# Def Leppard. How do I get there?



## joshuaaewallen

Hi All, 

I am playing a PRS Custom 24 through a JCM2000 TSL122. I love the hard rock tones that come out of this rig. However... I have a major jones to get some Def Leppard guitar sounds going on. Think anything and everything from the Hysteria album, and newer sounds like Promises and anything from the Sparkle Lounge cd. 

I have been playing for years, but really haven't delved much into the world of effects other than a little bit of chorus (mostly on my cleans), and some delay. Currently I own no effects at all. I sold everything but three guitars to get my Marshall.

That being said... How can I get _that_ guitar tone using my Marshall/PRS as my starting point. I'd like to hear what you all have to say on the subject. Thanks guys, Rock On!


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## WrenchDevil6

What era?

There was a big change from the On Through the Night and High 'N Dry sound to Pyromania and Hysteria.

Look for the Classic Albums DVD. When they interview Phil, it pretty much has his whole rig right there with him. Best I can remember, tons of rack gear.

But:

Here's a place to start.


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## joshuaaewallen

WrenchDevil6 said:


> What era?
> 
> There was a big change from the On Through the Night and High 'N Dry sound to Pyromania and Hysteria.
> 
> Look for the Classic Albums DVD. When they interview Phil, it pretty much has his whole rig right there with him. Best I can remember, tons of rack gear.
> 
> But:
> 
> Here's a place to start.



Era... Hysteria & Now. 

I know I'm not likely to peg that tone dead on since I don't have the $$$ for a Jackson PC-1 and a whole rack full of gear, but... Really what I'd like would be a few pedals or the like which can get me as close as possible without spending $3G's... 

That being said... I guess I was hoping for pointers on:

A) effects to use... and 
B) settings to use on the afore mentioned effects.

I think that with my current rig I've got a good starting point, I just need to figure out what else to add in to make the recipie complete... 

Thanks for the respnse. I appreciate it. The link turned me on to the need for a flanger, but where to go from there, and how best to use it?

So... Whaddaya think?


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## Shawn Fate

I know they used a SLX for a entire album.


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## sojatriani

The main thing is to use a stereo rig with chorus and delay. That creates that big glossy sound they had. Good starting place...


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## joshuaaewallen

so... how do i go about creating a stereo rig?


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## Bluemoon78

This is a hard one to get. Hysteria was recorded using rockman amps and multilayered about a million times. Their live sound is a bit easier to get because they use marshalls and in particular a JMP-1 preamp. Essential is chorus and a little delay. Also some dimarzio's in your guitar will help with heavy strings.


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## MG100

joshuaaewallen said:


> so... how do i go about creating a stereo rig?



As a by the way - the band I was in played support to Def Leppard in 1986 during their pre-Donington warm up tour. 
Phil Collen is a really good role model - great tone, great mind, and all round nice guy.

See attachment - this is my stereo rig.

For Def Lepp tone....

Keep it relatively clean (more overdrive than distortion), lots of compression, chorus, delay, good and loud to make those notes ring out....


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## joshuaaewallen

ok... So... Here's what I see so far...

I've been doing lots of reading on the web, and regarding Hysteria I do see the name rockman mentioned _alot_. 

Do they still make the Rockman units?

Can the same/similar tonal qualities be obtained by pre or post distortion eq'ing?

Next up... I clearly need chrous & delay. Correct? If so... Good suggestions on pedals to try?

Also... What about their current sound (Songs From The Sparkle Lounge, which is a seriously under-rated album)? I keep reading about how they've gone back to Marshall's and all that, but I just don't seem to find that sound through my TSL or any other amp that I try. 

And... Sorry if I am kicking a dead horse here... To be song specific I am also thinking of the main/lead riff from the song "Promises" (found on the Euphoria cd). This song has a great distorted guitar tone that clearly is laden w/ effects (hard to imagine for Def Leppard, right? ), but I just can't peg what they are using.

So... Now whaddaya think?

I'm sure it's a bit looney to go chasing after a sound that I'll never ever be able to put to any "practical use". My wife laughs when I talk about getting "that tone", because she doesn't get it, but there is nothing more gratifying that (even when all along), jamming away with yer favorite axe to your favorite song, and you just sort of merge into the song, becoming one with it and for a brief moment you forget everything else... Whew! Where did that come from? Anyhoo... Please keep your thoughts on the subject coming. The more ideas I can get the better off I'll be. Thanks guys!


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## joshuaaewallen

MG100 said:


> See attachment - this is my stereo rig.
> 
> For Def Lepp tone....
> 
> Keep it pretty clean, lots of compression, chorus, delay, good and loud.



What kind of alternative layout would you recommended, using my current gear as a starting point? (See Below)


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## Bluemoon78

Hey Joshua. I know what you mean about struggling to get this sound. I've been trying for years and have given up. Its probably the layering that makes it so hard. Oh, and yes "Songs from the sparkle longe" might be the best thing they've done.

The rockman is available from jim dunlop, but its more like a headphone amp. No idea why they chose to use it for Hysteria. Never used it myself although there is a rockman simulator on my GT-8. Maybe I can give it a thorough try and get back to you.

