As time went on, I was able to afford guitars which I now buy a lot just because I love collecting them, and I play them all. The Mike Campbell II features a so called "Destruct Knob" placed at the lower cutaway, which enables you to boost the signal by up to 10db, controlling distortion and feedback at any time with the touch of . I think its the last one for a while, simply because theres a lot of recording projects I want to finish, and they dont get finished when we put half of each year into touring. Back in the day, Campbell and Petty used to pair up with the Firebirds. ", "Im always proud to play there. Finally, theres a mid-60s Gibson SG that Campbells been favoring for this tour after recently digging it out of storage. 1. "I could hardly push the strings down, and I figured, Man, these guys Im watching play the guitar must be strong! Then I went to my friends house and he had an SG. I didnt know better and put a string bender in it! Tom played it on a couple of tours in the 80s, and if you look at it closely, even though its been painted black you can see where it used to be red underneath. 103 views, 0 likes, 1 loves, 4 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Peace Lutheran Church: February 5, 2023 - Be Prepared I Walk The Line. He also played Buddy Hollys Thatll Be the Day, Fools Paradise, and lots of Elvis all the great Elvis/Scotty Moore records. No,I had a three-speed turntable, so I could slow down 45s to 33 r.p.m., and 33s down to 16. Those few years of collaboration really made me come back to the band with a more experienced, wider scale of music to work with. Well, I dont know its over 100, and theyre all really good ones. Mike Campbell is an American guitarist, songwriter, and record producer famous for being in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers band. Its so good. Nobody else wanted to do it (laughs)! Well, it got me interested in the music, but it didnt make me want to play guitar. That may or may not happen," says Mike Campbell's guitar tech about the Way Huge Camel On page 3 of his interview in Tone Quest Report Vol. Its a six-string. If you were looking for something that little bit different with a stunning iconic tone then this is the guitar for you. Paul Gray was first and foremost an incredible songwriter, who contributed some of the best stuff Slipknot has ever put out. Of course, were skipping ahead to the mid 60s, with the Beatles and the Beach Boys and all that. The North East has been good to me! All those albums probably had a whole bunch of guitar licks or guitar parts that jumped out at you? So I started playing it, and youre right, I played it for years. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. My guitar tech has been bugging me to go and actually take pictures of them and make a computer file. Photo by Lindsey Best Do you need specific headspace? And if its a track were building, the guitar solo would probably come later. Well, like the best of us, Campbell is a long-term sufferer of Gear Acquisition Syndrome, and they're running out of storage at the Heartbreaker Clubhouse. "Occasionally, I hear something that I think I can add to, but for me to bring that artist out the way I think will do them justice is going to take some time out of my life and my career. "This is one of my favorites. But the truth is, ours a working collection. It was the first one where we broke away from lip-synching altogether. Were really tuned into different tones when were making records, you know? And again, we have a lot of songs to record. But he had this great room in a separate building right next to the studio, with ceilings that are 30 feet high, and wood. I have recently. And hes one of the few rock stars who has actually been quoted in print saying, I dont think we need that much money.. In the Refugee video, you play a red Tele with a humbucker? As a subscriber enjoy big savings off the shop price! The Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Fleetwood Mac guitar legend tells the story of his '59 'Burst Les Paul, the '62 SG Junior he played on Runnin Down a Dream and more. Guitarist plays $40 Harley Benton on arena tour, Marshall pedal reissues finally confirmed. Its the third Rickenbacker 12-string ever made. I liked just the sound of it, and the spirit of what they were doing. And then, you know, I learned stuff off records, slowing them down to try to hear the guitar parts and stuff. And weve gone full circle back to using them again. Here's another thing about Mike: if you clean the necks you're fired, haha, especially on a maple! And, like any guitar lover, he remembers it all via the guitars he crossed paths with along the way My dad always used to play Elvis records, Campbell recalls of his first musical inspirations. I just dont like the way they look never really wanted one. Here he's playing a late-'60s Dan Armstrong lucite model. And of course Mark Knopfler, who I think sounds like he soaks up a lot of J.J.s thing. We were floundering. Thats a good amp, but for me, theres something in the tone of the Fender tubes thats just fantastic those blackface Deluxes, the Princeton I love those in the studio. I buy a lot of stuff from him. , A Guide to Essential Effects Plugins for Your Home Studio, ESP Announces LTD Kirk Hammett Signature Series KH-V, Epiphone Introduces the 1958 Korina Flying V and Explorer, Building a Pro-Level Home-Studio Mic Closet. