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AC/DC - Highway to Hell - Guitar Tab

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AC/DC - Highway to Hell guitar tab video
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Classic Rock

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Highway to Hell album cover
Highway to Hell
1979 3:28
Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Music
AC/DC Hard Rock 1979 A major
Capo Advisor 0 A major · Original key

About Highway to Hell

"Highway to Hell" is the title track and opening song from AC/DC's 1979 album of the same name. Driven by Angus Young's instantly recognizable rhythm-and-lead guitar work and a straightforward chord structure, it became one of hard rock's defining anthems. For electric guitar players, it is an excellent study in power chords, confident groove, and the raw simplicity that makes a riff truly memorable.

  • The main riff is built on just a few power chords, A, D, and G, making it highly accessible for intermediate guitarists.
  • "Highway to Hell" was released as a single on 27 July 1979, the same day as the full album.
  • The track runs approximately 3 minutes and 28 seconds, a tight and focused runtime typical of classic hard rock singles.

How to Play Highway to Hell

The song moves through: Intro/Verse, Chorus, Verse, Solo, Chorus (Solo Fills), Outro Chorus, Going Down.

Tuning: Eb Standard · Key: A major · Tempo: 116 BPM · Difficulty: Medium

The main challenge here is not the chord shapes themselves but locking in the groove: at 116 bpm in E Standard, the rhythm guitar needs a confident, slightly swung feel with precise muting between hits, and sloppy palm muting is the most common pitfall beginners face. Learn the intro riff first since it establishes the A, D, and G power-chord sequence that drives the entire song, then move to the chorus where the same shapes are played with more open attack. The solo is relatively short and sits in A pentatonic, but nailing Angus Young's bends and vibrato in character takes focused repetition. Use the section loop on the intro riff at reduced speed to lock in your right-hand muting before pushing up to full tempo.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 116 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Gibson SG Standard
Guitar

Gibson SG Standard

Angus Young's 1968 Gibson SG Standard is the foundation of AC/DC's signature tone, its lightweight mahogany body and full upper-fret access enabling his aggressive, fluid lead work. Stock Gibson humbuckers push Marshall Plexi amps into natural tube saturation, giving him the perfect balance of dynamics and crunch without relying on effects.

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)
Amp

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)

The Marshall 1959 Super Lead cranked to full volume is where Angus Young's power comes from, with no master volume control forcing the power tubes to compress and break up naturally. This thick, harmonically rich overdrive defines AC/DC's raw, unprocessed rock tone straight from guitar to amp.

Marshall JTM45
Amp

Marshall JTM45

Angus Young uses the Marshall JTM45 as his primary amp for achieving natural tube saturation at high volumes, where the amp's power tubes generate organic overdrive without any pedal assistance. This minimalist, direct approach captures AC/DC's core sound: pure, uncolored guitar and amp interaction.

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