AC/DC rhythm tone help needed

[PaulHikeS2]

Looking to get in the neighborhood for Malcom's tone with the equipment I already have. I'm using an Origin 5 head with a 1x12 G12H-75 Creamback cab. I have a few dirt pedals - OCD, Super OD, Rat, tube screamer, Tumnus. Guitar wise, I'm thinking of using my GLP Tribute or a 2019 Epi Iommi SG.

Figured someone here could point me in the right direction - just started playing some Back in Black era stuff.

 

[Whizzercone]

Cleaner than you think

 

[Leonard Neemoil]

Cleaner than you think

...and louder.

 

[fitz]

I'm using an Origin 5 head with a 1x12 G12H-75 Creamback cab. I have a few dirt pedals - OCD

I have no experience with the Origin5 (EL84) tone.
Head mod?
I'd start with that OCD.
I have an OCD clone (Joyo Ultimate Drive) on my Origin20's and it can get me AC/DC Malcom tones - or as close as I'll get without this...

 

[79 2203]

For ACDC, especially Malcolm, you’re better just turning the amp up as loud as possible rather than use pedals, but if you insist on using a pedal then don’t have the gain set to high.
Not sure what era you’re going for, but Malcolm’s classic 70’s sound is not really clean, but very low gain. More of a gritty, gnarly, midrangey clean-ish sound.
Do you ever play unplugged ?? Pick up your guitar and really lay into the strings while playing lots of open chords. If you can play even a little like him then what you’ll hear is 90% Malcolm tone. The amp should just amplify that, not add too much compression and sustain.

 

[tallcoolone]

MAYBE you could use the Tumnus level up, gain almost all the way down--in front of your OR breathing a bit but no more goose than that.

 

[SkyMonkey]

Listen to the man himself.

 

[PaulHikeS2]

I have no experience with the Origin5 (EL84) tone.
Head mod?
I'd start with that OCD.
I have an OCD clone (Joyo Ultimate Drive) on my Origin20's and it can get me AC/DC Malcom tones - or as close as I'll get without this...

View attachment 156987

I'll pull out the OCD - thanks! Building the actual headshell is on my long to do list.

 

[PaulHikeS2]

For ACDC, especially Malcolm, you’re better just turning the amp up as loud as possible rather than use pedals, but if you insist on using a pedal then don’t have the gain set to high.
Not sure what era you’re going for, but Malcolm’s classic 70’s sound is not really clean, but very low gain. More of a gritty, gnarly, midrangey clean-ish sound.
Do you ever play unplugged ?? Pick up your guitar and really lay into the strings while playing lots of open chords. If you can play even a little like him then what you’ll hear is 90% Malcolm tone. The amp should just amplify that, not add too much compression and sustain.

THanks for the details - I can play pretty loud, but need to add a LITTLE gain somehow.

 

[mallcorn]

Looking to get in the neighborhood for Malcom's tone with the equipment I already have. I'm using an Origin 5 head with a 1x12 G12H-75 Creamback cab. I have a few dirt pedals - OCD, Super OD, Rat, tube screamer, Tumnus. Guitar wise, I'm thinking of using my GLP Tribute or a 2019 Epi Iommi SG.

Figured someone here could point me in the right direction - just started playing some Back in Black era stuff.

If you had Malcolm's exact gear you wouldn't sound enough like Malcolm unless you worked hard on his playing style. Secondly, he plays thru a JTM45 amp which has a tube rectifier that produces sag. The Marshall Origin 5 is a solid-state amp combo with one small sized speaker which is a more tight digital sound and not a very tube like sound. Not even in the ballpark to sound like Malcolm. Your Origin 5 amp using just the OCD pedal for more of a clean boost and not strong overdrive dialed in with your SG type guitar might get you closer to Angus (lead guitar player) than Malcolm (rhythm guitar player). Best of luck and keep playing with whatever gear you have. AC/DC is a great band to learn how to play especially the earlier albums including Back in Black.

 

[Nadir]

Fundamental part of the sound, regardless of the gear, are the open-strings powerchords.

 

[Edgar Frog]

If you had Malcolm's exact gear you wouldn't sound enough like Malcolm unless you worked hard on his playing style. Secondly, he plays thru a JTM45 amp which has a tube rectifier that produces sag. The Marshall Origin 5 is a solid-state amp combo with one small sized speaker which is a more tight digital sound and not a very tube like sound. Not even in the ballpark to sound like Malcolm. Your Origin 5 amp using just the OCD pedal for more of a clean boost and not strong overdrive dialed in with your SG type guitar might get you closer to Angus (lead guitar player) than Malcolm (rhythm guitar player). Best of luck and keep playing with whatever gear you have. AC/DC is a great band to learn how to play especially the earlier albums including Back in Black.