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). And then I started to move forward. The bulk of his sound comes from a 1963 Fender Princeton and a 1954 Fender tweed Deluxe. A variety of things, Martins mostly, and some Gibsons. "That was my guitar for several years until Tom sat on it and broke the neck off of it". On your solo records, do you do most of the bass playing? Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Note: Epstein replaced Blair in 1982, and passed away in 2003. That was a nice feeling, like nobody was carrying the whole load. Or are you more likely to buy something because you need a certain sound for a certain song. Yamaha SG1000 13. I gave him a hard time for keeping his guitar tech, Steve, so busy during the live show. Heres how it works. Today, nearly 50 years beyond Love Me Tender and Love Me Do, he is the personification of the rock star created by the Beatles appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. And 30 years after his band, the Heartbreakers, formed in Gainesville, Florida, he is still making an impact, still being a force in a medium famous for devouring all but the biggest of its stars. The laconic raconteur of rock very much appreciates that his style never goes out of style, and in selling some 50 million albums he has pandered to nobody not fans, not managers, not record labels. And which electrics can we hear on the album? He tunes the guitar down a whole step, and has been using it on the Hypnotic Eye tour for "American Girl". Reverb Homepage Contact Support 8c8a7d09e90f483fb6d37e1764114e10 Get the Best of Reverb in Your Inbox Campbell reveals to Agnesi that he had been offered a 'Burst for $50,000 in the '80s, but declined, due to the guitar's darker tone conflicting with the trademark jangly and bright sound of the Heartbreakers. Bath Early on, the Heartbreakers were on MTV a lot. I was telling somebody the other day, the only place I feel pressure when we tour is the Garden. She may not be the best cook. We think whoever had it filed the horn down to make it look like Johns and painted it black. Next is a recent Fender Custom Shop Tele with a B-Bender used as a backup, then a pair of Rickenbacker 12-stringsthe one on the right is used on "Free Fallin." All rights reserved. I find it very interesting to see that he runs both the Princeton and the Deluxe clean, and then uses the Camel Toe for overdrive, and apparently the Fender Excelsior for a soloboost. "I have another one from the mid-60s that I use on Free Fallin, Roger McGuinn-style [a 360 with single, rear binding]. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Re: Mike Campbell Playing Rickenbacker Mando with the Heartbreake. During the middle years of the band, that was pretty much all we u "'64-'65 SG. Which we didnt discover, but George Harrison discovered because he had the second one. And Tom pretty much made you join, as opposed to asking you. The acoustics were all Martins the Tom Petty signature models which we had just got. I could make it work. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited. God, its been a long time (laughs) Once we started to make records, we always had cash, so that wasnt a problem. So the non-Tom Petty model specs out the same. Then, of course, that turned around years later, where the old ones became much more expensive than new ones. Just doing a Heartbreakers album can put you in a home (laughs)! It worked because everyone knew each other, and were hanging out before there was a band. We go inside Mike Campbell's drool-inducing lineup of vintage guitars and amps he brings on the road. Once we started making money, we were just buying them left and right. And we did it at Jeffs home studio. For instance, you played Vox Phantom in the video for Refugee.. Did you hold your finger on the label as it would spin? The afternoon after the emotional interview at his house, Campbell is at an enormous soundstage at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California. I wanna give you my guitar. I thought he was crazy on drugs or something. Find album credit information for Voodoo by D'Angelo on AllMusic And I asked him, Are you high? Of course, I didnt have an acoustic, and was dying to get one. Id like to give it to you.. Its also a very quick way of working Highway Companion was three months. He the one. I was about 11 years old, and the music was five or six years past its prime, but I started finding old records. Im not sure what year that is, exactly, but its late-70s model. Yeah, with a 12-string I need a little more room at the end. "On I Wont Back Down, I have the Gretsch Clipper tuned to an open tuning that I use for that slide part. But