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Gretsch Malcolm Young Masterbuilt Custom Shop
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Among the legends of hard rock, the Australian siblings of the Young have shaken everything in their path to inscribe in everyone's mouth the four most famous letters in music: AC/DC. From their fiery beginnings in Australia to their media explosion, the band's riffs have crossed borders like lightning. Among them are efficient and precise musicians, capable of hitting the right note at the right time with the awesome power of a punch. Brothers Angus and Malcolm share lead and rhythm guitar duties with formidable efficiency, while remaining faithful to their guitar of choice: a Gibson SG for one, a Gretsch Jet Firebird double cut for the other - both of which have become rock'n'roll icons. As the rhythm pillar of AC/DC, Malcom Young relied heavily on his trusty Gretsch, given to him by Harry Vanda and his brother George Young of the Easybeats. It's this guitar, known as "The Beast", that the Gretsch Custom Shop has faithfully reproduced in this series of forty exceptional examples.
When brothers Malcom and Angus took up the electric guitar, they followed the example of their elder brother George, who had already made his mark in the Easybeats band. In fact, it was from George that Malcom received his precious red Jet Firebird, which he played tirelessly with almost religious devotion. Before becoming the famous "Beast" as we know it, this guitar was a red Gretsch Jet Firebird that he heavily transformed to make it his own. After stripping it of its original red finish, Malcom Young removed two of its three pickups, leaving just one Filterton pickup in bridge position. The “Beast” was born, an impressively simple guitar that hammered out some of the greatest guitar rhythms rock has ever known.
This mythical guitar, with its unmistakable look, accompanied Malcolm Young's entire career, with the exception of the High Voltage album recorded with a Gibson L5, having broken the neck of his favorite beast the day before recording. The Gretsch Custom Shop meticulously scanned Malcom Young's Jet Firebird to create a strikingly realistic replica. The result is a limited edition of punchy, effective tribute guitars, ready to unleash the rhythm and the decibels. This Custom Shop Malcom Young Salute is a faithful tribute to every nick, scratch and dent acquired during Malcom Young's long and illustrious career.
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Malcolm Young
(1953 - 2017)
Group : AC/DC
Main guitar : Gretsch Duo Jet “The Beast”
An absolute “must-hear” track : It’s A Long Way To The Top
Although Angus Young is the musician from AC/DC who features most in the media—to the point of becoming the group’s mascot—it was his brother, Malcolm, who had been in charge of the group since its formation in 1973. The Australian genius of primitive rock rhythm wrote the band’s best riffs and most staggering grooves, led by his tireless right hand that was constantly fighting against the huge strings of his Gretsch.
Just as AC/DC’s music has changed very little over their long career, Malcolm’s approach—founded in precision, nuance, and authority—has remained the same. The craftsman’s tools did not change either: with the exception of two brief infidelities (with a heavily modified Gibson L6S and a White Falcon), it was The Beast that accompanied him throughout his career. This 1963 Gretsch Duo Jet began life painted red and with two and then three pickups. Malcolm made it a monster of simplicity by giving it a natural finish, a single pickup, and two gaping holes left by the other two. 12-58 strings, a Marshall Plexi amp not pushed too high, and all the rest was in the fingers.
From High Voltage (1975) to Stiff Upper Lip (2000), Malcolm remained the captain on board, then on Black Ice (2008) Alzheimer’s disease gradually forced the master to take early retirement. In 2014, he was replaced by his cousin, Stevie Young, and died three years later. But his riffs are not about to disappear, and it is likely that they will still be making people tap their feet a few centuries from now.
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