The Origin is all tube

 

[fitz]

Secondly, he plays thru a JTM45 amp which has a tube rectifier that produces sag. The Marshall Origin 5 is a solid-state amp combo with one small sized speaker which is a more tight digital sound and not a very tube like sound

Well, it's a solid-state rectified tube amp, so yes it has no tube rectifier "sag", but not sure how you would classify that as a "tight digital sound".
Also, OP has the amp chassis pulled from the combo and going to a cab with a larger speaker - see pic in post #8 above if you didn't happen to actually read the thread.

 

[Dave_11]

I have an Ori 5 that I've messed around with a fair bit. To my ear this amp is a bit boxy by nature and gets farty/flubby when you turn it up into power tube distortion. If I were trying to get Malcolm tone, I would keep the amp volume below breakup and get any distortion from either a pedal itself of hitting the front end with a pedal used as a volume boost.

 

[javier pintos]

Hello to all, i recently saw a video of a guy trying to get the "sound" of a tron with a HB, i don´t remember who he is, but it was supposed to be a pro musician, he used an eq to get the tron "type of sound" he did something with the 200 and 400 hz control i think it was lower the 200 hz one and raise the 400 hz one (i haven´t try it since i´m in my gotta be able to play rush phase), and the sound changed a lot to my ears, he was not going for any particular musician´s sound but for a tron sound so you might like to try it and see how it goes, not saying that i can play like MY, but i do get acceptable sonds like him on a gibson midtown and a JCM 2k DSL on classic gain with no more than 4-5 on the gain and roll the volume off on the guitar (7-8), i guess you can experiment on the amp gain and guitar volume, amp eq depending on ur speaker, i guess is not the same if ur playing tru a t75 or a greenback, so the common setting for the amp (plenty of videos out there) needs some tweeking based on ur speaker, what did make a big change for me was a heavier Ga. strings (11) and a wound G string, did i sound like MY, nop but it was close enough for me

 

[Eric'45]

IMO Malcolm's tone is lnot in the gear, it's the attitude.
Just use a heavy Pick and dig into the strings. Play open chords and set the amp up so that you get a crisp and clean sound when playing without a pick. Now take something like a 1.14mm Pick (at least) and hit your strings. I like to use my Tele for that, btw.

 

[hawg427]

Looking to get in the neighborhood for Malcom's tone with the equipment I already have. I'm using an Origin 5 head with a 1x12 G12H-75 Creamback cab. I have a few dirt pedals - OCD, Super OD, Rat, tube screamer, Tumnus. Guitar wise, I'm thinking of using my GLP Tribute or a 2019 Epi Iommi SG.

Figured someone here could point me in the right direction - just started playing some Back in Black era stuff.

I have a Marshall JCM2000 and if you play it on the cleaner of the two channels it will sound good, I also play a Gretsch Custom Billy Bo and it is an instant AC/DC tone. Remember he told Angus not to tickle the strings, so when you hit them HIT them hard.

 

[mallcorn]

The Origin is all tube

Yes, you are correct. My bad...

 

[mallcorn]

Well, it's a solid-state rectified tube amp, so yes it has no tube rectifier "sag", but not sure how you would classify that as a "tight digital sound".
Also, OP has the amp chassis pulled from the combo and going to a cab with a larger speaker - see pic in post #8 above if you didn't happen to actually read the thread.

Yes, I was mistaken about the power section. And, yes, I didn't read the thread just the initial post...

 

[79 2203]

M

If you had Malcolm's exact gear you wouldn't sound enough like Malcolm unless you worked hard on his playing style. Secondly, he plays thru a JTM45 amp which has a tube rectifier that produces sag. The Marshall Origin 5 is a solid-state amp combo with one small sized speaker which is a more tight digital sound and not a very tube like sound. Not even in the ballpark to sound like Malcolm. Your Origin 5 amp using just the OCD pedal for more of a clean boost and not strong overdrive dialed in with your SG type guitar might get you closer to Angus (lead guitar player) than Malcolm (rhythm guitar player). Best of luck and keep playing with whatever gear you have. AC/DC is a great band to learn how to play especially the earlier albums including Back in Black.

Malcolm didn’t use a JTM45. I don’t think a 30 watt amp with a valve rectifier would be a good choice for someone with such an aggressive playing style if they want to play LOUD without too much compression.

Mal might have used a JTM45/100 at some point, but that’s a much more powerful amp with a solid state rectifier. I read an old quote from Mal recently where he said if you want the ACDC sound, just plug into a 50 watt Marshall and turn it up….so who knows. All I know is I prefer both the Angus and Malcolm 70’s sounds out of my stock 71 1987 over my stock 70 Superbass(Mal’s fave amp later in his career apparently)

As for Mal’s live amps, I reckon Superleads or Superbass. From the hundreds of photos and vids I’ve seen it’s been mostly big box 4 holers with some 2203’s in the late 70’s.

Apparently Angus used a JTM45 on the Ballbreaker album for solos.