says Mike Campbell's guitar tech about the Gibson Firebird Vintage Electric Guitar. Mike from Indianapolis Good interview! Just doing a Heartbreakers album can put you in a home (laughs)! My guitar tech has been bugging me to go and actually take pictures of them and make a computer file. Well, they all make a different sound, you know? There has to be some kind of fuzzbox on the second guitar track. Is there any particular guitarist who influenced the way you play guitar? Mike Campbell Heartbreaker American Standard Telecaster Electric Guitar We're sorry-this item is unavailable. Well, it sort of built. If theres something I dont think Id ever use, I usually dont buy it. We found three of them. And my first acoustic was also given to me it was a Gibson J-45 I got after a gig when some kid came up and said, I loved how you played. They wanted me to do a Tom Petty model of that guitar, and I did, though I changed it a bit; I made the neck wider because I always thought the neck was a little cramped at the end. Get the latest and greatest Guitar news with one of our guitar magazine subscriptions. I think the record company gave us some money when we first got together, and we bought 10 of these big Vox amps. But if I had a choice, Id probably use my old D-28. And almost all the rhythm Tom played the parts for were on that 64 Strat. It used to have this great built-in fuzz and the destruct button built into it. Together, the two have been the key to an unmistakable rock and roll sound created by one of pop musics longest-lasting entities. Id like to give it to you.. Therell be a certain sound that we want, and cant get with a Stratocaster, but a Gretsch makes that sound. We recently caught up with Petty and Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, with whom Petty has been working since the earliest days of the band. Ive refinished it since that day. Well, I dont know its over 100, and theyre all really good ones. Ill do it. And I loved it. As for the infamous Rickenbacker that accompanies Petty on the cover of 1979s Damn The Torpedoes, Campbell says its as important to him as it is to every guitar lover whos stared at it over the years. And the top horn looks like somebody cut it it used to be like the 12-string on Torpedoes. or Best Offer. That album cover sort of put Rickenbacker back on the map. This is where the tornado sequence for The. 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. Musicman Stingray guitar vintage 1977 11. What are you waiting for. You write songs primarily on guitar right? Youve said that this could well be your last big tour, is that right? The same with Carl Wilson. So Id like the opportunity to live a somewhat normal life for a while; our life has really been either on the road or in the studio, and very little else. I havent quite got that far, but I do have a list. "It doesn't have the buckle wear and tear like the other ones do, but I love it anyway," Campbell says. We used to call it the mystery guitar. 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." 'Cept it's not a Rickenbacker. Gibson SG 9. Theres a special story behind that guitar, Campbell says of the black Rickenbacker he plays on American Girl, closing just about every show. 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 Through that experience, I got some records and really got interested in 50s rock. Rig Rundown - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Mike Campbell, Rig Rundown: Starcrawler's Henri Cash - Premier Guitar | The best guitar and bass reviews, videos, and interviews on the web. Tom Petty &The Heartbreakers 2014 Hypnotic Eye 2 Guitar Picks &. And I have them set up at home, in my studio. I think Blair is probably is more locked with the drummer, where Howie played more like a guitar player. Wed love to stay in touch, sign up for The Pick team to contact you with great news, content and offers. R "Rich Robinson had this out, or had a new Mason from Duesenberg. Are you on the lookout for anything in particular? Its such a good-sounding guitar. Mike Campbell is an American guitarist, songwriter, and record producer famous for being in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers band. Im very much in love with the early-60s Fenders. 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. You dont say, Oh, this is the wrong well, so Im not going to take it! You take what youre given, and hope its from a good place.. And he just gave it to me. Campbell, who died on Tuesday, aged 81, of Alzheimer's disease, was a guitar prodigy at age 10.He spent his childhood on an Arkansas farm with no electricity, where he was the seventh son in a . So when we started doing that song live, I just wanted to honor him. 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. Featuring a Laminated Flame Maple back and sides with a Laminate Spruce top, this semi hollow design with sustain block allows for a stable, rich, resonant and dynamic tone. It kinda moved us up to headlining status. He said, No, Ive got it in my trunk and I cant really play it. Hes been a co-producer on some of the most successful albums in rock history. I told her that Id seen this guitar, but couldnt afford to get it, and she said, Yeah, Ill buy it for you. Those two bottles and an old tshirt will get your D-28 looking great. Wed never played Fenway and that was epic. Madison Square Garden is a big deal, he begins, ticking off the most memorable shows of their recent 30-date US tour with an almost childlike enthusiasm. As for effects, there is a Boss GT6 multi-effects unit on sale, but don't spend all your money on that until you've considered the MKII Watkins Copicat tape echo, which would look nice in your home studio, right? Its the one Ive used the most, and I bought it because Roger McGuinn played one. It's what he plays on 'Free Falling," says Mike Campbell's guitar tech while talking about the Rickenbacker 360 Electric Guitar. And he played his Les Paul a bit. I gave him a hard time for keeping his guitar tech, Steve, so busy during the live show. Or are you more likely to buy something because you need a certain sound for a certain song. 