You pushed it and it just got this great overdrive buzz. I studied it quite a bit at slow speed and tried to figure out what he was doing. The stuff no one in their right mind would part with, and it offers a fascinating perspective from which to trace the career of a guitarist and producer who has worked with Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Don Henley, and now of course fronts The Dirty Knobs. But it was fun. How old were you when you started writing songs? The Dirty Knobs frontman sits down with Gibson to talk guitars and reveal some of his favourites, from the Runnin Down A Dream SG Jr to the obligatory 59 Les Paul Standard. He knows when I come in that its going to be hard for me to walk out without buying something. Yeah, absolutely Carl Wilson was absolutely an influence. It worked because everyone knew each other, and were hanging out before there was a band. Except for the signature models, were talking 60s guitars, or. Please try again. "[Out of] all these guitars, [the 'Burst] is the only one I put back in the case when I'm done with it.". The part about production Im a little apprehensive with is that when people come to you to produce their record, youve taken responsibility for their career. "I have another one from the mid-60s that I use on Free Fallin, Roger McGuinn-style [a 360 with single, rear binding]. What was it like, standing in a room playing alongside those guys? On the single, Saving Grace. He used a Vox for that for the slide part, and actually I played the rhythm part on it. But I didnt know any better! When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Tom Petty: (laughs) What goes through my mind? When I play it on another guitar it sounds okay, but it just doesnt have the same magic". Whose idea was it? Starting with guys who are alive; J.J. Cale has always been an inspiration to me. Its kind of a noble pursuit, in a way. On the subject of television, you, the Heartbreakers, and MTV kind of grew up together, and your early videos are just chock full of the guitars that fans came to know pretty well through the years. Im told your guitar collection includes a Rickenbacker that has so far avoided full identification. His favorite 12-string is the Tom Petty solidbody, which we did use on the record quite a bit. I could play the whole show with a Tele or a Les Paul or an SG. I told her that Id seen this guitar, but couldnt afford to get it, and she said, Yeah, Ill buy it for you. 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. The bottom line is about tone. But I dont think there were any vintage acoustics, per se. But Mike has some that make all these sounds. Pick your selections. Yeah, Breakdown, American Girl, I Need to Know a lot of those solos and rhythm parts were on that Broadcaster. 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 speaking of reverence, one listen to Petty and Campbell as they discuss vintage guitars and amps, and its obvious these are two guys who make no bones about what has inspired them. It didnt take long at all because I went in with everything written. The acoustics were all Martins the Tom Petty signature models which we had just got. Yeah, its a mid-60s model with three pickups. Pettys partner in nearly every step of the music-making process, Campbell is the epitome of the musical right-hand man. This is for 'You Wreck Me,' which is tuned up to F, half step up," explains Mike Campbell's guitar tech about the Fender American Vintage '59 Stratocaster Electric Guitar in Sherwood Green. Gibson SG 9. Fast forward to you first bands, the Epics, and then Mudcrutch. 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. "They said it was the next guitar off the assembly line after George Harrisons", Thats my original 12-string, he explains. Mick liked one of them, but he never did work on it. Theyre tools, and I look at them like colors or paint brushes; each has a different texture or color, and if thats what you need, only that guitar will make that sound. The first nice guitar I got was a Gibson Firebird at a pawn shop when we were on tour in Alabama, says Campbell of his earliest days as a professional musician. Guitarist plays $40 Harley Benton on arena tour, Marshall pedal reissues finally confirmed. The best $150 Mike Campbell ever spent! All those bands that broke up far earlier than we did, or all those bands that are still together but just hate each other thats not us. And maybe I learned a couple of other Dylan songs. That one is actually owned by Mike. On a lot of records, you hear certain chords, and thats what makes the record, that tone. Are there a couple of especially fond memories of those recording sessions? Theyve cloned it for me and are going to reissue that soon. 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 since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to publications including Guitar World, MusicRadar and Total Guitar. But the truth is, ours a working collection. You look up after 30 years of being on the road, and youve never done anything else. would be able to answer every individual question.) Tom played it on American Girl and used it for rhythm parts on several albums. And then we came across another sunburst one. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Mike had some really weird little guitar that he played slide on. "I like this because it has a string bender on it, which is rare on a Gibson. I like Vox guitars a lot. And the top horn looks like somebody cut it it used to be like the 12-string on Torpedoes. Its a little-body one. Itll probably be a long time before I get to do another one. He augments that with a custom Fender Excelsior and a Fender Vibrotane for Leslie-type effects. This is the bypass switch for the Whammy. When you turn down the other Ricks, they get a little sloppy with the lower pitch, but this one sounds great.. And all of those Beatles records always have beautiful solos, with good tone and not much noodling; every note serves a purpose to the song, not to the players. Also LA, because thats sort of our home town, maybe Chicago and, on this tour, Seattle and Fenway Park in Boston. 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. Find album credit information for Voodoo by D'Angelo on AllMusic Yeah, I do it all the time. So I always use that guitar on that song. He said, No, Ive got it in my trunk and I cant really play it. She may not be the best cook. In your eyes, whats the difference between a Tom Petty solo record and a Heartbreakers album? Speaking of, thats the track you played on your recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and you guys were amazingly tight. Clearly, he knows a thing or two about what it takes to make great records. He played with Petty in the pre-Heartbreakers band Mudcrutch and co-wrote, co-produced and played the searing guitar. During the middle years of the band, that was pretty much all we u "'64-'65 SG. "It was Toms guitar in the early years for quite a while. If you were looking for something that little bit different with a stunning iconic tone then this is the guitar for you. So finally, I just kinda George was sitting there and they were being supportive and all and I said to him, Listen, you should play guitar on this, because it would just feel better if it had your style on it. So he said, Okay, Ill try something. So he plugged into my amp and played that solo. Its so easy to play. I like the Broadcaster just because the way it is, I mean that's what was done on American Girl and all the first recordings was all Tele sub. I just try to write a good song, which requires enough effort. 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. But I used it in that video because its the guitar I used to record the solo on Refugee.. So he got this guitar to me to let Tom check it out and it stayed in a case for two weeks, we were at the Hollywood Bowl, and Nathan came back and said 'Hey, what about that guitar?' The Garden has always been one of my favourite places. Well, I would get together in the garage with buddies, but I never really joined a band until I met up with Tom in Gainesville, after Id gone to college. My dad was on tour in Okinawa and sent me a $60 Goya electric six-string, he tells us. Free UK Delivery! And one day, we looked up and there were hundreds of them! What I remember most was that all of us fell out of the front-man thing, you know? Mentioned in this March 1983 Musician article. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Agnesi begins the proceedings by asking Campbell about his 1959 'Burst Les Paul Standard. 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 did take it out to one of the local gigs back when we were doing a soundcheck in LA, and [front of house engineer Robert] Scovill came out and said, Whats that? I think I was 16. Well, I have complete control of a solo album; the democratic process is gone. Yeah, its been insane. So when we started doing that song live, I just wanted to honor him. Mike Campbell Roles Guitarist Genres Rock Pop Groups Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Fleetwood Mac show all ALL 84 Guitars 32 Amplifiers 12 Effects Pedals 22 Studio Equipment 8 World Instruments 2 Cables 1 Microphones 3 Strings 1 Bass Guitars 1 Studio Monitors 2 Sort by: Most Relevant Hide incorrect submissions It used to be people didnt really want much for them because they were old. 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 . I can see it coming down to fewer shows. I bought it like it looks now, with the three pickups and the John Lennon body. The truth is the new ones just arent as good, are they? We used a variety of guitars; Jeff has some nice old Stratocasters, and as the months went on, we filled his house with a lot of our guitars. He was real good at that, so it was kind of a fresh direction. Campbell's melodic sensibility and guitar tone have helped to shape the sound of American rock, and there are some super-collectible pieces in his collection. You guys are doing Handle With Care on this tour. The first couple of albums, I had a Broadcaster and Les Paul, and Id gotten a Rickenbacker 660/12 for 120 bucks its the one on the Damn The Torpedoes cover. 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. 