The “Mystery” of AC/DC “Let There Be Rock” tone solved?

13 Nov The “Mystery” of AC/DC “Let There Be Rock” tone solved?

How’s everyone doing? Been away for some time, but back we are.

I *think* I “solved” this one as well. How arrogant of me!
Though I am not an arrogant individual (I hope you folks know me a bit by now 🙂 ).

But chatter apart, I remember some debate about the nature of the guitar(s) sound of AC/DC 1977 album “Let There Be Rock”.
I remember several hypothesis, of amps, boosts etc.
Roe had suggested – for example – that it may be an older Marshall and a treble boost.
I tried that route extensively, but it never satisfied me.

So I figured out eventually why it does sound so special and “raw”. It is – and now that I say, some of you – the interested ones – might “Gee, should’ve though myself about this” because it really is that simple: go back to it some, and listen to it some again.
Do you hear… solid state distortion as well as tube distortion? Yes you do. And do you know why? Because the mic preamp has gone into considerate, conscious (wanted) distortion while tracking. It was meant as an effect and seemingly, it worked out.
It was Marshall 2203s with no boost of any kind, just brand new 2203s (for the time, 1977) with Neumann U47 FETs fed into distortion into the mic preamp of the (I think Neve) console.
That’s it. I have video(s) ready to post, will do so shortly.
I have a very close match and if you think about it some, you’ll agree that it isn’t a strange combination at all.
Both the brothers had always stated that with the exception of Angus on a Schaffer Vega Diversity (that wasn’t there until August of that same year, 1977, so not there at the time of the recording of this studio album) on most of the following album and stage shows, no effect of any kind has ever been used.

They did say the truth after all. Not that I’d ever doubt, but it’s nice to have a sort of “sonic, sound” proof of this once more.

Fil!

(PS posting videos soon)