To hear Phil Collen tell it, he joined Def Leppard almost by accident. He had loaned the band one of his amps, and when they asked him to play some leads on their upcoming record Pyromania, Collen thought he was just doing his friends a solid. The rest is history.
He and Shifty talk through Collen’s formative years on guitar, where he soaked up the scorching playing of classic guitar heroes: Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Mick Ronson, Michael Schenker, and Gary Moore all played a hand in Collen’s high-flying fretwork.
Collen’s solo on “Photograph” is a perfect example of the sort of “ear candy” that producer Mutt Lange encouraged the band to chase in the studio—and yes, he did record individual notes to build a single guitar chord on Pyromania. But there weren’t many tricks to Collen’s sound on the solo. His Ibanez Destroyer and a 50-watt Marshall were all he needed to get the job done for the slick, Blackmore-inspired solo. Tune in to see how he worked that two-piece setup to record one of the most influential guitar solos of the ’80s.
Credits
Producer: Jason Shadrick
Executive Producers: Brady Sadler and Jake Brennan for Double Elvis
Engineering Support by Matt Tahaney and Matt Beaudion
Video Editors: Dan Destefano and Addison Sauvan
Special thanks to Chris Peterson, Greg Nacron, and the entire Volume.com crew.
The JMaster prewired pickguard features hand built pickups with Alnico 5 magnets and wide stacked coils for a rich and balanced single coil tone without the extra noise.
The pickguard comes with unique upper horn controls that can be used with both pickups. The beloved SPC control packs a punch with its mighty mid-boost at the turn of a dial; while the EXG Control simultaneously boosts the low and high frequencies giving your instrument a liquid tone with full bottom end and enhanced highs. With the flip of a switch, the SPC can be changed to a clean boost across the full frequency spectrum with 12dB on tap for that extra aggression when needed.
EMG JMaster Alnico V Pre-wired Pickguard - Ivory
JMaster Alnico 5-stacked Wired PG - IvoryIntroducing the new Gibson Dual Falcon 20 2x10 Combo amplifier, paying homage to Gibson's legendary past with vintage tone reimagined in a modern two-channel design.
Two-Channel Flexibility
The Dual Falcon features two channels with identical Volume, Tone, and footswitchable Reverb controls, plus footswitchable Tremolo. Players can also select between Full, Half, or Low power modes on each channel, giving you tons of tonal flexibility without needing pedals.
Effects Loop
If you do use pedals, the Dual Falcon takes them beautifully. A buffered series Effects Loop gives you more processing options, helping you get exactly the sound that’s in your head.
Gibson Falcon Amps: Tube-fueled Icons Soar with New Wings
The Dual Falcon joins the Falcon 5 1x10 Combo and the Falcon 20 1x12 Combo. Inspired by vintage Gibson amps and reimagined for today’s players, Gibson Falcon amplifiers are handcrafted in Petaluma, California, and focus on great sound, simplicity, and ease of use.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.