Pedalboard Archive

Angus YoungPedalboard, 1980

Angus Young recorded parts of AC/DC's Back in Black in 1980 with no distortion pedal. His Schaffer-Vega wireless system was the effect, adding boost and compression on selected overdubs and the Hells Bells solo.

Board
Hells Bells overdub and solo path
Context
Back in Black recording sessions
Board date
Evidence
Documented equipment · 3 cited sources
Order
Source-described
Scope
Core signal path
Routing
Serial path
Audited
Signal
1 unit · Guitar to amplifier

Hells Bells overdub and solo path

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InputGuitar
Schaffer-Vega Diversity System
OutputAmplifier

A source states the sequence

Inside the rig · 1 units

Pedal roles & evidence

How each unit fits Angus Young's 1980 setup. Board-specific roles and the evidence behind each identification and position.

Cited sources

Source-described orderIdentity and position are evidenced separately. Reconstructed positions are not observed connections.

Routing & Control

Schaffer-Vega Diversity System

Role in this rig

The only signal-processing unit in Young’s Back in Black-era path, feeding an otherwise pedal-free amplifier rig.

Identity
Documented
Position
Documented

Documented equipment · Documented order · Serial path

This is deliberately not labelled as the entire Back in Black guitar path. Guitar World's track analysis identifies the primary Hells Bells rhythm as SG-to-Marshall and the Schaffer-Vega on the center overdub and solo. Engineer Tony Platt independently confirms that Angus used the wireless system for album solos and that its filtering changed the midrange. It was a wireless system rather than a stompbox, but its boost and companding materially changed those tracks.

Cited sources

Methodology
  1. Guitar.comThe gear used on Back in Black
  2. Guitar WorldThe secrets behind Angus Young's Hells Bells guitar tone
  3. Premier GuitarThe Making of Back in Black: A Conversation with Tony Platt

Questions about Angus Young's 1980 pedalboard

What pedals did Angus Young use in 1980?
This dated entry lists one unit: Schaffer-Vega Diversity System. This is the recorded inventory, not a claim that every connection or model identification is confirmed; see the evidence and routing notes.
What order were Angus Young's pedals in?
A cited source states the order: Guitar → Schaffer-Vega Diversity System → amplifier.
Is this Angus Young's full guitar rig?
No. This dated entry covers one unit in the effects path, not every piece of gear Angus Young owned or used. Floor pedals, rack units and routing devices are included only where recorded; omitted equipment and uncertain connections are explained in the notes. It is not a complete or current rig inventory.
When and where was this pedalboard used?
1980. Back in Black recording sessions. This is the core signal path documented for that period, not a career-wide gear list.
How does the archive know what was on this pedalboard?
3 cited sources, listed above with the date each was read, including Guitar.com, Guitar World, Premier Guitar. Among them a written article and an interview. The units are recorded as documented equipment, and the page was last audited on 2026-08-02.