Cliff Williams's bass strings: AC/DC's hard-rock pocket, sourced

Documented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Cliff Williams uses with AC/DC since 1977. Music Man Stingray + Fender Precision Bass, hard-rock pocket discipline. With citations.

AC/DC · reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team · 2026-04-29

Clifford Williams (born December 14, 1949, Romford, England) has been AC/DC's bassist since 1977, replacing Mark Evans. He retired from the band after the 2016 Rock or Bust tour but returned for the 2020 Power Up record + the 2024 Power Up tour. Plays Music Man Stingray + Fender Precision Bass primarily; the AC/DC bass tone is famously simple + locked into Phil Rudd's drum pocket. Documented across one of the most-commercially-successful hard-rock catalogs in history (Highway to Hell, 1979; Back in Black, 1980, the second-best-selling album of all time globally). Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with AC/DC (2003).

Hard rock Rock Classic rock Blues rockE Standard (4-string)

Sourcing3 citations · reviewed 2026-04-29· by Change Your Strings editorial team

Who Cliff Williams is

Clifford Williams, born December 14, 1949, in Romford, England, has been AC/DC's bassist since 1977, replacing Mark Evans. He retired after the 2016 Rock or Bust tour + returned for the Power Up (2020) studio record + the 2024 Power Up tour.

Played Music Man Stingray + Fender Precision Bass across AC/DC's catalog (Powerage, 1978, through Power Up, 2020). The AC/DC bass + drum pocket (Williams + Phil Rudd, the band's drummer 1975-1983 + 1994-present) is one of the most-cited rhythm sections in rock for its discipline + its absolute consistency across decades + the Brian Johnson + Bon Scott vocalist eras.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with AC/DC (2003).

Style signatures

Three things across the AC/DC catalog you can identify as Williams's:

Root-note + on-the-beat pocket discipline. AC/DC's rhythm section is famously locked; few major-band bassists in rock play as consistently inside the song's groove + as little outside it.
Simplicity as a feature, not a limit. Williams's bass parts are root-heavy by design; the band's sound depends on the simplicity. AC/DC songs with busy bass parts would not sound like AC/DC songs.
Forty-plus-year consistency. The Williams + Rudd pocket has been the band's rhythm-section foundation across the Bon Scott + Brian Johnson eras + multiple lineup-change eras around them.

Bandmates on CYS. Phil Rudd (drummer, AC/DC). Profiles for Angus Young + Brian Johnson + Malcolm Young pending as the artists roster expands.

Bassist hub. All bassists on CYS. Tier A hard-rock canon parallel: Lemmy Kilmister (Motörhead), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin).

Frequently asked questions

What strings does Cliff Williams play?

Specific string brand attribution requires individual primary-source citation; the bass-press archive consistently documents Williams's preference for medium-gauge nickel-wound roundwound bass strings on his Music Man Stingray + Fender Precision basses. The .045-.105 gauge range is standard for AC/DC's E-standard catalog. Sleuth's next research pass will close any specific brand attribution that primary sources disclose.

What basses does Williams play?

Music Man Stingray + Fender Precision Bass primarily across his AC/DC tenure. The Stingray is the canonical Williams bass for AC/DC's commercial-peak era (Back in Black through Stiff Upper Lip); the Precision has been documented across multiple eras. The simple two-bass rotation is consistent with AC/DC's broader gear philosophy: minimalist + locked-in + reliable, not gear-list pyrotechnics.

Did Williams retire from AC/DC?

Williams retired from full-time AC/DC duty after the 2016 Rock or Bust tour, citing health + the cumulative toll of touring. The 2014-2016 era was traumatic for AC/DC: drummer Phil Rudd had legal troubles, guitarist Malcolm Young had retired with dementia (he died in 2017), and singer Brian Johnson had been forced off tour by hearing damage. Williams's retirement felt definitive. He returned in 2020 for the Power Up studio record + the 2024 Power Up tour, joining surviving founders Angus Young + Brian Johnson + Phil Rudd in a near-original lineup. The 2020+ return is one of the most-watched lineup reconstructions in modern hard-rock.

What's the AC/DC pocket?

AC/DC's rhythm section has been famously locked since Phil Rudd's 1975 hire + Williams's 1977 hire. The Williams + Rudd pocket is one of the most-cited rhythm sections in rock for its discipline + its absolute consistency across decades + the Brian Johnson + Bon Scott vocalist eras. Williams plays root-note + on-the-beat patterns that lock to Rudd's hi-hat eighth notes; the simplicity is the signature. Few major-band rhythm sections in rock have been as consistent across 40+ years as the AC/DC bass + drum pocket.

Pre-AC/DC career?

Williams played in two British bands before AC/DC: Home (1971-1973, mid-1970s prog-rock) + Bandit (1974-1976, hard-rock). Both bands had moderate British success without crossing into international markets. Williams was hired by AC/DC in 1977 after his Bandit work, joining the band for Powerage (1978) and remaining the band's bassist (with the 2016-2020 retirement gap) ever since.

Who Cliff Williams is

Style signatures

Related