A couple of weeks ago, some of you might have noticed that guitarplayer.com posted an article on a Gretsch Roc Jet guitar (1971), previously owned by Malcolm Young of AC/DC fame, which we had for sale here on the site. With the guitar having been sold a few days ago, we thought it would be interesting to have a look at the history of AC/DC, Malcolm Young and his guitars.
No matter how you look at it, the story started in November 1973, when the Young brothers, Malcolm and Angus formed the band that would soon be called AC/DC. When vocalist Ronald Belford “Bon” Scott replaced original singer Dave Evans in 1974, the first epoch of quintessential AC/DC history truly began. Bon Scott infused the band with a lot of the lyrical of visual imagery that they are famous for, and his punch-in-the-gut attitude and vocals were in perfect harmony with the vision the Young brothers had for the group. The first three years with Bon Scott as frontman proved successful, and though the band were still in its formative years, this period laid the foundation for the massive international success that would follow in the years to come. The years 1976-1980, shortly after AC/DC signed with Atlantic records, proved to be some of their hitherto most successful yet, with their popularity seemingly unstoppable in its rise, despite various problems, such as new bass players, and being linked to the Punk scene by the UK press. However AC/DC powered through all of this, and it was only in 1980 that they met the first real show-stopper of their career. When Bon Scott died in 1980 due to alcohol induced circumstances, many believed it to be the end of the band, and AC/DC themselves also considered breaking up the group. Yet when they were spurred on by Scotts parents they realised that he would have wanted the group to go on, and then began the hunt for a new frontman and singer, not to replace Bon Scott but to fill the place in the band he had left vacant.
Brian Johnson was found to be a suitable new vocalist, and with him the band recorded the album Back in Black, an album which functioned as both a tribute to Bon Scott as well as a clear signal of the bands continued power and energy. Though the band continued to rise during the next three years, the period 1983-1987 signalled a decline in commercial success, even though the group continued to play for huge crowds around the world. The next seven years was spent regaining the previous success and popularity of their former glory, and there can be no doubt about the success of this endeavour. Since then it seems that AC/DC have been on a continually ascendant, and the five studio albums released since then have all become platinum releases many times over. A notable example of the bands fame was their show in Russia in 1991, when the played for an estimated 1 million people! The Young brothers and Johnson have continued to drive the band ever forwards, and just a short while ago they finished recording their latest album. However more on that and the bands current status a bit later. First a nice little video and a talk about some lovely guitars.
The way Vintage & Rare came into contact with AC/DC and Malcolm Young this time around was due to a seller contacting us wanting to sell his 1971 Gretsch Roc Jet guitar that have been previously owned by Malcolm Young. The guitar does actually have a nice little story behind it and is also a beautiful and genuinely nice musical instrument. The seller of the guitar was nice enough to explain the story of the guitar for us:
“My father met Keith Evans (known as Evo) to buy a jukebox, as that’s his trade (jukesofstafford). He was buying a jukebox that turned out to once belong to Bill Ward of Sabbath, as Keith was a guitar tech for them plus AC/DC (…) As my father is also a guitarist, he got talking to Evo about guitars & he mentioned selling the Roc Jet that Malcolm Young had given him after a US tour. He said it was destined for spares originally but Malcolm liked playing it, using it mainly in sound checks, and gave it Evo as a gift at the end of the tour (…) I bought the guitar in original case, only changing the plastic pickup surrounds which were cracked, although they were replaced with genuine US Gretsch spares.”
Though it is lovely to tell the story of such a great band and such a beautiful instrument, there is also a certain sadness to the subject of AC/DC these days. Even though the band have just recently finished recording their next album, the plans for a 40 year anniversary tour and the general future of the band is subject to much scrutiny following the long term sickness of rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young. Having issued a formal break from the band via their official homepage, the internet is rife with rumours about the band disbanding and similar bad news. However following the completion of the recordings of the new album, frontman Brian Johnson have multiple times stated that Malcolm’s departure is only temporary, and that they have high hopes for his recovery. Johnson have also said that they have considered naming the album Man Down in reference to Malcolm’s absence.
Here at Vintage & Rare we of course respect AC/DC and the Young families wishes of further privacy regarding Malcolm’s illness, and wishes him and all the members of the AC/DC family all the best for the future, with high hopes for more shows, incredible rock and even more fantastic guitar handling in the future.
We look forward to the next great album, and hope that you will indulge our fascination with this little article springing from a curious guitar sale.
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