I'd recommend a boss CH-1 chorus or maybe a digitech chorus factory, any half decent delay would do. For the promises sound, you might not get that from the TSL without help. Maybe a distortion like the DS-1 would come close?


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## MG100

joshuaaewallen said:


> What kind of alternative layout would you recommended, using my current gear as a starting point? (See Below)




Hi Joshua


I wouldn't get too caught up in the stereo rig idea - 
you should be fine in mono 

For Dep Lep - If you have a decent chorus and delay in your fx loop, thats most of what you'll need.

If you don;t have an o/d box, see what you can get from the amp on a mild OD setting. I run a CS3 into a BBE tubescreamer clone with the gain set to 0 through the clean channel of my MG100 amp for tones in that ballpark.

Make sure you use the guitar vol control to back off on the level hitting the amp. You really do need the amp to be quite loud to get the "organic" ringing, sustain and feedback. It will sound completely different (and better) when you open it up (like you didn't know that already! )

Good luck and have fun!


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## HOT TUBES 70

Bluemoon78 said:


> Hey Joshua. I know what you mean about struggling to get this sound. I've been trying for years and have given up. Its probably the layering that makes it so hard. Oh, and yes "Songs from the sparkle longe" might be the best thing they've done.
> 
> The rockman is available from jim dunlop, but its more like a headphone amp. No idea why they chose to use it for Hysteria. Never used it myself although there is a rockman simulator on my GT-8. Maybe I can give it a thorough try and get back to you.
> 
> I'd recommend a boss CH-1 chorus or maybe a digitech chorus factory, any half decent delay would do. For the promises sound, you might not get that from the TSL without help. Maybe a distortion like the DS-1 would come close?



don,t bother , the rockman sims in the GT8 are noy worth a shit !!!!


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## thrashforlife95

use a chorus and delay and on my tsl 122 i have it on lead gain 10, treble 3, mid 3, bass 8, and that gives me a deacent tone for hair metal


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## Silverbursted

A big part of his setup is with his guitar, he used a double-bladed Sustainer humbucker up front, a DiMarzio HS2 in the middle and DiMarzio Super 3 at the bridge on his Jackson. That Jackson also was made using a mahogany body with maple cap. Your PRS should be the same wood, so you are half way there.


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## Mase947

You know I'm not sure that Def Leppard used these, but after seeing them live a few times, I'm convinced they use tape echoes... So maybe try one of those out.


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## joshuaaewallen

Shawn Fate said:


> I know they used a SLX for a entire album.



I think I read somewhere too that they used the SLX on the "Slang" album, which in my opinion was highly underrated. That one was definitely not a "critics darling", probably because it was such a dramatic departure from Leppard's previously known style.

Hey thanks everyone for your input. :eek2:

Please keep the suggestions coming!


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## VHFreak

Great Post! I have been chasing this tone as well for years glad to hear that I am not the only one! Its kinda weird for me though. I am an absolute VanHalen nut hence the screen name but I have always dug that polished sound Def Leppard had on Hysteria. Maybe it is because it was the sound I heard when I was starting out on guitar on the radio 24/7. I still remember hearing Armageddon it and just totally digging that sound. I listen to it now and I still want that tone. The two guitars had a large impact on their sound as well. They complimented eachother very well. I am thinking stero rig with my 5150 combo stage right and 6100 stage left hmmmmm the posibilities!!!


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## joshuaaewallen

Indeed! Hysteria is the record that made me want to play guitar. One of the first songs I learned in earnest was Armageddon It. It really is a phenomenal album even to this day.


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## MartyStrat54

thrashforlife95 said:


> use a chorus and delay and on my TSL 122 I have it on lead gain 10, treble 3, mid 3, bass 8, and that gives me a decent tone for hair metal



Josh, several players made this suggestion and I would have to agree with them. However, in reality, DL used a ton of rack gear. You would have to experiment with your distortion box and a combination of chorus and delay.

I don't play Def Leppard anymore, but when I did, I had four programs in my DigiTech RP-12 to emulate the rhythm, (2) modes and the lead (2) modes.

These rhythm modes consisted of delay, large hall reverb and chorus. The lead had two different sounding distortions. One had delay on it and the other had some chorus.

As stated, they played through stereo rigs. This would enhance the chorus and delay effects. In reality, you don't need a stereo rig, because you are not going to "nail" the exact CD sound. Hell, they probably have a hard time getting their old sound themselves. 

Take a little time and mess around with the stated effects. You can get close and close is good enough.


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## joshuaaewallen

MartyStrat54 said:


> Josh, several players made this suggestion and I would have to agree with them. However, in reality, DL used a ton of rack gear. You would have to experiment with your distortion box and a combination of chorus and delay.
> 
> I don't play Def Leppard anymore, but when I did, I had four programs in my DigiTech RP-12 to emulate the rhythm, (2) modes and the lead (2) modes.
> 
> These rhythm modes consisted of delay, large hall reverb and chorus. The lead had two different sounding distortions. One had delay on it and the other had some chorus.
> 
> As stated, they played through stereo rigs. This would enhance the chorus and delay effects. In reality, you don't need a stereo rig, because you are not going to "nail" the exact CD sound. Hell, they probably have a hard time getting their old sound themselves.
> 
> Take a little time and mess around with the stated effects. You can get close and close is good enough.



