Vivian, what do you like about
Mojave amps?
Campbell: They really breathe, and when
you hang onto a note, you’re hearing all
these rich overtones and undertones that
you don’t hear in a lot of amps. Basically,
the Scorpion is like a slightly hot-rodded
version of an early JTM45, so it’s got that
old-school thing.
Phil, what do you get from ManRaze that
you don’t get from Def Leppard?
Collen: It’s the edge thing and the excitement.
It’s very instant and immediate. Even lyrically,
I can go places that I can’t go with Def
Leppard. There’s such a precise sound in Def
Leppard that we can’t really stray too far from
what we’ve done, otherwise the fans kind of
turn off. We can’t go off and do things in left
field, because they wouldn’t appreciate it.
With ManRaze, your guitar has a
rawer sound.
Collen: It’s less processed. Also, a lot of
the stuff is first take with ManRaze. I really
think that makes a huge difference. A lot
of times when we record the Def Leppard
stuff, we do lots of parts, we edit, and
therefore it comes out in a different way.
With ManRaze, a lot of the lead vocals and
most of the guitar is done in one take. We
did
Punkfunkrootsrock in two weeks.
Vivian, what’s it like playing in Thin Lizzy?
Campbell: It’s a dream for me. I wanted to
be in Thin Lizzy when I was 18. It’s like being
a teenager again being able to do that. I’m so
familiar with the catalog—it’s ingrained in my
DNA. It’s such a pleasure to get out onstage
and be Brian Robertson, Eric Bell,
and Gary
Moore all in one night. I haven’t been this
excited in decades about my instrument, and
I think I’m playing better than ever as a result.
Will there be a Def Leppard studio
album in 2012?
[
Both answer simultaneously.]
Collen: No.
Campbell: Yes.
[
Laughs.]
Campbell’s Les Paul is shown here bedecked with Jim Dunlop
stainless steel picks—a key part of the
Leppard guitar sound.
Phil Collen’s Gearbox
Guitars
Jackson PC1, Jackson PC Supreme
Amps
Marshall JMP-1 tube preamp, Randall RRM-2-250 solid-state
power amp, four Marshall 4x12 cabs
Effects
TC Electronic D-Two digital delay, TC Electronic 1210 Spatial
Expander+Stereo Chorus/Flanger, TC Electronic G-System,
MXR M117R Flanger, Alesis MidiVerb II, Digital Music Corp.
Ground Control, Digital Music Corp. GCX Expander
Strings and Picks
GHS Boomers (.013–.054 seets), Dunlop stainless steel picks
(for electric), Jim Dunlop 1.14 mm Tortex (for acoustic)
Vivian Campbell’s Gearbox
Guitars
Rebuilt guitar with 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom neck,
Gibson ’56 Custom Shop Reissue Les Paul
Amps
Marshall JMP-1 tube preamp, two Engl Tube Poweramp
E850/100 power amps, Mojave Scorpion head and Mojave
4x12 cab (for Thin Lizzy)
Effects
Way Huge Angry Troll, Jim Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Signature
Wah, three Jim Dunlop Cry Baby wahs, Fulltone Tube Tape
Echo, Yamaha D1500 digital delay, TC Electronic TC 2290
Dynamic Digital Delay+Effects Control Processor, Eventide
Omnipressor, Rocktron Chorus
Strings and Picks
Jim Dunlop strings (.013–.054 sets), Dunlop stainless steel
picks (for electric), Jim Dunlop 1.14 mm Tortex (for acoustic)