Angus' tone on Let there be rock (1977)

[Roe]

yes, I agree that the movie is different from the album. but I get close to both tones with a treble booster. It seems plausible to me that when angus had problems with long cables live someone would recommend a treble booster, esp in the 70s

[SoloDallas]

yes, I agree that the movie is different from the album. but I get close to both tones with a treble booster. It seems plausible to me that when angus had problems with long cables live someone would recommend a treble booster, esp in the 70s

Agreed. And in your big thread with all the info, someone even mentions that he did use a booster back then, before the Vega (and when he couldn't use it, presumably)

[JDW3]

it has been pointed out that angus's tone on this record deviates quite a bit from other records (although you may find live recordings with a somewhat similar sound from the 70s, cf. let there be rock the movie from paris 1979). Possible amps used are:
1959s
2203s
the 1976 2 holers with 3 gainstages (basically a 1959 with a master volume).

Also, I encourage trying treble and middle boosters for coping this sound. some rumours have it that ang had a booster connected to his strap to run the long cables live (before going wireless). if you look at whole lotta rosie from the paris 1979 move you'll hear that ang's sound goes away gradually - sounds like a dying battery or something .

That is a benchmark tone, to me. My favorite movie, in all of rock music. Me and a buddy can quote every line in the interviews. Ridiculous!

I would say Angus is using a 1959 circuit, but to me sounds like the bias is dimed? It sounds like the amp is simply overloading onto itself. 2nd guess, a line booster. Angus was already wireless by 1979, so it is confusing why he isn't here. He does have a lot of top to his sound. When he plays the bluesy clean licks, before Bad Boy Boogie let's say, it sounds pretty natural.

I understood that the reason his sound quits is his guitar pickup had been shorted by the gallons of sweat he had been pouring on them. He said this in an interview somewhere.

[SoloDallas]

While I think the album was debunked - by me, humble-lessly - and I think Angus used at least a 2203, with a large diaphragm microphone - usually Young & Vanda used U47FETs - not tube U47s, slightly different - and they let either distort (yes!) the microphone pre-amp on the console, or some other component went into wanted, aware solid state distortion (video here:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDyCc6Dv8LM[/youtube]

the case of the movie LTBR was entirely different.

Study of the film frame by frame of the newly released HD version has showed that - despite Angus was using a cable - the beloved Schaffer-Vega Diversity unit was ON in the backstage.
The image grab was taken when Angus is with the oxygen mask in the backstage, sides of the stage:

http://www.solodallas.com/wp-content/up ... ighten.png" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The amp could be either a 2203 or a 1959. Its sound is like it sort of "chocked" to my ears. In the sense of, amplifier struggling.
I don't buy into the treble boost theory anymore.
I also think that the previous seightings of a treble boost weren't as such, but it was the Schaffer-Vega X10 Transmitter, which does have a boost in itself (but must work in conjunction with the receiver).
It is possible that somehow, they still connected the transmitter to the receiver - since it's there and it's ON! - but kept the transmitter very close to the receiver to avoid loss of signal OR heavy interference form outside. It happened.
I became "friends" with Mr. Ken Schaffer, he told me and tells me lots of stories of back then with the SVDS system.
A lot more I have to tell about this, but it'll be out in due time

In the LTBR movie, I also seem to find that some filter has been closed; it's either the guitar's tone knob, or some other treble knob, but the guitar is way down in treble-ness, this is easy to grasp. Possible reason for this could be the hiss typical of the SVDS system as well.

Another image of the movie does show Angus coming out of the dress-up camper with the SVDS X10 on the strap; indicating there was being intention of regular use of such system.

I do have a few of these systems now, fully original ones, and I can not play without them. I got hooked to the sound they make.
The sound is - again - characterized by a compressor and clean boost. Individually operable from the TX and RX.
Considering this is 1977 analog technology - still working perfectly today - I say it's the best wireless system ever made.

A current picture of one of my units with goodies:

http://www.solodallas.com/wp-content/ga ... 8g9434.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[SoloDallas]

PS

About the dying sound of the SG, it was confirmed that it was sweat waterlogging the guitars control cavity, causing the malfunctioning of the electrics in there. It was a frequent thing. Not a battery running off!

[fatihelloween]

Hi Phil, first I have to say that the tone impressive. I hear record of Angus and record of you in the video (correct me if I'm wrong), but the tone is really close, this is what my ears say (despite of my bad computer speakers).

Although Angus used 2203s (which is my fav Angus tone) for that song, I believe that the amp is 1959.

[SoloDallas]

Hi Phil, first I have to say that the tone impressive. I hear record of Angus and record of you in the video (correct me if I'm wrong), but the tone is really close, this is what my ears say (despite of my bad computer speakers).

Although Angus used 2203s (which is my fav Angus tone) for that song, I believe that the amp is 1959.

Thanks mate,
on the above video, rhythm is only me, as I mute Angus' rhythm part simply by panning all towards Malcolm, and then "mono" the track in protools.
The solos instead are there both.

Regarding the concert amp, it may well be a 1959. I still am not sure! Thanks