He was an amazing person. Mike got us a green one and then we brought it in "The Princeton is probably a '63 or '64. Mike had some really weird little guitar that he played slide on. 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. When did you and Tom first work with Rick? Then Mick got stuck with it, and when we started working with Rick, we needed a song. "We actually still like each other and, when we play together, its still like the first time in the garage. Its just a magic guitar. I was walking around in Hartford, Connecticut and saw they had an SG Junior and the Gretsch Clipper. I also bought an early-60s Les Paul Custom in white. 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. We had some Fender amplifiers, they made a pretty cool sound. Yeah, absolutely Carl Wilson was absolutely an influence. I did buy a few guitars while I was [on the first leg of the Highway Companion tour]. Right away, I just loved the song, you know? Decades later, during the recording of Petty and the Heartbreakers' blues-influenced 2010 album, Mojo, another 'Burst became available for Campbell. He's got three of them. It was a very collaborative we worked together, wrote together, thought things through, and we were even together when we werent playing. It sings. But I havent been able to find one. So I have to give Tom credit for talking me down the other path. 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 were floundering. Tom Petty and Mike Campbell both know what a good guitar sound is, so the guitar sound they end up with is the one they wanted. And hes one of the few rock stars who has actually been quoted in print saying, I dont think we need that much money.. Thats my favourite, Campbell admits. We kind of found our sound, our groove, our direction. Well, I kinda instigated getting Rick into the fold because one time on tour I got a message that he wanted to know if I had any songs that I would want to give to Mick Jagger, who was working on a solo record at the time. "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. It didnt take long at all because I went in with everything written. It's not just electrics on tap, though. And after the first album, and with Damn The Torpedoes breaking out, you could buy pretty much anything. So youre talking in terms of length of time youre out, as opposed to the size of the venues? Advertisement. 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. 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. My approach to guitar, I think, is probably a lot like his in terms of fitting into the song and not overplaying. Mike has been using a small collection of amps with his rig for a while. Pettys partner in nearly every step of the music-making process, Campbell is the epitome of the musical right-hand man. Of course, were skipping ahead to the mid 60s, with the Beatles and the Beach Boys and all that. It's what he likes. And so yeah, I think the 12-string is always that solidbody Rick. And we did it at Jeffs home studio. did you use to get the sound f "Rickenbacker, 370, 360? But that broke up, and then I saw an ad that said Mudcrutch was looking for a drummer. Bath Well, hes right up there. I finally just threw it in the corner and got an electric Kay. In your eyes, whats the difference between a Tom Petty solo record and a Heartbreakers album? Angus Young, Malcom, you know, whatever, it's just solid as a rock. Pictured here is a sort of reissue Firebird V. On pgs. Your parents bought your first guitar, a Stella acoustic. Mike Campbell launched The Dirty Knobs after coming to terms with his increasingly prolific creative output. This, folks, is living the dream. The solo records are more about a collection of songs, not about a band performance. 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. But this is the stuff that he couldnt part with. "It doesn't have the buckle wear and tear like the other ones do, but I love it anyway," Campbell says. 8,062. I want to play good instruments, and I dont have much patience with new instruments. "The Garden has always been one of my favourite places. I still use mine in the show. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Here he's playing a late-'60s Dan Armstrong lucite model. Still, we took the music quite seriously. A variety of things, Martins mostly, and some Gibsons. I prefer to have the Broadcaster out but for whatever reason he'll take it out. I bought this Rickenbacker six-string bass from the 60s. My very first guitar, when I was 14, was pretty much unplayable. 