Hi Marty! How ya doin' mate? Thanks for your input here. I appreciate it!

I've always liked using delay to make my sound bigger, but I sold off most of my gear so that I could get the $$$ for my Marshall. A month or so ago I scraped together some $$$ and bought a Digitech Hardwire DL-8 Delay/Looper pedal. It has been a little tougher to dial this one than other delays I have used in the past. It sounded good sonically in front of the amp, but even at it's subtlest effect it was just _too much_ of the effect. I discovered that I could really hone this down to just the right amount by putting it in the effects loop and adjusting it in conjunction w/ the effects mix control. Works nice. Since I got this must admit feeling a wee bit closer to that sound. 

Chorus must be the other piece I'm missing. I've used a cheap Behringer V-Amp for chorus in the past. One thing I did notice is that lots of chorus on the clean channel sounds sweet and shimmery, but on the distortion channel is just no good. I suppose to do it right I'd really need one in each effects look w/ different degrees of effect to make it work...?

Any suggestions of a good chorus that fits the bill? I "think" I read somewhere (years ago) that Steve Clark frequently used Boss chorus pedals... That could just be bull too, but I'm no expert, and really haven't much experience with effects. What do you think?


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## MartyStrat54

I have a Boss CE-2 and CE-3 and I love them. I've had the CE-2 for ages and it has the type of chorus that can make an electric almost sound like an amplified acoustic. It is a must for a fat rhythm tone. The CE-3 I picked up on EBAY. It was a smoking deal and it must have a different chip, because it does sound different. It still sounds good, but has its own flavor.

One thing about a TSL is that it has a lot of hook up options. You may have to do as you say and set up one effects loop with a certain FX sound and the lead may need another completely different blend. Of course, this could mean two chorus pedals, two delays and two different types/levels of distortion. 

That's why I never sold my RP-12. I bought it (yikes!) in 1999 when I bought my first Marshall DSL401. I programmed a bunch of my own sounds in it and wow, the damn thing was sweet. Here it is ten years old and still works like a champ. In another thread, I stated I did a show with just it. I plugged my guitar into it and sent the signal to the main board. Didn't even need an amp or cab. Ran a mix into the vocal monitor and rocked away. (It was a very small stage and I tried to save space for the drum kit.)

Anyway, I know you don't want to hear this, but you might have to get an FX unit to bang out the DL like you are trying to obtain. The good thing is these multi-effects units have actually gone down in price. My DigiTech RP-12 cost about as much in 1999 as a new RP1000 ($499). Of course the 1000 smokes my RP-12 as it should. However, you can get an RP-355 for $200 and it has a boat load of effects/amp modeling. The RP-155 is $100 and it has 100 programmable presets and 83 amp, cabinet and stompbox effects.

If you can't get the DL sound with what you have, then you are going to have to get some more FX equipment.


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## joshuaaewallen

Thanks Marty. I guess its time to start doing some effects shopping!


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## MartyStrat54

Try to get a BOSS CE-2 Chorus. That is a must have item.


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## watchtheskies

I remember way back, reading an article on the recording of Hysteria,
they triple tracked all of the guitars on that album 

for each guitar track that you can hear, there are actually three different guitars playing the same thing:

Gibson Les Paul for the bottom end
Gibson SG for the middle punch
Fender Telecaster for the the highs

I guess that's where the natural chorusing effect comes from


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## MartyStrat54

Yeah, any time you double or triple track, you are going to get some unique sounding "thickness." DL used a lot of high dollar rack equipment and I know that their CD's always had that certain finish to them. Very polished and the effects sounded smooth, not edgy. 

When I was playing in a cover band, I just got as close to sounding like the guitarist I am covering, but I was a realist and knew that I could not sound exactly like him. That is how I approached Def Leppard. When you try to cover 30 different guitarist's with two guitars and one amp, you have to make compromises.


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## joshuaaewallen

Here's a question...

The CE-2 looks mighty pricey on eBay (some even $200 and up)... And they don't make it any more. Have you guys used the CE-5 ($75 new)? How does it stack up to the classic CE-2 chorus?


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## MartyStrat54

I have a CE-2 and a CE-3 and that's as far as this old guy has gone. Like I said, I like the sound of the CE-2 better. I did not know they were bringing that kind of money on EBAY. Wow!:eek2::eek2::eek2:

That's the one thing I don't like about BOSS. As soon as they make a "new" model, they quit making the older one. I have seven or eight BOSS pedals from the late 80's and some of them will bring big bucks.

Hopefully, someone will list one at a more reasonable price. I guess the days of buying a used BOSS pedal for $35 is over with?


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## saventry

ce2s? Ive got 2 of them and I'll never part with them. hands down the best chours pedal ever. and if you want lep tones, a big part of it is that dimarrzio super distortion pickup. fact.