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. Any particular songs stick in your mind from back then? Ours was the first solidbody one. We were band members again. 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. 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I like to be able to just pull them out and use them on impulse if I need to. Well, nothings written in stone. BA1 1UA. Well thats a lot. did you use to get the sound f "Rickenbacker, 370, 360? If there was three of us playing, one of us might play that. I mostly played acoustic. And one day, we looked up and there were hundreds of them! $4.99 shipping. 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. And it included something of an homage to the guitar. Some were iconic, on his wish list from his earliest days playing the guitar. All those albums probably had a whole bunch of guitar licks or guitar parts that jumped out at you? On almost every song there was at least one or two acoustic Martins. Tom played it on American Girl and used it for rhythm parts on several albums. Next, the video moves onto a '80s - '90s-era white Firebird V Campbell picked up while on tour with Fleetwood Mac. Theres a 1956 J-200 acoustic guitar, a Gold Top Les Paul Standard with coverless P-90s. So far, has everything on tour gone as planned in terms of crowd response, especially to the new tracks? $199.97. Usually, but not on Highway Companion; Jeff Lynne played bass on this one. But this is a great-sounding guitar, and a real workhorse. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers begin a World tour on April 18 in Broomfield, CO. Campbell has been of significant play in the Heartbreakers and has been co-writers with petty for many of the band's hit songs. Malcolm Young more influential than EVH or Clapton? Each instrument includes a small number of guitar picks used by Mike Campbell on the last Heartbreakers tour. Our drummer at the time, Stan Lynch, and Ron Blair, our bass player, who had both played in other bands in Florida, were in L.A. Bath Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). 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. His favourite 12-string at the moment is also, of course, a Rickenbacker. And weve gone full circle back to using them again. So I always use that guitar on that song. Jan 19, 2019 - Explore Janet's board "Mike Campbell" on Pinterest. Holding the groove down and a sense of melody, tone all of those things. I don't know. Other guitars include a 1980s Gibson Les Paul Black Beauty '55 Reissue, bought as a road dog to spare his '56 original, a 1950s Kay Barney Kessel Artist and an Italia Monza with a built-in amplifier. I can see it coming down to fewer shows. Your parents bought your first guitar, a Stella acoustic. This is the bypass switch for the Whammy. On your solo records, do you do most of the bass playing? My dad was on tour in Okinawa and sent me a $60 Goya electric six-string, he tells us. 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. Plus, I was also below the weight limit, so I got a temporary deferment and never got called back. Don't miss the latest deals, news, reviews, features and tutorials. But throughout the whole tour I felt the band played really well, and I was very proud of everybody.. Mike Campbell [left] and Tom Petty back in 1977. I passed the other day on a Mary Kaye Strat. Campbell is famed for the wide variety and sheer number of guitars he brings along to a show. He was real good at that, so it was kind of a fresh direction. would be able to answer every individual question.) But I havent been able to find one. I dont know if it was an homage to the guitar, but we thought there should be at least a token instrument. Love all those guys. And Dunlop was going to do a version put out by Dunlop called Campbell Toe for Mike Campbell - a smaller version. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, when it formed, was essentially the conglomeration of prior groups Mudcrutch (Petty, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench) and Road Turkey (Stan Lynch and Ron Blair). We made some demos, sent them out to a bunch of record companies, and got rejected by almost everybody except for London and Denny Cordells label, Shelter. I just try to write a good song, which requires enough effort. Jimmy Iovine came in to produce it, and we had a big hit (Refugee). Vintage Guitar: What goes through your mind when you think about the fact that the first Heartbreakers album is 30 years old come November? Well, hes right up there. Blair resumed the role soon afterward.). Campbell himself mentions the Bassman in this September 1999 "Spotlight on a Heartbreaker" interview from the official Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers website. I think its better that they get used. In 1970, Campbell was two years out of high school and living in. I think the first good guitar I bought was the 64 Stra Tom is playing on the current tour. Ive seen the prototype and its incredible. I saw Bruce Springsteen had one and I was telling him I invented that! (laughs). Rickenbacker 360 12. I try not to (chuckles) because thatll wear you out. Used on a slew of recordings, Campbell himself mentions the guitar in this September 1999 "Spotlight on a Heartbreaker" interview from the official Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers website.