Song Rig
Pour Some Sugar on Me
Steve Clark · Hysteria · 1987
Tone Overview
What Makes This Sound Unique
Def Leppard's biggest single and a masterclass in 1980s arena rock guitar production — Mutt Lange's production layered Clark and Campbell's guitars into a massive wall of sound. The individual guitar tone is a tight, warm Gibson into a modified Marshall, but the stacked production makes it sound like ten guitars playing simultaneously.
Signal Chain
- 1Gibson Les Paul Standard (Clark's custom 'Tequila Sunrise')
- 2Modified Marshall JCM800 (with additional preamp stage)
- 3Studio layering (8+ guitar tracks)
Amp Settings
Warm high-gain Les Paul into Marshall — unlike the brighter Strat-based sounds of Maiden, Def Leppard used Les Pauls for a warmer, heavier fundamental tone. The extreme studio layering creates the apparent wall of sound.
Technique
How to Play It
Multi-tracked guitar wall — Clark and Campbell recorded numerous identical rhythm guitar passes at slightly different tempos and positions, panned across the stereo field. The result is a guitar sound that fills the entire sonic space.
Budget Alternative
Achievable With
Les Paul → Marshall at high gain → record 4 rhythm guitar passes, pan at hard left, center-left, center-right, hard right → combine. The width comes from multiple performances, not from a single wide stereo effect.
Your Gear
Adapt to My Amp
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