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. R "Rich Robinson had this out, or had a new Mason from Duesenberg. Or why not treat yourself? Mentioned in this March 1983 Musician article. I think its a Supro, but dont know the model it was just some weird-looking thing (laughs). The guitar has always been the archetypal thing, to me. Im always in awe of him, of his talent. Yeah, because Id been a bass player before the Heartbreakers, I didnt really have an electric guitar. The Collection: Mike Campbell Gibson TV 373K subscribers 519K views 10 months ago #thecollection #gibson #mikecampbell The Dirty Knobs' frontman Mike Campbell's unique approach to. Hes been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player (opens in new tab). But it was a very hard guitar to play. 24) Mark in GA asked: What kind of guitar, pick-ups, amps, any effects pedals, et Campbell himself mentions the Daddy O in this September 1999 "Spotlight on a Heartbreaker" interview from the official Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers website. Any particular songs stick in your mind from back then? It depends on what I need. Its my main Gibson. He came over with Mick it was the first time I met Rick and I gave him a couple of tracks. Mike found it years ago through an ad and bought it for a couple hundred bucks. It worked because everyone knew each other, and were hanging out before there was a band. Campbell also tells Agnesi about his huge-sounding, well-worn '56 J-200 acoustic guitar which he purchased while recording with Johnny Cash and his 1968 Dove with a double pickguard, among other stalwart acoustics. 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. Reply . Then, of course, that turned around years later, where the old ones became much more expensive than new ones. Are there a couple of especially fond memories of those recording sessions? Well, thats an emotional song for me, because the night they did that record, Tom called and said, Look were finishing a song I just wrote with Bob (Dylan) and George and Jeff. They just instinctively picked up on the tones and the feel of it.. 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." Those few years of collaboration really made me come back to the band with a more experienced, wider scale of music to work with. King and was recommended to Campbell by the Cars, plus a variety of Fender combos. I mostly played acoustic. Aug 9, 2015 - Mike Campbell's (Tom Petty's Lead Guitarists ) Gator Guitar . 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. It was built by Tony Revell, who used to specialize in Rickenbacker-guitar-looking mandolins. Thats when we were learning about how to play, how to have a band. It spawns the hits "I Won't Back Down," "Free Fallin'" and "Runnin' Down A Dream" and remains in the Top 10 for 34 weeks. It's what he plays on 'Free Falling," says Mike Campbell's guitar tech while talking about the Rickenbacker 360 Electric Guitar. Then it splits off. would be able to answer every individual question.) Well, I liked the first album a lot because that was sort of us discovering what we were gonna be. or Best Offer. And which electrics can we hear on the album? As the song ends, you acknowledge George a bit. But throughout the whole tour I felt the band played really well, and I was very proud of everybody.. Kept in immaculate condition, the guitar was used by Campbell to write the riff for Tom Petty's Good Enough. 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. We get them because we love them as pieces of art and we use them on our records. When I play it on another guitar it sounds okay, but it just doesnt have the same magic". Mike Campbell is a personal hero of mine. He likes that," mentions Mike Campbell's guitar tech while talking about the Fender 1959 Telecaster B-Bender Electric Guitar. But besides that, he was an incredible bass . Plus, I was also below the weight limit, so I got a temporary deferment and never got called back. That album cover sort of put Rickenbacker back on the map. And I think its really a great group of songs. And I asked him, Are you high? Of course, I didnt have an acoustic, and was dying to get one. BA1 1UA. In the history of the band, what are the most important guitars? Theres so many. They laughed at me when I walked in and played it, but once I played Johnny B Goode, they quit laughing.. Youre joining this band. And thats where everything changed. I think especially the singing sounded really young, Campbell says when we ask him what, after making so many albums, was different this time around. So I was looking at my options, not really sure what I wanted to do. Youve said that it was kind of cool for you personally because it didnt carry the pressure of being the front man, so you got to sit back and play. 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. In your early days, did you buy guitars more out of necessity rather than an Oh, Ive gotta have that! mentality? Was: $14.99. Well, they all make a different sound, you know? I just woke up the other day and realized that I have been collecting guitars and amps my whole life and I just don't have room for a lot of them anymore, said Campbell. Product Description To commemorate over 30 years of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Duesenberg have along with Mike Campbell created a beautiful signature guitar brings you classic Doozy tones in a hot rodded semi hollow design. Early on, the Heartbreakers were on MTV a lot. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halens Panama. 