thats how I hooked up with Rick, and the good thing about working with him is that wed just done a couple of records with Jeff, which is a really fun process, but is a lot of building tracks as opposed to playing rock. 65, or 66. caniki Additional comment actions. The truth is that to have a harmonious group is not easy to do, and we do, Campbell says, evidently feeling lucky at the longstanding and successful relationship he has with Petty and the other Heartbreakers. Mike Campbell is selling a trove of vintage gear on Reverb, including a number of electric guitars and amps he has used through the years with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Don Henley and Fleetwood Mac. Also of note is Campbell's '62 Les Paul SG Junior, which he bought at a video store, of all places for just $120. The series is currently premiering exclusively on TomPetty.com for members of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' Highway Companions Club Plot summary Add synopsis Genre Documentary Parents guide Add content advisory Details Release date Ill take it. And so we formed Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers around that group of people. Fellow songwriters from Stevie Nicks to Bob Dylan have waxed fervently on what Petty songs mean to them. Do you think the guitar, more than any other instrument, has propelled your success? But there were others. Its funny my original 1950 Broadcaster and 64 Stratocaster I always go back to them or it might just be the one I bought this year! Its a big chunk of work. I have decided to sell some of the nicer pieces.. But my favorite Rick is the semi-hollow blond one I played [on The Tonight Show]. Maple Glow. Its been our mainstay for many years. So every lead on those first two records is probably that Broadcaster? Mike Campbell was best known as Tom Petty 's right-hand man for decades. And of course in the late 80s you were doing the Wilburys with some of your personal rock heroes George Harrison, Roy Orbison, and Dylan. Another favourite we have to ask about is his mysterious pale blue Gretsch. Its a really nice, warm, woody-sounding room. I saw Bruce Springsteen had one and I was telling him I invented that! (laughs). Mike Campbell talks about the solid-bodied Rickenbacker 12-string he found shopping through the old "Recycler" advertising newspaper, driving to Anaheim, and later discovering it was built on the assembly line with George Harrison's guitar in the 1960's. Click the link to watch the video. Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. Equipboard breaks down the gear, tools, and products used by artists, pros, and influencers in their craft. Well, its mostly about the groove, isnt it? Or do you just typically react to the emotions and events of a given day? I got it for $120. Together, the two have been the key to an unmistakable rock and roll sound created by one of pop musics longest-lasting entities. Clearly, he knows a thing or two about what it takes to make great records. But it wasnt like Tom had this burning ambition to be the guy. I think it was Denny who said, We should call this Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, because thats what its turning into. It just seemed to evolve. "They said it was the next guitar off the assembly line after George Harrisons", Thats my original 12-string, he explains. Brian Jones was a really good rhythm guitarist, I thought, and rhythm guitar is a lost art, you know? Ive only bought things that I actually play. Ill do it. And I loved it. Its so easy to play. CD LOT - Hard Rock, Pop, Metal: Stewart, Aerosmith, Elton. But I used it in that video because its the guitar I used to record the solo on Refugee.. Many of your videos are today considered groundbreaking, in retrospect. Aug 9, 2015 - Mike Campbell's (Tom Petty's Lead Guitarists ) Gator Guitar . But theyre also both inspiring in their own way. Mike Campbell Heartbreaker American Standard Telecaster Electric Guitar We're sorry-this item is unavailable. What are the differences between making a solo album and a Heartbreakers album? or Best Offer. Its kind of a Butterscotch Tele. If its not, Ill feel like I didnt do my job. Its hard, theres just so many great guitarists from that era, its just hard to narrow them down to who your favorites are, but George is definitely one of mine. I tell you one guitar I want to find; Mike has a couple of different Vox guitars that have the built-in repeaters and fuzztones, and a palm wah. Itll probably be a long time before I get to do another one. I think Blair is probably is more locked with the drummer, where Howie played more like a guitar player. Thats the one I used to record The Waiting and all those classic 12-string numbers. Its got so much history. When I play it on another guitar it sounds okay, but it just doesnt have the same magic it does in that key with that voice. We found three of them. Absolutely. Im always in awe of him, of his talent. And the songs, like American Girl and Breakdown, still hold up. It was playable. I think the record company gave us some money when we first got together, and we bought 10 of these big Vox amps. COOL !!! I (used) a Martin 12-string from the 70s a little bit. We go inside Mike Campbell's drool-inducing lineup of vintage guitars and amps he brings on the road. I had a Gibson Dove, and he had the Stratocaster. And theres something to be said for the aesthetic qualities of a bunch of them, as opposed to one. The thing about it was he was on vacation in Hawaii in thereally late 80s early 90s and just happened to walk into a shop and this was hanging th " '64 Firebird lll, His tech is mistaken; it's not a VII. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers guitarist and Petty songwriting partner Mike Campbell was recently on tour in Australasia with the new version of Fleetwood Mac, proving to the doubters that the Neil Finn/Mike Campbell combination works a treat as Lindsey Buckingham's replacement. Hes an amazing, talented fellow, and I probably learned something from everybody there, just because everybody has a different method and way of working. Later, I took it to Rickenbacker, and they said it was the next guitar off the assembly line after George Harrisons. Its just too valuable now, and Im afraid itll get damaged. And speaking of the Heartbreakers as a band, in the 80s you guys backed Bob Dylan. AceShowbiz - Tom Petty 's longtime sideman Mike Campbell will always regret not going back to the Free Fallin' singer after completing his "The Boys of Summer" demo, because he wanted . His tours are not sponsored by corporations, and his songs are not used in advertising. But George is probably my pinnacle of inspiration he and people like him. The basic formula for Campbell's amp rig is to crank up some low-watt amps and let the PA do all the heavy lifting. I finally just threw it in the corner and got an electric Kay. Don't miss the latest deals, news, reviews, features and tutorials. Rickenbacker Tom Petty Limited Edition Model 660/12TP Elect Fender American Vintage '59 Stratocaster Electric Guitar, Ernie Ball Regular Slinky Guitar Strings 10-46, Find relevant music gear like guitar rig, amplifier setup, effects pedalboard, and other instruments and. I used a Telecaster and my Vox teardrop. For more details and to sign up for an alert once it's live, head over to Reverb (opens in new tab). But looking at it closely, we figured out that it was probably a red guitar thats the same model as the small-body one from the Torpedo cover. The following photos are from the companion book to one of the best music documentaries that I have ever seen named "Runnin' Down a Dream." I added a treble pickup and it became a really nice guitar. And so yeah, I think the 12-string is always that solidbody Rick. Maybe all three of us, or maybe just Tom, depending on the song. We kind of found our sound, our groove, our direction. Its a really good, earthy acoustic sound. Yeah, it was interesting to know what thats like, backing somebody. Well a lot. Mike has been using a small collection of amps with his rig for a while. I just try to write a good song, which requires enough effort. He said, No, Ive got it in my trunk and I cant really play it. "[Out of] all these guitars, [the 'Burst] is the only one I put back in the case when I'm done with it.". I have a couple Vox teardrops I use on the road; ones a white three-pickup that makes a nice rhythm guitar. Wed usually set up acoustic guitars in Jeffs kitchen, which is adjacent to his studio, and just lay the basics down, usually on acoustics. We have a live album that Mikes producing, and a Heartbreakers album that was started a year ago and is a quarter of the way done. Its smaller, but really nice 50s Fenders a Telecaster, the three Strats, a couple of nice Fender six-string basses. Campbells solution was to mount his favourite acoustic and electric guitars above his head on some rigging, using remote control to bring them down within reach. "As weve gone along, thats become a bit of a good problem to have. There has to be some kind of fuzzbox on the second guitar track. (Specs Below). Look around you. The guy who ran the shop said they had a really ugly one in the back, and then brought out this red, three-pickup Firebird. Ill maybe do a song here and there, but to do a whole album is really taking on their life.. They were thinking maybe youd like to play guitar on it. Well, the idea scared the s*** out of me, but I went down to the studio with my little Marshall, set it up, and they put the track on. Get the latest and greatest Guitar news with one of our guitar magazine subscriptions. So it has the same wiring and sound as Georges. Campbell's guitar tech, Steve Winstead, walks us through every guitar, amp, and pedal and lets us in on Campbell's time-tested formula for great tone. Thank you for reading 5 articles this month*, US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year, UK pricing 2.99 per month or 29.00 per year, Europe pricing 3.49 per month or 34.00 per year, *Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription.