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Sum 41 - Fat Lip - Guitar Lesson

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Key E major
Sum 41 - Fat Lip guitar lesson video
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
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Sum 41 Pop Rock E major
Capo Advisor 0 E major · Original key

About Fat Lip

Few punk-influenced tracks from 2001 pack as much into four minutes as "Fat Lip" by Sum 41. The song sits in E major at 104 BPM in E Standard tuning, which keeps everything accessible without any retuning headaches. The backbone of the song is a driving, palm-muted power chord riff that cycles relentlessly through the verse, and nailing the tightness of that muting is really the central challenge. If your muting is sloppy, the riff loses all its punch, so use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down until your pick hand and fret hand are completely in sync. The pre-chorus and chorus open up into full, open-sounding chords that demand a clean shift in right-hand feel from muted chug to full strum. There is also a brief but fun lead section that sits comfortably in the upper register and is worth looping slowed down to get the phrasing right. This is a genuinely rewarding song for anyone working on rhythm-guitar precision in Pop Rock.

  • The verse riff relies heavily on tight palm muting over power chords in E Standard, making right-hand control the main technical hurdle.
  • At 104 BPM the song sits at a moderate pace, but keeping the palm-muted chugging clean and even at full speed takes focused practice.
  • The lead guitar break introduces some upper-register melodic phrasing, a good opportunity to practise smooth position shifts on the higher strings.

How to Play Fat Lip

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E major · Tempo: 104 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 104 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Fender Telecaster
Guitar

Fender Telecaster

Brownsound used Telecasters in the studio for Sum 41's cleaner tones, providing bright, articulate attack that contrasts their signature heavy rhythms. The single-coil snap cuts through for jangly intros and softer passages on albums like "Does This Look Infected?"

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Brownsound's primary workhorse, modified with active pickups for tight high-gain response that defines Sum 41's aggressive palm-muted riff tone. The Les Paul's thick body provides the warm sustain needed for their melodic punk-metal hooks.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Brownsound's alternative Les Paul model offering similar weight and responsiveness as the Standard, modified identically with active pickups for consistent tight, compressed attack across their heavy material. The Custom's binding aesthetics matched his black finish preference.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The core of Sum 41's tone, driven at moderate gain around 6-7 for articulate, tube-saturated distortion that cleans up on lighter picking. The JCM800's aggressive midrange bite cuts through the mix on tracks like "Fat Lip" and "In Too Deep."

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier
Amp

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier

Used for heavier album material and live performances on "Chuck," the Dual Rectifier's scooped low-end and thicker saturation provided the thrash-influenced crunch Sum 41 needed when pushing beyond Marshall's natural response.

EMG 81
Pickup

EMG 81

Brownsound's bridge pickup choice, the EMG 81's tight, compressed attack and fast response made it perfect for Sum 41's rapid palm-muted riffing and cutting lead tones. Its active design delivered consistent output to his cranked Marshalls.

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