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. Ive bought many guitars from him, and a lot from Norm Harris. I bought it like it looks now, with the three pickups and the John Lennon body. "[Out of] all these guitars, [the 'Burst] is the only one I put back in the case when I'm done with it.". I need different guitars for different things. And I go, It sounds like Clapton and Jimmy Page, Peter Green, Mike Bloomfield, like it reminded me of those tones. As long as weve been doing this, we still draw from the same places and people who inspired us when we were young. 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. Watch Mike Campbell show off his epic guitar collection By Jonathan Horsley published April 08, 2022 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 It had a weird kind of Formica finish when I got it, but I put a pale blue finish on it.. The Hfner Club, which I think weve used for everything for the last 10 years now. After Torpedoes, we started to make a little profit, and started buying guitars basically as we saw them. The Les Paul is the guitar that Michael played when The Monkees recorded "Pleasant Valley Sunday" in 1967, producing the classic riff that became the cornerstone of the song. How much does the guitar influence the way you write songs? 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. Well, I do see them as works of art. 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 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. My dad was on tour in Okinawa and sent me a $60 Goya electric six-string, he tells us. Effects "They said it was the next guitar off the assembly line after George Harrisons", Thats my original 12-string, he explains. I listened to lots of John Lennon, Keith Richards, Brian Jones. Im told your guitar collection includes a Rickenbacker that has so far avoided full identification. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Ive seen the prototype and its incredible. Wed never played Fenway and that was epic. But I think were still powered by the same engine basically, you know? 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. 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 But for recording, I like the smaller Fenders Deluxes and Princetons. Own a piece of Heartbreakers history as Campbell clears out some super-collectable guitars, amps and effects. Theyve cloned it for me and are going to reissue that soon. In the course of making that record, we realized that we were so green. He seems really keen on getting good songs, I said, And, hes got a really cool vibe. So thats how we started working together. Im very much in love with the early-60s Fenders. What are you waiting for. Which guitars, amp rigs and setups did you use on Highway Companion. Mike also has another band called The Dirty Knobs, which is his sideband. I focused on everything. Re: Mike Campbell Playing Rickenbacker Mando with the Heartbreake. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now. Listed for sale on Reverb.com on July 21, 2021. I dont buy something unless it works, and I can use it. I like Wildflowers, which we did with Rick Rubin in 1994, because he was fun to work with. Yes, they thanked me prolifically and I mean a lot. I was going to ask how big that number might be. I like to be able to just pull them out and use them on impulse if I need to. You guys are doing Handle With Care on this tour. It makes a beautiful sound. There is also a vintage National amp, a Gibson Lab Series L5 combo which was a big favorite of B.B. Instead of playing music in the living room, we took it to the studio. In your view, what makes a good bass player? What I remember most was that all of us fell out of the front-man thing, you know? My dad put that all together I didnt have much to do with it. But I liked that book because it had chord diagrams, along with his hands showing how he actually made the chords. 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. Guitarist Mike Campbell spent four decades as Tom Petty's co-captain, co-writing hits like "Refugee," "Runnin' Down a Dream," and "Here Comes My Girl." The Florida-born musician also co-wrote "Boys of Summer" with Don Henley, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" for Stevie Nicks, produced Roy Orbison, recorded with Bob Dylan, and in 2018, became a . Yeah, the Red Dog. We bought that in Florida from an old guitar student of mine. For more information on Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers and the Mike Campbell guitar series, please visit TomPetty.com. Tom Petty &The Heartbreakers 2014 Hypnotic Eye 2 Guitar Picks &. And Dunlop was going to do a version put out by Dunlop called Campbell Toe for Mike Campbell - a smaller version. The truth is, I could do our whole show with one guitar if I wanted to, he admits. We've been notified and are looking into it. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Agnesi begins the proceedings by asking Campbell about his 1959 'Burst Les Paul Standard. But the truth is, ours a working collection. Well you only need one, dont ya (laughs)? We think somebody wanted it to look like John Lennons, so they had somebody carve that top horn. Heres how it works.