103 views, 0 likes, 1 loves, 4 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Peace Lutheran Church: February 5, 2023 - Be Prepared Hes been a co-producer on some of the most successful albums in rock history. No, I like em both. Its kind of a Butterscotch Tele. R "Rich Robinson had this out, or had a new Mason from Duesenberg. I want to play good instruments, and I dont have much patience with new instruments. BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. Of course, were skipping ahead to the mid 60s, with the Beatles and the Beach Boys and all that. The sound and the feel of those records. It used to have this great built-in fuzz and the destruct button built into it. I wanna give you my guitar. I thought he was crazy on drugs or something. Its completely different from the 58s and the 60s, different necks, different feel. And I asked him, Are you high? Of course, I didnt have an acoustic, and was dying to get one. The bulk of his sound comes from a 1963 Fender Princeton and a 1954 Fender tweed Deluxe. Theres so many. The effects currently in the setup are: A Digitech Whammy II pedal, a Boss TU-2 Tuner, a Boss RC-20 Looper, a Line 6 DL4 . Sporting just one pickup and a pair of control knobs, it's the guitar Campbell used for his solo on Petty's classic 1989 tune, Runnin Down a Dream. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Ill take it. And so we formed Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers around that group of people. Wed build tracks up, usually with acoustics, and overdub the other instruments to finish it off. One side of Campbell's guitar arsenal covers all the bases. But I also wont sacrifice [tonal] colour for convenience.. And who else there arent too many new/younger bands that I listen to much. It's not just electrics on tap, though. guitar pick jewelry, which is proving to be a big seller. Still, we took the music quite seriously. There is also a vintage National amp, a Gibson Lab Series L5 combo which was a big favorite of B.B. Thats the one I used to record The Waiting and all those classic 12-string numbers. Others he and Petty made iconic, such as the Fender Broadcaster he played on Breakdown and most of the Heartbreakers early records. Absolutely. Yes, I always loved Luther Perkins. And I have them set up at home, in my studio. Like with Bob, wed worked together for years at that point. Another favourite we have to ask about is his mysterious pale blue Gretsch. I saw Bruce Springsteen had one and I was telling him I invented that! (laughs). In Mudcrutch, you were the bass player. If there was three of us playing, one of us might play that. Im always in awe of him, of his talent. Michael Campbell (Guitar/Harsh vocals) Hail the Sun - Wake. 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. So he brought it back, and sure enough it was a mid-60s J-45, which I still use a lot. $4.99 shipping. Well a lot. A new episode of Gibson TV's The Collection hosted by Mark Agnesi explores Campbell's literal "carousel" of stunning guitars, how he came to own some of them, and what role those magical instruments played in his lengthy, incredible career. Listed for sale on Reverb.com on July 21, 2021. Then I got a 64 Strat, which I still have, and weve played on almost every record weve done. Its got so much history. They still make them, and theyre really good, actually. Get the latest and greatest Guitar news with one of our guitar magazine subscriptions. Do you have any specific plans or goals for the Heartbreakers for the next few years other than finishing the various projects? It's what he likes. Mike has been using a small collection of amps with his rig for a while. I was considering joining the Air Force, so when Tom asked if I wanted to join the band I said, Well, Im in school and Im thinking about signing up for the Air Force. And he said Are you crazy? YouTube Link: Mike Campbell Continue reading "Mike . With Rick, we wanted to go back to setting up the band live. SPONSORED. 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. We started out playing those big Super Beatle amps made by Vox. or Best Offer. And if its a track were building, the guitar solo would probably come later. Well, whatever we were playing at the time, we were usually playing in a video. Thats my favourite. I kind of keyed on the last big tour thing. Weaned on Elvis, Johnny Cash and the Beatles, he liked the bright jangle of Rickenbackers and used a Fender Broadcaster in the early days. "We actually still like each other and, when we play together, its still like the first time in the garage. She got the sugar, oh yes she does. I still love to play the bass. That soon changed, though. Then Mick got stuck with it, and when we started working with Rick, we needed a song. Well, I dont know its over 100, and theyre all really good ones. So what age were you when you asked for a guitar? Musicman Stingray guitar vintage 1977 11. This is really solid and it's for W "It's an original Camel Toe. It was funny how the song went around the corner and came back to where it shouldve been. I like the new album, Highway Companion its really cool. Aria Pro bass 7. "Sherwood green Strat. Your solo records have a more laid-back feel because youre not subject to the input of everybody pushing or pulling at you. Guitar pick I pick you in bronze. Whens the last time you couldnt get a guitar that you wanted because you just didnt have the cash handy? Explore Mike Campbell's incredible vintage guitar 