80s Guitar Tones: Chorus, Bright Amps & Big Reverb

The 80s had a sound: bright, wide and drenched in chorus and reverb. Here's how to get it.

The key ingredients

• Chorus: lush stereo chorus on cleans and leads.
• Amp: a bright, articulate amp — clean sparkle or hot-rodded crunch.
• Reverb: big halls and gated reverb for that era's drama.
• Delay: rhythmic delays to widen the sound.

Go bigger than you think

The 80s aesthetic embraces effects — stack chorus, delay and reverb, then tame the low end to keep it clear.

Get presets

Browse our 80s presets for Kemper, Helix, Quad Cortex, ToneX and more.

FAQ

What effect defines the 80s guitar sound? Lush chorus, closely followed by big reverb and delay.

Clean or crunch for 80s? Both — sparkly cleans for pop, bright crunch for rock.