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AC/DC - Highway To Hell - Guitar Solo Tab

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Key A major
AC/DC - Highway To Hell guitar tab video
Steph Le Gratteux
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Highway to Hell album cover
Highway to Hell
1979 3:28
Listen on Spotify
AC/DC Hard Rock 1979 A major
Capo Advisor 0 A major · Original key

About Highway To Hell

Few riffs in Hard Rock are as immediately recognizable as the opening chords of this track, and the good news is that the core of it is genuinely approachable for intermediate players. AC/DC built the whole song around a driving A5, D5, and G5 power chord sequence, so getting a clean, punchy chord transition is your first goal. The track sits in Eb Standard tuning, meaning you need to drop every string by a half step, and at 112 BPM the rhythm has a confident, mid-tempo swagger that demands you lock in tightly with the kick drum rather than rushing. The real challenge is in Angus Young's feel: the slight behind-the-beat lurch and the way each chord is attacked with the whole pick, not just a flick. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the verse riff slowed down until that groove is sitting naturally in your right hand before you bring it back up to tempo. The lead fills are pentatonic and fairly sparse, so once the rhythm is solid, those moments are very learnable.

  • The song uses Eb Standard tuning, so tune every string down a half step before you play along with the recording.
  • The main riff is built on A5, D5, and G5 power chords, making right-hand rhythm feel and attack more important than fretting complexity.
  • Angus Young's guitar tone here is a good study in a relatively clean, bright crunch, with minimal effects sitting in the mix.

How to Play Highway To Hell

Tuning: Eb Standard · Key: A major · Tempo: 112 BPM

It is played in Eb standard, a half step down, so tune down before you start or every position and bend will sit a half step sharp against the recording.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 112 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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