Riff Tone
High 'N' Dry (Saturday Night) [Remastered 2018]
Def Leppard
Guitarrock1980s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson Les Paul Standard
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203
PickupsHumbucker (likely Gibson stock or Seymour Duncan, exact model unconfirmed for this session)
Amp Settings
gain7
bass6
mid5
treble7
reverb1
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
chorusUnknown Chorus pedal (model unknown)
Notes
Studio recording, 1981 (album released 1981, remastered 2018). Main rhythm/riff tone attributed to Marshall JCM800 2203 with Les Paul Standard. Some sources mention Rockman X100 for later Def Leppard tones, but for 'High 'N' Dry' era, JCM800 is most consistently cited. Chorus effect is present and likely added via pedal or rack, not amp.
Tone Character(10)
tight, punchy rhythm crunchscooped mids for 80s-style rhythm tonesaggressive bridge pickup bitebright and articulatemodest gain, not over-saturatedchorus shimmer on rhythmpercussive attackclear note separationBritish amp voicingslight compression for sustain
Difficulty
The riff requires fast, tight alternate picking and palm muting with precise chord changes, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.
Sources
Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear
Create Free AccountGuitarrock1980s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson Les Paul Standard
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203
PickupsHumbucker (likely Gibson stock or Seymour Duncan, exact model unconfirmed for this session)
Amp Settings
gain7
bass6
mid5
treble7
reverb1
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
chorusUnknown Chorus pedal (model unknown)
Notes
Studio recording, 1981 (album released 1981, remastered 2018). Main rhythm/riff tone attributed to Marshall JCM800 2203 with Les Paul Standard. Some sources mention Rockman X100 for later Def Leppard tones, but for 'High 'N' Dry' era, JCM800 is most consistently cited. Chorus effect is present and likely added via pedal or rack, not amp.
Tone Character(10)
tight, punchy rhythm crunchscooped mids for 80s-style rhythm tonesaggressive bridge pickup bitebright and articulatemodest gain, not over-saturatedchorus shimmer on rhythmpercussive attackclear note separationBritish amp voicingslight compression for sustain
Difficulty
The riff requires fast, tight alternate picking and palm muting with precise chord changes, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.
More Def Leppard tones
- Hysteria · riff
- Photograph · riff
- Photograph · riff
- Pour Some Sugar On Me · riff
- Animal · riff
- Hysteria · riff
- Too Late for Love · riff
- Gods of War · riff
- Rock of Ages · riff
- Switch 625 · solo