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## watchtheskies

waaaaaaay way back in the 80s. I had a boss chorus pedal and it did sound excellent, couldn't tell you what the model code was? CE-2 most probably

anyways, did Boss or Roland ever make a rack effects module that sounded as good as as the boss chorus pedal, preferably midi controlled?

any ideas?


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## carnada

thrashforlife95 said:


> use a chorus and delay and on my tsl 122 i have it on lead gain 10, treble 3, mid 3, bass 8, and that gives me a deacent tone for hair metal



so said the 12 year old kid with the scooped mids.


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## saventry

in the early 80s, boss made a rack chours called the super chours. It was dark brown plastic with colored knobs. Remember those (vaguely)? This was the chours that is in the roland jazz chours amp exactly-in stereo. I doubt it was midi. The CE-2 was sky blue, had 2 knobs, and just said "chours". best sounding chours pedal I've found to date. I copped 2 of them at a show about 4-5 yrs ago and they will never be for sale. If you see one, buy it on sight. you won't be sorry.


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## saventry

Would not boss be wise to ressiue the CE2? (without cutting corners)


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## MartyStrat54

saventry said:


> in the early 80s, boss made a rack chours called the super chours. It was dark brown plastic with colored knobs. Remember those (vaguely)? This was the chours that is in the roland jazz chours amp exactly-in stereo. I doubt it was midi. The CE-2 was sky blue, had 2 knobs, and just said "chours". best sounding chours pedal I've found to date. I copped 2 of them at a show about 4-5 yrs ago and they will never be for sale. If you see one, buy it on sight. you won't be sorry.



Yeah I have one CE-2 and I would love to get another and run them back to back. That is an awesome sound that almost sounds like a digital delay.

I know a pedal steel player that uses two of them at once and what a cool milky tone he gets.


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## airborne strat

OK, here is my opinion...sit down and don't laugh...the Digitech 355. It has a ton of effects/amp/cabinet mods that you can darn near dial in their sound.....just takes some playing around. Music 123 has the best prices on them under $200 and over 135 effects...again just my opinion


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## MartyStrat54

MartyStrat54 said:


> I have a Boss CE-2 and CE-3 and I love them. I've had the CE-2 for ages and it has the type of chorus that can make an electric almost sound like an amplified acoustic. It is a must for a fat rhythm tone. The CE-3 I picked up on EBAY. It was a smoking deal and it must have a different chip, because it does sound different. It still sounds good, but has its own flavor.
> 
> One thing about a TSL is that it has a lot of hook up options. You may have to do as you say and set up one effects loop with a certain FX sound and the lead may need another completely different blend. Of course, this could mean two chorus pedals, two delays and two different types/levels of distortion.
> 
> That's why I never sold my RP-12. I bought it (yikes!) in 1999 when I bought my first Marshall DSL401. I programmed a bunch of my own sounds in it and wow, the damn thing was sweet. Here it is ten years old and still works like a champ. In another thread, I stated I did a show with just it. I plugged my guitar into it and sent the signal to the main board. Didn't even need an amp or cab. Ran a mix into the vocal monitor and rocked away. (It was a very small stage and I tried to save space for the drum kit.)
> 
> Anyway, I know you don't want to hear this, but you might have to get an FX unit to bang out the DL like you are trying to obtain. The good thing is these multi-effects units have actually gone down in price. My DigiTech RP-12 cost about as much in 1999 as a new RP1000 ($499). Of course the 1000 smokes my RP-12 as it should. However, you can get an RP-355 for $200 and it has a boat load of effects/amp modeling. The RP-155 is $100 and it has 100 programmable presets and 83 amp, cabinet and stompbox effects.
> 
> If you can't get the DL sound with what you have, then you are going to have to get some more FX equipment.



I already brought up the 355 on page one. Did you not see it?


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## airborne strat

Sorry Marty...I didn't read all the posts...nice rig you got there!


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## MartyStrat54

That's cool. I figured you must not have seen it. I did think it was interesting that you brought up the same piece of gear as I did. Maybe I'll upgrade to a new DigiTech. They have some really nice FX units.


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## SteveClark

just a thought but,

I use personally a visual sound H2O V2 chorus/delay pedal, and the distortion channel on my amp ( a Vintage Modern 100 watt head through the VM cab)
though the distortion is NOT heavy by any means it is just barely enough to feedback when the effects are on.

let me know if you need any more info, I do know the actual gear and all that the band used on their hysteria tour, I DO have model numbers.
they are as follows...

Both Phil and Steve used 
*Randall RG100 pre-amps 
*T.C. 1210 by TC electronics ( this is an effects processor containing 
| Expander + Stereo Chorus/Flanger | )
*T.C. 2290 ( | Digital Delay | )

But that is Live Performance

The studio work was done on Rockman amps
(Made By Scholtz Research and Development)
a side project of Tom Scholtz's ( yes from Boston, the band)
it had built in effects for compression, distortion, stereo chorus, and echo (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH DELAY THEY ARE DIFFERENT) not yelling, just wanted to be sure it was clear : )
The Rockman lacks tone controls, however tone can be adjusted in other ways: via the guitar, the mixing board or the amplifier (if the Rockman is being used as a pre-amp as Phil and Steve did when in the studio).
heres a familiar site that carries the current version

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Rockman-Guitar-Ace-Headphone-Amp?sku=180253
It doesnt have the effects built in except for compression it has that, BUT it can be used as a pre-amp like the old ones.

