Phil Collen: “I put a DiMarzio Super Distortion T in my Teles and got the sound we’d been trying to get for years“

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The Def Leppard guitarist reveals the role of the Fender Telecaster on the band’s multi-million selling albums Pyromania and Hysteria

Phil Collen
(Image credit: Courtesy of Phil Collen)

Is it true there’s a Tele on every track of Hysteria? 

“Pretty much. We always used Telecasters to track stuff. On Pyromania you had a Les Paul and a Tele playing the same part to give you the full range. On the latest Def Leppard stuff I’ll use a Tele and a Jackson and blend the two.“   

During the making of Pyromania, you played a Les Paul and an Ibanez Destroyer, while Steve Clark also favoured a Les Paul. What led you to use Teles? 

So it was it Mutt’s idea to use Telecasters? 

“It’s like vocals – tenors and baritones blending together. Guitars do the same thing. AC/DC didn’t use Telecasters, but it’s where Mutt got the idea for the clarity. A lot of rock bands were just a wall of fuzz. You want it to breathe and be a bit cooler. That’s where the Telecaster comes in.“

Which Def Leppard songs have obvious Telecaster parts?

“We did a song with [US country star] Tim McGraw, Nine Lives. I used it all the way through that. The intro to Rock of Ages was a Tele. That was recorded before I joined the band. The main riff to Hysteria is another one. It’s actually [bassist] Rick Savage playing that, on a black Tele with a Kahler. When we were making Pyromania and Hysteria, we had a black Strat and a black Tele floating around as band guitars.“ 

Do you modify your Telecasters at all? 

“I’ve got this beautiful blonde Telecaster I got in Dublin when we were rehearsing for Hysteria. I changed the bridge. I’m not a fan of the classic Tele bridge. I like a six-saddle. We’re so meticulous and we track up so many things, so you need it bang in tune.“ 

How do you set up your Teles? 

“I use really heavy strings anyway. I have 13s on my Jacksons. With a Tele I can sometimes go a bit higher and harder. At the moment I have 14-56. You can really thrash it, and it gets rid of some nasty frequencies to make it easier for recording.“ 

And what do you use Teles for on tour? 

“Live I sometimes use a Tele on Love Bites, Too Late For Love, or Armageddon It. I change it up, stuff that’s a bit clearer or where I’m not playing the solo. But having said that, now I’ve got the DiMarzio in there I can play a solo and it sounds killer anyway.“