Angus Young: any evidence of USX/DSX/DBX from live footage?

Playing Technique
#1

Hi everyone — I’m trying to figure out how to describe Angus Young’s picking in CTC terms.

Question: From the best available footage, does Angus look more like USX, DSX, or DBX (or “mixed / changes depending on phrase”)? And what primary motion does it appear to be (wrist / forearm / elbow / blend)?

Footage (timestamps):

  1. https://youtu.be/n_GFN3a0yj0?si=4-rmC6dIMUbiGqZH — 0:22–0:27

  2. https://youtu.be/IGoPNp_WumE?si=sbF05jHnGmnn-zBn — 2:40–2:50

  3. https://youtube.com/shorts/ktFGr9WnY98?si=jfGdoLHv7NFtQd7p

What I’m noticing (but not confident):
• A lot of his vocabulary is pentatonic / 2-notes-per-string-ish, which makes me wonder about USX compatibility, but I don’t want to assume.
• I can’t tell if he’s doing a consistent escape, or if it’s more “whatever works” + occasional legato.

What I’m hoping for:
• A best-guess escape type (USX/DSX/DBX) based on the clips.
• Any telltale signs (pickslant, arm setup, visible lift on a certain stroke, etc.).
• If you think it varies, a quick note like “these phrases look USX, these look DSX/DBX.”

Thanks — even a “not enough info from this footage” answer would help so I know what to look for next.

#2

I’m not the hugest AC/DC fan so I may have some biases here… but I’ve never really thought of his playing as fast or technical enough for things like picking escape to really be that impactful. For better or worse I’d always seen him more as an “attitude” or “vibe” player than a clean, efficient, optimized “technique” one.

1 Like
#3

I think he’s a DSX player, bordering on DBX.