( I'm kind of a Leppard NUT in case you couldn't tell.)

-Alex


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## mxbykr99

Marshall just came out with the JMD:1 series of amps. It has a few jmp 1 tones in it and it sounds very similar to the new Def Leppard sound. Heres the link Marshall Amps :: JMD1 Series


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## wylde1

I was gonna say get your drummer in a car accident.... but that seems.... less helpful than the other things suggested


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## Blade Guitars

Hi!
I just love Def Leppard tone so I bought a jmp1 a old fifty fity mesa power amp a legacy with vintage30 and a Tc for chorus, reverb and delay and voilá!! Def Leppard Tone wherever and whenever I want!! I know you have to carry a whole ten space rack but when you plug it worth every stair!!!


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## Joey Voltage

Holy Crap! you have opened a can of worms with this one. The easiest answer is give up!, and settle for something similar. you can get a pretty similar sound with what was mentioned, and even when you see live footage like in your face in the round, they can't even reproduce it! The basics are a smoother mid heavy overdrive, slight multi-delays (more than one with different time increments), chorus, and reverb.

I remember being like 15yrs old and almost on the verge of tears because I could never get that clean, smooth howling lead tone phil did on Hysteria, "women" in particular. When I got older I realized how much of it was truly 5-10 layer studio sheen, huge gated everything, super processed, etc...with really good production... Hysteria is almost the definition of over-produced.

IIRC in the studio Phil in particular used Rockman stuff, Randall RG-80 with scorpion speaker, a fuzz pedal Brian may built (probably insignificant), and a truck load of other top of the line SS and digital Rack gear. Live he used a randall Century head, and probably the same crazy amount of rack gear.

I have to believe that Steve also used a lot of this stuff as well, but rumor has it that he also used the same JCM800 setup he had used on previous albums as well. Live it has been said that he wouldn't part with the 800 setup (he often boosted the input with a Morley preamp booster), and you can kinda hear it on In the round in your face. Steve's tone sounds a LOT better than phils does on that video... slightly more organic, but not much.

Vivian Campbell is a Soldano nut, frequently uses them live. He apparently turned Phil on to them as well. One of the newer albums was recorded using Soldano's pretty heavily. I remember reading an article on how he hated all the solid state stuff phil made him play through on tour, and refused to use it mid way through insisting he use his SLO, and I guess phl was impressed by it (SLO)

All this being said, I think now I have to say my altime favorite tone they had was on high & dry... just a good overdriven marshall sound, nothing fancy, but really good.


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## MartyStrat54

Wow this is a really old thread. The guy who started it was one of my best forum buddies. Great rundown on PHIL. Yeah, I'm older than you and it was during the making of the Mutt Lange produced High and Dry that Def Leppard went the route of high techno rack gear. When Rick Allen lost his arm in his Corvette accident, the over produced sound went into overdrive. While I say they did a good job with a one-arm drummer, it was a whole different sound than High and Dry. I mean triggered drum sounds are a lot different than a drummer working a snare and a high hat.

I would say you would need at least three digital delays or and RP1000 programed for multiple delay layers. Then a chorus effect and then various programed distortion.

I have already answered on this thread and suggest the RP1000 and possibly a DSL amp.


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## jcmjmp

The best leppard tone is on Pyromania. For anything after that, you'll need a wet/dry/wet rig.


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## MartyStrat54

Finally, a true purpose for a wet/dry/wet rig. Of course the "wet" is really wet.


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## joshuaaewallen

Well... I bit the bullet and bought an RP1000 by Digitech. Depressionary spending isn't generally fiscally wise, but it does offer some sonic thrills. Holy crap this thing does everything! Now I just need to learn how to use all of the stuff it can do, which is in itself a daunting task. But I think Marty is on the right track with the Digitech RP series. Even running it through my Bugera 333 it has some serious potential (despite the fact that I have barely learned how to use it). _I can hardly wait _to get my Marshall back from Mr Wilder, who is going to be doing some mods on it for me!!! I'll keep ya'll posted and see if in the end we haven't built a better mousetrap. Thanks for all the input guys, and as always, keep on rockin'!!!


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## wkcchampion

I saw from soem videos that Def Leppard used the JCM800 2203 and the JMP-1 (with dunno what power amp) later.


