thanks for the info guys!
Any mini hb which would fit for a good tone in my Jackson?

 

[AlexR]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

I always thought the intro to 'You ain't got a hold on me' was too smooth for your classic AC/DC lead tone. (High Voltage Album Australia or 74 Jailbreak elsewhere)

Malcolm also played lead on High Voltage too, so some of the different tones on that album can be attributed to that. You can hear him on the intro solo to Show business......him and Angus trade solo spots and once you hear the different styles you can't unhear it.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

The SD A2P's in my SG works fine (for me)

But for me, the real AC/DC tone is TS Jones or similar, into a JTM, or similar.

 

[formula73]

Re: Pickup for AC/DC?

How’d the quest for tone go? I just made this little clip because I was so happy with the tone, even through my iphone, that I had to post it. Hell, I even took a picture of my amp settings and put it in my songs binder lol

Dean Czech Korina Z
Ibanez Super 70s(basically generic Asian PAF clones w/A8 mags)
Elixir 11-49
Lee Jackson Metaltronix M-1000 modded by FJA Mods
Weber Mass 100 attenuator

This thing has a crapton of gain on tap but I just rolled it off, some, and fiddled with my eq. And it’s LOUD.