Gretsch Malcolm Young Masterbuilt The Beast

Malcolm Young (AC/DC)

In the heart of the 1970s, as hard rock sharpened its teeth and riffs grew heavier, a discreet, unshakable brotherhood shaped one of the most powerful sounds in history: the Youngs. With AC/DC, Angus and Malcolm built a foundational approach to rock — pure, sharp and driving. Malcolm Young was the solid shadow, the unbreakable foundation, the human metronome who turned every track into a rhythmic bulldozer.

Malcolm Young wasn’t about showmanship. As an absolute craftsman of the riff, his thing was razor-sharp precision, perfectly placed chords, and dry, no-nonsense power. Thanks to him, tracks like Highway to Hell, Back in Black or Shoot to Thrill found their backbone, their tension, their engine. While Angus set the solos on fire, Malcolm held the wall with supernatural steadiness. Few guitarists have been so essential while saying so little.

On stage, Malcolm embodied silent strength. No theatrical moves, no effects: just raw presence, energy concentrated in the right wrist — that steel arm that propelled the band forward. He was the rock, the assurance, the tight groove that made stadiums move. A discreet yet indispensable leader, the one everything rested on, without him ever claiming it.

You can’t talk about Malcolm without his Beast, a legendary Gretsch Jet Firebird slowly transformed over the years into a unique, almost living creature. Malcolm modified it, lightened it, cut it, sanded it, repaired it, reconfigured it until it became an instrument whose very appearance tells a story: that of a musician obsessed with the perfect sound, stripped of anything unnecessary. Pickups removed, finish worn away, wood exposed by touring — the Beast wasn’t just a guitar: it was the symbol of his philosophy. A riff machine built for efficiency, toughness and the purest rock.

Tireless, Malcolm Young kept AC/DC alive for decades, with fierce standards and discipline that everyone still praises. He watched over the pace, the direction, the sound. Many say he was the true compass of the band, the silent captain behind the thunder.