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## cptnkrunch

> Holy Crap! you have opened a can of worms with this one. The easiest answer is give up!, and settle for something similar. you can get a pretty similar sound with what was mentioned, and even when you see live footage like in your face in the round, they can't even reproduce it! The basics are a smoother mid heavy overdrive, slight multi-delays (more than one with different time increments), chorus, and reverb.
> 
> I remember being like 15yrs old and almost on the verge of tears because I could never get that clean, smooth howling lead tone phil did on Hysteria, "women" in particular. When I got older I realized how much of it was truly 5-10 layer studio sheen, huge gated everything, super processed, etc...with really good production... Hysteria is almost the definition of over-produced.
> 
> IIRC in the studio Phil in particular used Rockman stuff, Randall RG-80 with scorpion speaker, a fuzz pedal Brian may built (probably insignificant), and a truck load of other top of the line SS and digital Rack gear. Live he used a randall Century head, and probably the same crazy amount of rack gear.
> 
> I have to believe that Steve also used a lot of this stuff as well, but rumor has it that he also used the same JCM800 setup he had used on previous albums as well. Live it has been said that he wouldn't part with the 800 setup (he often boosted the input with a Morley preamp booster), and you can kinda hear it on In the round in your face. Steve's tone sounds a LOT better than phils does on that video... slightly more organic, but not much.
> 
> Vivian Campbell is a Soldano nut, frequently uses them live. He apparently turned Phil on to them as well. One of the newer albums was recorded using Soldano's pretty heavily. I remember reading an article on how he hated all the solid state stuff phil made him play through on tour, and refused to use it mid way through insisting he use his SLO, and I guess phl was impressed by it (SLO)
> 
> All this being said, I think now I have to say my altime favorite tone they had was on high & dry... just a good overdriven marshall sound, nothing fancy, but really good



+1 Couldn't have said it any better. We used to play a few DL songs. The early stuff was much easier to play than the Pyro and Hysteria stuff. As mentioned above the studio production of the later stuff was very layered and with many different tones. If you can find a guitar and amp that can produce all these at once you'll have it, otherwise find a happy medium. With some tweaking I think you can find something close that will work for you. A good start may be overdrive, a littlle chorus, a very tight delay and maybe a touch of compression. Good Luck


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## MartyStrat54

Josh it ain't gonna happen overnight, but as you get to know that RP1000, you are going to see just what it can do. I mean it will run multiple delays all at different time settings and this is the base of the Def Leppard sound. Then you can experiment with the delay time settings and then add chorus to it and then some tasty distortion and you will be getting there. You got the FX to do it all. I would start with working on your own setting using multiple time delays.


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## joshuaaewallen

MartyStrat54 said:


> Josh it ain't gonna happen overnight, but as you get to know that RP1000, you are going to see just what it can do. I mean it will run multiple delays all at different time settings and this is the base of the Def Leppard sound. Then you can experiment with the delay time settings and then add chorus to it and then some tasty distortion and you will be getting there. You got the FX to do it all. I would start with working on your own setting using multiple time delays.



I know you're right Marty. Patience an all that... Hmm... I like that song... Umm, patience regarding finding "that" tone. It's actually been pretty amazing to me how much closer I've gotten just since I've gotten my TSL and started adding some delay into my signal. I can jam along and it definitely close enough for horse shoes & hand grenades... I can say one thing... I don't think I'm likely to ever need another effectsbox again (or at least for a VERY long time)! I'd highly recommend one of these boxes. It's amazing!

Sidenote: Not that it makes a difference, but there is kind of a cool though that Phil for a time played through a Digitech Legend (I actually had one of them for a while, but had to sell it for the $$$). But actually, even though Phil Collen was the "technician" player in the band, I always preferred Steve Clarke's playing more. Anyhoo...


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## joshuaaewallen

Sadly, I'm still young enough to still be learning patience, but old enough to know how badly I need it!


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## joshuaaewallen

"Behind the Music Remastered: Def Leppard" ( Ep. 036 ) from Behind The Music | Full Episode | VH1.com


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## MartyStrat54

I went ahead and watched all that again, even though I have seen it before on TV. I guess what's staggering is that you look at Van Halen. They came out in 77 and they never had the success that Def Leppard did. I mean not by a long ways. If not for Michael Jackson, they would have been the #1 artist of the 80's.


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## joshuaaewallen

MartyStrat54 said:


> I went ahead and watched all that again, even though I have seen it before on TV. I guess what's staggering is that you look at Van Halen. They came out in 77 and they never had the success that Def Leppard did. I mean not by a long ways. If not for Michael Jackson, they would have been the #1 artist of the 80's.



Crazy stuff eh? When VanHalen hit the scene, back in '77 (the year I was born... Craziness) and blew everyone away, the boys from Def Leppard were fresh outta the Rock & Roll womb having just gotten together and practicing themselves to death in the spoon factory. A bunch kids no less (literally).

It was the Hysteria album, and Aerosmith's 1973 self titled debut that made me really want to play guitar. When I was in high school my absolute fave's were Def Leppard & Aerosmith. When everyone else was into Nirvana, I was diggin' into the 70's and 80's. I've loved Lep music since "Animal" hit the airwaves, but honestly, I think I like them best because they were my "gate-way drug"... In a nutshell it was by learning about what their musical influences were that introduced me to some of my other favorite bands (Thin Lizzy, Sweet, T-Rex, Mott The Hoople, and David Bowie circa Ziggy Stardust & Hunky Dory, etc...) I've discovered a lot of great music by tracing back the favorites of my favorite band. I'd encourage everyone to look at their favorites and see what made them groove. Ya never know what your gonna find! 

Anyhoo, now that I've rambled on for 45 minutes like a nostalgic, rapidly aging 30-something wishing to recapture his youth...


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## MartyStrat54

Well I was hard core Aerosmith and would stand in line to get something new from them. I once drove down to OKC to get a copy of "Get Your Wings." I used to sit by the river and listen to Joe Perry and man it was good. 

It makes me cry that those days are gone. It's like what that journalist said in the Def Leppard VID. He said, "Twenty years have gone by and the crowd is still expecting 21 year-old's to hit the stage." (And now it's been 30 years.)

80's, 90's, 2000 through 2010-30 years.


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## joshuaaewallen

MartyStrat54 said:


> Well I was hard core Aerosmith and would stand in line to get something new from them. I once drove down to OKC to get a copy of "Get Your Wings." I used to sit by the river and listen to Joe Perry and man it was good.
> 
> It makes me cry that those days are gone. It's like what that journalist said in the Def Leppard VID. He said, "Twenty years have gone by and the crowd is still expecting 21 year-old's to hit the stage." (And now it's been 30 years.)
> 
> 80's, 90's, 2000 through 2010-30 years.



I love Get Your Wings. Great album!


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## captcrunch

After seeing the original question not answered completely for over a year now, I'll answer it. First, there are some things people need to know about how the album was recorded which reveals why the sound is difficult/impossible to re-create identically. The guitars (all of them) were recorded using modified Scholz Rockman headphone amps. The key thing to note is that they were modified by Tom Scholz at Mutt Lange's request. Mutt loved the guitar sounds on ZZ Tops 'Eliminator' and 'Afterburner' records so he made some calls and found out that Tom modified the distortion and bypassed the compression circuits on Billy Gibbons' Rockman. Mutt sent quite a few to Tom for modification and these were used by DI'ing directly into the SSL console (as an aside, Rick Savage also used them for recording his bass). Phil used metal guitar picks and heavy gauge strings which also impacted the tone and set it apart from Steve Clark's tone. The primary guitar Phil used for his parts was a black Fender strat with a humbucker pickup at the bridge and a Floyd Rose installed. Steve used his Les Pauls. There were no amps or cabinets mic'ed at all for 'Hysteria'. 

Some songs require very specific effect techniques to emulate the sound from the record. Take the song 'Hysteria' for example, the song itself is basically a rock ballad played as a waltz. The clean guitar parts at the beginning were played a single note at a time and recorded that way so as to sound like a plucked violin string (pizzicato style). The notes were heavily compressed with the SSL channel comp to remove the attack of the guitar pick and reduce the "bloom" of individual notes. The clean chords that are in the song weren't strummed, they were played note-for-note and recorded that way to create that same pizzicato effect. The timing of the individual notes was critical to maintain the sound of a plucked chord. This is very evident in the chords played right before each line in the second verse "I've gotta know tonight" lyric. Played live in the late 80's, the TC 1210 chorus in loop 5 of the TC 2290 delay was used. Anyway, for cleans use heavy compression with a quick attack and release times, followed by chorus, then delay. Its important to note that delays are always last to spread the stereo sound. In mono, delay b4 chorus will muddy the sound.

The distortion of the 'Hysteria' era is much less distorted than one often thinks. A close listen reveals the heavy use of the SSL channel comps and EQs to smooth the distortion rather than using tube saturation for compression. The time based effects are chorus then delay. A common misconception is that there is reverb on the guitars when it is, in fact, dynamic delay from the TC 2290.

If you really want a glimpse into how the studio sounds were achieved, buy or rent the 'Classic Albums: Hysteria' from Eagle Rock as it has the band members dissecting many of the songs and explaining how things were done.


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## joshuaaewallen

MartyStrat54 said:


> Josh it ain't gonna happen overnight, but as you get to know that RP1000, you are going to see just what it can do. I mean it will run multiple delays all at different time settings and this is the base of the Def Leppard sound. Then you can experiment with the delay time settings and then add chorus to it and then some tasty distortion and you will be getting there. You got the FX to do it all. I would start with working on your own setting using multiple time delays.



Getting Closer... 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n6oNNwPm0I]YouTube - Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard Cover[/ame]

Just playing along w/ a CD...

DISCLAIMER: I make no pretense about being a good guitar player. I am not. I only play well enough so that one might vaguely recognize the song I am pretending to know how to play. That being said, if you are looking for perfection or to criticize, Go elsewhere, If you enjoy good music, even at the hands of a butcher such as myself, then stick around, rock out, and enjoy!


