Welcome back to Guitardoor.com, where we celebrate the true guitar heroes who combine flawless technique with brilliant melodic songwriting. Today, we’re diving into the massive, stadium-shaking sound of one of the 80s’ most successful and precise players: the legendary lead guitarist of Def Leppard, the one and only Phil Collen. As a key songwriter and one-half of the band’s iconic “Terror Twins” guitar duo (first with Steve Clark, now with Vivian Campbell), Collen was a primary architect of the “pop-metal” sound, a player whose incredible virtuosity, melodic genius, and studio-perfect tone powered some of the biggest anthems in rock history.
The Sound of Hysteria
The sound of Def Leppard in their prime was a revolutionary force. Under the meticulous direction of producer “Mutt” Lange, they moved beyond traditional, blues-based hard rock to create a massive, layered, and “studio-as-an-instrument” sound that was closer to a pop masterpiece than a raw metal record. Phil Collen, who joined before the Pyromania explosion, was the perfect guitarist for this new world. He was not a “greasy” blues-rocker; he was a precision instrument. He and Steve Clark built “guitar orchestras,” meticulously layering dozens of clean, arpeggiated, and chorused guitar parts to create a shimmering, massive wall of sound that was unlike anything else on the radio.
Anatomy of a Pop-Metal Pioneer
The guitar playing of Phil Collen is the very definition of precision, melody, and control. It is a world away from the “sloppy” swagger of other rock genres; it’s a masterclass in making every single note count, all while executing with a flawless, studio-perfect technique. To listen to a Collen solo is to hear a perfectly composed “song within a song,” a melodic statement that is as catchy, brilliant, and essential as the vocal hook itself. He proved that “shred” could be sophisticated, clean, and incredibly musical.
The Melodic Composer: Collen is a true compositional soloist, in the same revered category as Vito Bratta or Elliott Easton. His solos are not improvised; they are meticulously crafted melodies. He has an incredible gift for “vocal-like” phrasing, making his guitar sing a counter-melody that perfectly elevates the song.
Fluid, Controlled Fire: He is a true virtuoso with a complete command of all shred techniques. His style is built on incredibly clean, rapid-fire alternate picking and a buttery-smooth, almost “liquid” legato style. His speed is never for its own sake; it’s always in service of a deliberate, melodic idea.
The Arpeggiated Architect: A huge part of the Def Leppard sound is his rhythm playing. Instead of just big, distorted power chords, Collen built the songs from layers of clean, chiming, and often complex arpeggiated chords, all drenched in chorus and delay.
The Jackson King: Collen is one of the most famous and loyal players in the history of Jackson Guitars. His iconic, custom, fast-necked Jacksons (like his signature PC1 model) are his primary tools. In the early days, he was also famous for playing an equally iconic Ibanez Destroyer.
The Clean Machine Tone: His tone is the definitive 80s high-gain sound, but with a unique, clean, and highly-processed quality. It’s super-saturated but also incredibly articulate and compressed, with a signature shimmer of chorus and delay. He was a pioneer of using rack gear and, more recently, has been a major proponent of Fractal Audio modelers to perfectly recreate his studio tones live.
The Essential Hooks
Phil Collen’s guitar work is the melodic heart of Def Leppard’s biggest hits. To understand his incredible precision and melodic genius, these three songs are absolutely essential.
Photograph
This is the definitive Pyromania anthem and a masterclass in 80s rock guitar. To approach it, the key is the main riff’s rhythmic precision and the clean, open-string “chime” of the verses. The solo is a textbook example of his “composed” style. It must be learned note-for-note. It’s a perfect lesson in building a melodic arc, starting with a memorable theme before exploding into a flawless, high-speed alternate-picked run.
Hysteria
This is the ultimate showcase of the layered, arpeggiated “Def Leppard sound.” To play this, a guitarist must master the art of texture. The approach is to use a clean tone with a heavy, shimmering chorus and a “dotted-eighth” delay. The song is built on interlocking, clean, arpeggiated patterns, not heavy strumming. The solo is one of the most beautiful and lyrical in all of 80s rock—a pure, soaring melody that should be played with a focus on smooth, vocal-like string bends.
Armageddon It
A driving, T. Rex-inspired rocker, this track features one of his most unique and celebrated solos. The solo is a brilliant and quirky fusion of styles. To approach it, a guitarist must master hybrid picking (using both the pick and fingers) to get the “snappy,” country-style “chicken pickin'” licks that define the first half. The challenge is to then transition seamlessly from that twangy, rhythmic part into the high-speed, fluid legato runs that climax the solo.
In the end, Phil Collen’s legacy is that of one of the true masters of melodic hard rock. He was the complete package: a virtuoso with breathtaking chops, a brilliant songwriter with an amazing ear for hooks, and a key architect of one of the biggest and most unique sounds in rock history. He proved that a “shred” guitarist could be a meticulous, brilliant, and commercially powerful pop craftsman.
Cover Photo Credit “Phil Collen in Australia” by Kevin Nixon is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