'carousel' in new episode of Gibson TV's The Collection By Jackson Maxwell published April 12, 2022 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 Early on, I wasnt buying guitars, because I couldnt afford em! In the eighties, the Sonic Youth leader emerged as indie rock's premier guitar radical, mixing strange drone tunings, jamming screwdrivers or drumsticks under his strings, and blasting out. Free shipping. She showed up one day and said, Remember that $200? I said, You caught me on a good day! (laughs). I love the Fender Deluxe, and I play the Vox AC30 quite a bit. Theyre not noticeably different. There was a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of laughs. Highway Companion I think I wrote entirely on guitar. Mike Campbell is a personal hero of mine. Next, the video moves onto a '80s - '90s-era white Firebird V Campbell picked up while on tour with Fleetwood Mac. And amongst fans, hes a hero who, while keeping them entertained through parts of four decades, has battled to hold down the retail prices of his albums and concert tickets. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, And theyre all there and Jeff was the kinda urging me, Go ahead play. So I played a little, but I was really scared, you know, cause heres George Harrison(pauses) I just felt very intimidated. The tour includes a headlining show at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 28 and at the UK's Isle of Wight . Id really like to find one of those. ROLLING STONES GLASGOW SCOTLAND 2003 TOUR SHIRT LARGE NWOT. BA1 1UA. Thats where the 62 Gibson SG Junior and Runnin Down A Dream comes in It also just goes to show that sometimes you can pickup the best guitars in the weirdest places. Im not sure what year that is, exactly, but its late-70s model. Once I get in the studio and get working on something, I get inspired and can do all kinds of things, but it usually has to wrap up in a nationwide tour, which is a whole other mindset. We think somebody wanted it to look like John Lennons, so they had somebody carve that top horn. Once I learned the chords, I graduated to melodies and lead guitar parts, and tried to pick up them off the records. In 1970, Campbell was two years out of high school and living in. It's a mandolin with a whammy bar which tells you all you need to know about Mike Campbell. So I have to give Tom credit for talking me down the other path. Any particular songs stick in your mind from back then? It was just perfect. Its a big chunk of work. Were you paying attention to guitar tones, or more focused on sounding good as a group? As artists, they have to go on with their career and live with it, while I can produce it and move on to something else. 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. It has two Gibson humbucking pickups and a normal Telecaster pickup in the bridge.". He was in the Air Force, and hed come home from work, take off his uniform, and put on an Elvis record. 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. So I feel pressure to be at my best. Rickenbacker 360 12. Its one of those. Its just too valuable now, and Im afraid itll get damaged. My guitar tech has been bugging me to go and actually take pictures of them and make a computer file. That was a real exciting time. If you were looking for something that little bit different with a stunning iconic tone then this is the guitar for you. He handed it to me and I pressed the strings down and was like, My God, you dont have to bleed!, Soon, Campbell graduated to electric and met Petty. The truth is, I could do our whole show with one guitar if I wanted to, he admits. I worked at a music store for a while when I was 15 years old, and I gained a pretty good knowledge of instruments. There were some long friendships made there. In fact, some of the band members werent cutting it in the studio, and the deal fell apart. But there are certain songs where I use a certain guitar on the record that just has a certain colour and when I use the same guitar as I did on the record, it just sounds better because its perfectly right for that song. It was the first one where we broke away from lip-synching altogether. I focused on everything. Meanwhile, I fell in love with Scotty Moores playing. One day, I think Tom was banging on it, and it broke It never worked again (laughs)! Yeah, because Id been a bass player before the Heartbreakers, I didnt really have an electric guitar. But I also like Michael Bloomfield, Jimi Hendrix, theres those guys who just play the s*** out of the guitar, but with a different kind of approach. Right away, I just loved the song, you know? Im very much in love with the early-60s Fenders. I realised that when you produce somebody, you really need to give it 100 per cent of your energy. Theyre both difficult in their own way. It depends on what I need. So in my spare time, I would just try to invent them. But I havent been able to find one. Mike also has another band called The Dirty Knobs, which is his sideband. What are you waiting for. So our music is really based on that rhythm guitar, and everything else grows from there. It was a very collaborative we worked together, wrote together, thought things through, and we were even together when we werent playing.