Riff Tone

Wasted

Def Leppard

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul Standard (Steve Clark, 1979-1980 era, likely with DiMarzio Super Distortion bridge pickup)

AmpMarshall JMP 2203 Master Lead 100W Head

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge humbucker, likely), stock Gibson humbucker (neck)

Amp Settings

gain7

bass6

mid6.5

treble7

reverb0.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1979-1980. Gear confirmed for 'High 'n' Dry' era and 'Wasted' recording sessions. No evidence of pedals or rack effects for riff section; tone is dry, raw, and amp-driven.

Tone Character(10)

raw British crunchtight and percussiveaggressive bridge pickup attackclassic Marshall midrange bitedry and unprocessedpunchy palm-muted chugsclear note separationslightly saturated amp overdrivein-your-face rhythm soundminimal sustain

Difficulty

The riff is fast and requires tight, consistent palm muting and alternate picking, but uses straightforward power chords and rhythm patterns typical of early 80s hard rock.

Sources

Def Leppard High n Dry tone | Guitar Forum - The Gear Page Def Leppard (specifically Steve Clark) tone from earlier albums

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