What amp settings do I need for the Thunderstruck guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 4.5, bass 5, mid 6.5, treble 7, presence 6.5, reverb 1. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

Can I get the Thunderstruck tone on a different guitar or amp?

Yes. Different guitars and amps need different knob positions to sound the same. GuitarToneAdapt models pickup output and wood brightness, then compensates so you match the record on your own rig.

🎸 Hard Rock · 1990

Thunderstruck (Riff · Overdriven) — Guitar Tone

Q: What gear was used for the Thunderstruck tone?

Original gear/effects: Amp: Marshall JTM45 / Super Lead (100W), cranked; Marshall amp tube overdrive (the entire dirt — no distortion pedals), A touch of reverb at most, Cranked volume for the natural crunch.

by AC/DC · riff

The Thunderstruck by AC/DC guitar tone is built on a Marshall JTM45 / Super Lead, dialed in at gain 4.5/10, bass 5, mid 6.5, treble 7, presence 6.5 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

🎛️ Adapt this tone to YOUR guitar & amp — free →

Amp settings (0–10)

4.5

GAIN

BASS

6.5

MID

TREBLE

6.5

PRESENCE

REVERB

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

Original gear

Amp: Marshall JTM45 / Super Lead (100W), cranked

Pickups

Humbuckers (Gibson SG bridge) into a cranked Marshall for a bright, biting classic-rock crunch

Effects / signal chain

Marshall amp tube overdrive (the entire dirt — no distortion pedals), A touch of reverb at most, Cranked volume for the natural crunch

Tone character

bright, scratchy, mid-forward, cranked Marshall crunch, biting, raw

Recording context

Hard rock, 1990; Gibson SG into a cranked Marshall, no pedals, standard tuning

How it’s played

electrifying, building hard-rock anthem from the open-string intro to a stomping chorus, mid, driving tempo, builds from solo guitar to full-band stomp dynamics · overdriven distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Thunderstruck sound.

What makes the Thunderstruck part tricky

the fast open-string pull-off intro on the B string, stamina and timing for the repeating intro figure, tight, driving power-chord rhythm, clean articulation at speed. GuitarToneAdapt gets the tone right so you can focus on the playing.

Note: The AC/DC recipe is simple: Gibson SG + cranked Marshall + Angus' hands — NO pedals. Moderate gain (the dirt is the amp's tube overdrive, not high gain), bright and a bit scratchy: treble and mids up, easy on the bass. Standard tuning. The iconic intro is open-string pull-offs on the B string. Knob numbers are community-researched estimates per Guitar Chalk.

Get these exact settings for your rig →

🎧 Can you guess the tone?

Recognise famous songs from just the amp dials — a quick 10-round game. Beat your friends. Play free →