Angus Young | ACDC | Guitar Lesson

Angus Young, is the youngest of eight children of William and Margaret Young. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland and moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia in 1963 with his older brothers Malcolm, George, and Alex, who all became musicians, and their elder sister Margaret. Angus started playing guitar when he was five years old-a childhood friend had one and Angus would play it during visits. Later he would play around with his brother Malcolm’s acoustic guitar.

Angus was 18 when he and his 20 year old brother Malcolm formed AC/DC in 1973 with Angus on lead guitar, Malcolm on rhythm guitar, Colin Burgess on drums, Larry Van Kriedt on bass guitar and Dave Evans on vocals. “Can I Sit Next To You Girl”, their first single, was later re-recorded with Bon Scott as their vocalist. They got the name AC/DC after seeing the letters “AC/DC” on the back of a sewing machine owned by their sister, Margaret. It was his sister that also suggested the trademark school boy uniform that Angus wears on stage. His musical influences include Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, The Rolling Stones and the Who. AC/DC overcame tragedy in 1980 when lead singer Bon Scott died from alcohol poisoning. His replacement, Brian Johnson, fit in perfectly. Shortly after Brain joined the band they released their biggest hit “Back in Black.”

Angus Young has used Gibson SGs in various forms throughout his career (his original, and the basis for his current signature model, was a 1968 SG). Angus has used Ernie Ball Slinky RPS strings for over 40 years, gauge .09 – .42 or .010 – .48. His main amp is a Marshall model 1959 100 watt SLP (Super Lead Plexi…reissued as the SLPX) that includes Marshall 1960 A (angled) and B (straight) 4×12 cabinets with Celestion Greenbacks. His brother Malcolm plays thru a Marshall bass head. Malcolm also plays thru Marshall 1960 A and B cabinets loaded with 4×12″ Celestion Vintage 30′s. Angus has also used Marshall JTM 45 heads in the studio. Most notably on the 1980 hit “Back in Black”. The Marshall JTM 45 amps are mostly used for solos, over-dubs and fills. Young says that he likes the warmer sound.