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## plexi-paul

Heres my 2 cents:
there is a lot of good advice on the chorus and delay in previous posts so I will talk about overdrive. I found that tone when I set my amp "clean on the edge of breakup" and run 2 OD pedals in line. I have the gain on both set at about half. I personally like the Bad Monkey with either an OCD or Visual Sound Open Road (just got that last week). I get a very big sound running like that. With 2 OD's, you may loose some of the "natural marshall airy-ness" but you get a thick tone. 
Also, using OD's instead of distortion pedals, you can control the gain so you keep the feedback you want, but aren't noisy. My rig is EXTREMELY QUIET, even with 2 OD's. 
Those are just the OD's I like. The BM is $50, The OCD is $130, and the OR is $120...I think those prices are right. Give that a try some time.


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## joshuaaewallen

plexi-paul said:


> Heres my 2 cents:
> there is a lot of good advice on the chorus and delay in previous posts so I will talk about overdrive. I found that tone when I set my amp "clean on the edge of breakup" and run 2 OD pedals in line. I have the gain on both set at about half. I personally like the Bad Monkey with either an OCD or Visual Sound Open Road (just got that last week). I get a very big sound running like that. With 2 OD's, you may loose some of the "natural marshall airy-ness" but you get a thick tone.
> Also, using OD's instead of distortion pedals, you can control the gain so you keep the feedback you want, but aren't noisy. My rig is EXTREMELY QUIET, even with 2 OD's.
> Those are just the OD's I like. The BM is $50, The OCD is $130, and the OR is $120...I think those prices are right. Give that a try some time.



Everyone here has given a lot of good input. I really appreciate it, to everyone out there, Thanks Guys!

This has been, and continues to be, a lot of fun. The most consistant things I keep hearing involve multiple delays and chorus. I think my basic guitar tone is getting there, but there's still a lot of experimenting and tweaking to do. But I've got no shortage of tools to work with right now so on we go. But... I probably won't be buying any new pedals for a while, my GAS have sent me in a gear shopping frenzy, so once the sustainiac in installed in my guitar... It'll be no more buying for a while. Anyhoo, thanks again to everyone for the good advice, and please, keep it comin'!


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## joshuaaewallen

Non-electric, but still fun...

Rolling Stone Live: Def Leppard Strip Down For Acoustic Versions of 'Hysteria' and 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' | Rolling Stone Culture | Video Blog | Music Entertainment Videos

Rolling Stone Live: Def Leppard, 'Hysteria' | Rolling Stone Music | Videos

Rolling Stone Live: Def Leppard, 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' | Rolling Stone Music | Videos

... Hmm... I think I can get that sound...


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## plankbadger

I know at one point at least live they used the JMP1 pre amp thing.
You could probably get a good approximation with.
A JMP1 preamp
A rack EQ to dial in the tone
A multi-effect like the TC M350 or G-Major
This would supply chorus, delay and reverb.

Ideally you would go into a stereo valve power amp and a couple of cabs
or maybe one stereo cab.


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## Blaine Holcomb

joshuaaewallen said:


> Era... Hysteria & Now.
> 
> I know I'm not likely to peg that tone dead on since I don't have the $$$ for a Jackson PC-1 and a whole rack full of gear, but... Really what I'd like would be a few pedals or the like which can get me as close as possible without spending $3G's...
> 
> That being said... I guess I was hoping for pointers on:
> 
> A) effects to use... and
> B) settings to use on the afore mentioned effects.
> 
> I think that with my current rig I've got a good starting point, I just need to figure out what else to add in to make the recipie complete...
> 
> Thanks for the respnse. I appreciate it. The link turned me on to the need for a flanger, but where to go from there, and how best to use it?
> 
> So... Whaddaya think?


im trying to get that tone with my schecter hellraiser with that sustaniac pickup and a bunch of pedals ...getting close....


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## Dogs of Doom

Their sound is pretty straightforward. They use a lot of ridiculous keyboard parts over a lot of tracks...


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## mickeydg5

After _the sugar incident_ I stopped listening to them.

I may have a listen to the sparkles to see if worhty.


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## LPMarshall hack

mickeydg5 said:


> After _the sugar incident_ I stopped listening to them.
> 
> I may have a listen to the sparkles to see if worhty.


Hahaa....”the sugar incident”. That’s good. I hate that song. I assume that’s what you’re talking about?


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## mickeydg5

LPMarshall hack said:


> Hahaa....”the sugar incident”. That’s good. I hate that song. I assume that’s what you’re talking about?


You got it.
I do not hate the song but it was more of a pop turning point, bubble gum stuff turning me off.


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## 67Mopar

Rockman X100 + Tube Screamer.


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## mickeydg5

Processors from Yamaha, Korg, Roland, Boss, Alesis, Rocktron, Lexicon, Eventide, TC, Sony and so on.


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## johan.b

Pyromania, apparently, was recorded with a Rockman, modified by Tom Scholts, so the speaker simulation was bypassed. It was then sent through a palmer speaker simulator instead. 
The goal was "the most commercial guitar sound possible" . I guess they reached that goal.. the same Rockman unit had previously been used by both Boston and ZZ-top
This according to an interview on the net ages ago with the studio tech for that album(forgot his name). He also said he wouldn't do it again...
J


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## SkyMonkey

To get to Def Leppard, get off the M1 at junction 34 (Sheffield, Meadowhall) and set the sat-nav for Broomhill, 1977.


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