Angus Young
Angus McKinnon Young ( born March 31, 1955 in Glasgow, Scotland ) is a Scottish- Australian lead guitarist, songwriter and co-founder of the Australian hard rock band AC / DC. In the Rolling Stone list of the best guitarists of all time Young is ranked 24th He is known for his wild and energetic performances in a typical school uniform.
Life
Childhood
Young roots are in Scotland, where he was born in 1955 as the youngest of eight children in a working class family. When his father ( William Young) was no longer a place with which he earned enough to feed the extended family, the family migrated to Sydney in Australia. Angus Young's sister Margaret made known their brethren with the music of Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Elvis. As Angus Young was six years old, she took him to a concert by Louis Armstrong.
At this time, Angus Young made himself his first musical experiences. He learned to play the guitar and practiced riffs on the discarded acoustic guitar his brother Malcolm Young. A little later bought his own Gibson Angus Young SG, which he discovered in a catalog of a friend. The older brother of Angus, George Young, and Malcolm gave him the first and only guitar lessons.
Young had the habit of going to the school directly to the garage to play with his friends. He never retired before order, but kept the uniform that had to carry the student is in school at this time, the whole day. In an interview, Young said later: " I did not go into the kitchen to get my parents to say hello. I did not eat. I drank nothing. I was not even in my room to throw my textbooks on my bed. I came home and immediately disappeared into my uniform in the garage, waiting for the arrival of my friends. I could never wait, immediately to make music. Everything else not itched. "When Young made one of his first concerts stumbled on stage, he weakened the embarrassment from the fact by simply playing lying on the floor. On the stage wearing a school uniform and play while lying down, Young made known in the music scene in Sydney.
At the age of 15 years Angus Young dropped out of school and began to work to be able to buy his own equipment can. One of the first bands in which he played, was called Tantrum. In a speech he delighted the audience by showing the Duck Walk on stage in Chuck Berry style.
1971 Made Young graduated from high school and started an apprenticeship as a typesetter in a print shop. Young brothers wanted with their own bands become a professional musician and let the little brother to watch at their concerts. Young was allowed to drink any alcohol due to his minority and had to be driven directly after the concerts home.
Membership of AC / DC
End of 1972, the bands of the brothers set up. The following year, the band AC / DC was founded by Malcolm Young. The idea for the band name gave the sister of the brothers who discovered the sign for AC / DC on a sewing machine. After some time had his brother Malcolm Young Angus play in school uniform the lead guitar. The band got a record deal, but the first single was not a commercial success. The singer Dave Evans was in 1974 replaced by Bon Scott. With Scott as singer followed between 1975 and 1979 a very commercially successful phase of AC / DC. Angus Young is still the only band member who served continuously on AC / DC. His brother Malcolm had to stop due to his alcohol problems for two years.
At concerts, Young was worn out and back on Scott's shoulders across the stage and throughout the room. Many a Young wore this a small satchel on his back, which was equipped with pyrotechnic igniters that Young could bring to smoking. Phil Manzanera, guitarist of Roxy Music, said in an interview: "I was interested to play the guitar this man from Down Under, all of which said he would be in a school uniform on stage. I went to a concert of AC / DC, no idea when that was, and almost fainted, as Young and Scott withdrew their show. Young actually wore a uniform and he had a satchel on his back. In the middle of the show stooped Scott, shouldered Young and skidded with him all over the stage. And then it suddenly started to smoke from the school bag. It was a surreal sight. A half-naked heavy metal singer, suddenly flew any sparks on his shoulders the guitarist in school uniform, from his school bag. Pretty 70s -like. And a great entertainment. I 'll never forget that sight. "
Private life
Angus Young lives both in Sydney and in Aalten in the Netherlands ( near the German border ), where he owns a house. Angus Young is married to Ellen since 1980, he has no children.
Equipment
Angus Young has a wide collection of guitars, but prefers the Gibson SG, which is why the company Gibson offers three different " Angus Young Signature SG " models.
One of the first SGs with which he was seen to AC / DC start times at performances, was a Gibson SG Standard with Maestro Vibrola (Tremolo ), which he drastically modified over time. The Maestro Vibrola system needed Angus Young for his style very rare and it took the guitar tuning stability, so he replaced it in the late 70s by a "Badass" bridge. This SG is from 1970 or 1971, then the gain is at the transition between the neck and headstock ( the large version came in 1970 ) can be clearly seen.
Since then, Angus plays mainly on the following guitars:
- Gibson '68 SG Standard Refinished Aged Cherry: To see, inter alia, in the music video for Back in Black and You Shook Me All Night Long. It is easy to identify because the " rhythm / treble " ring cream is. The color of the guitar appear different under different lighting conditions. Sometimes it looks more black, then more brown to wine red. The trapezoid inlays on the neck were later replaced by lightning and the bridge pickup was given a framework to screw him closer to the strings can. Young played for example in Munich in 2001, on display at the Stiff Upper Lip Live DVD and was during the Black Ice Tour one of the two main live guitars, also it was used as a substitute when his main guitar was slightly out of tune.
- Gibson SG Standard Refinished Ebony: This SG played Young as one of the two live main guitars during the Black Ice tour, and in 1991 at the Monsters of Rock festival at Donington (see Live at Donington ), and in the " Ballbreaker " tour (see " No Bull "). During the " Black Ice " tour, it was used more frequently than his old "Live - number-one " in Aged Cherry, due to the better sounding qualities. For some time, the neck pickup was installed upside down.
- Gibson SG Standard '64 - style Red: This guitar played Young during the Ballbreaker tour, for example, the Sydney Entertainment Centre and generally much in the late 1980s and '90s.
In addition, he has a Gibson SG Custom, which he himself has modified by exchanging the gold hardware to nickel, the central goal for humbuckers and a large white pickguard mounted. He used, for example, as a second guitar in 1979 in Paris. Also, during the Black Ice Tour, she served as a substitute guitar. To see it is, inter alia, on the Blow Up Your Video Cover.
At the flick of the switch times used Angus Young frequently an SG with a Walnut finish, which was built in the late 70s and in the video for Stiff Upper Lip, he is seen with a more modern Gibson SG Standard.
Used during the Ballbreaker tour Young SG unchanged from the early sixties. Distinguishing features are the typical cherry finish, the small pickguard and the Maestro tremolo system. He used among other things in the music video for Hard as a Rock, Cover You in Oil and Hail Caesar. Live it is seen on the No Bull DVD while the play Let There Be Rock.
As strings he uses Ernie Ball strings in the strength of 009-042, more rarely also 010er phrases. When he uses Picks Fender Picks of the strength " heavy".
Angus Young mainly uses all-tube amplifier made by Marshall, only during the Razors Edge tour, he experimented with Mesa / Boogie Studio preamps and Marshall EL -34 amps in his former guitar rigs. Also the companies Orange and Wizard amplifier ( ARD) can be seen on some live videos.
In earlier times, Young used in the studio mostly the old Marshall JTM45 amplifier, which was equipped with KT66 tubes. Nowadays he uses in the studio and on the stage nor the JMP / Plexi amplifier with 100 watts or 50 or new editions of JMPs that do not yet have a master volume. He uses as his brother Malcolm, the Input 1 and rotate the volume knob, this amplifier is relatively high, so the output stage saturation sets in, which has strongly influenced his guitar sound. However, to see some video footage from the late 70s and Marshall JMPs with a master volume. Effect devices between the guitar and amplifier rejects Angus Young.
The boxes that use Angus and his brother Malcolm Young are with "Celestion Vintage 30 ", - Fitted or "Celestion Greenback " speakers.