One record that I really studied a lot was Paul Butterfields first album with Mike Bloomfield. Guitar World is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. They made a thousand of them, then kept making them, but without calling them Tom Petty models. "It was Toms guitar in the early years for quite a while. 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. Mike Campbell was best known as Tom Petty 's right-hand man for decades. Campbell has been of significant play in the Heartbreakers and has been co-writers with petty for many of the band's hit songs. Mike says your rhythm playing is so solid that it frees him up to concentrate on fills. He plays it pretty much in the set. Was this in the days of strumming chords, or were you picking out the solos at the same time? I like everything they do. So far, has everything on tour gone as planned in terms of crowd response, especially to the new tracks? Paul Gray - Slipknot. The North East has been good to me! And then, you know, I learned stuff off records, slowing them down to try to hear the guitar parts and stuff. 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. Some were iconic, on his wish list from his earliest days playing the guitar. I did buy a few guitars while I was [on the first leg of the Highway Companion tour]. It worked because everyone knew each other, and were hanging out before there was a band. Once I learned the chords, I graduated to melodies and lead guitar parts, and tried to pick up them off the records. Mike has been using a small collection of amps with his rig for a while. 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. I was always tuned into the guitar and what the guitar was doing. They do make some good ones, but this was not a good one. If I had to pick one, Id pick that. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited. This is really solid and it's for W "It's an original Camel Toe. 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. But there was no specific discussion when we came to make Hypnotic Eye that were going to draw from a specific part of the well, because each song just comes in from wherever it comes. Mike was pretty happy with the dot-neck Gibson ES-335 he picked up, Yeah, I have one, too I think I have the only black one ever made. 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. I didnt have an idea of playing until I saw the Beatles, and then I thought, This might be something I can do.. This is called Little Ricky. Get the latest and greatest Guitar news with one of our guitar magazine subscriptions. I was telling somebody the other day, the only place I feel pressure when we tour is the Garden. He was a member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and co-wrote many of the band's hits with Petty, including "Refugee", "Here Comes My Girl", "You Got Lucky", and "Runnin' Down a Dream". So Ive been really lucky that way. I bought this Rickenbacker six-string bass from the 60s. Mike Campbell has a resume that speaks for itself. Angus Young, Malcom, you know, whatever, it's just solid as a rock. Mike Campbell launched The Dirty Knobs after coming to terms with his increasingly prolific creative output. On the single, Saving Grace. He used a Vox for that for the slide part, and actually I played the rhythm part on it. It didnt take long at all because I went in with everything written. R "Rich Robinson had this out, or had a new Mason from Duesenberg. Well, I finished the semester, but then we started getting gigs and I never went back to school. The best places to look for gear usage are typically on the artist's social media, YouTube, To receive email updates when Mike Campbell is seen with new gear. We kind of found our sound, our groove, our direction. CD LOT - Hard Rock, Pop, Metal: Stewart, Aerosmith, Elton. It used to have this great built-in fuzz and the destruct button built into it. It was Georges. Finally, theres a mid-60s Gibson SG that Campbells been favoring for this tour after recently digging it out of storage. It was funny how the song went around the corner and came back to where it shouldve been. The first song I ever played on guitar was Baby Let Me Follow You Down. A friend had the Bob Dylan record, and he taught me the chords to that. I was going to ask how big that number might be. No, were not good trackers (laughs)! Another favourite we have to ask about is his mysterious pale blue Gretsch. "Then there were certain songs that were done on a 12-string, so you kind of need the 12-string to make those songs sound special. This is for everything else for 12-strings," says Mike Campbell's guitar tech about the Rickenbacker 1967 375 Electric Guitar. Well, it got me interested in the music, but it didnt make me want to play guitar. $199.97. Well, it sort of built. Last year, we were talking one day about how we saw some old film somewhere with that guitar, and we thought, Hows that guitar doing? We got it out, and its doing great. Yeah, well is was back in days of the Vietnam draft, and I had drawn a really low number, so I knew I was going to be called if I dropped out. One day, I think Tom was banging on it, and it broke It never worked again (laughs)! Whereas, the other direction is just going by the seat of your pants and jumping on with the band and riding the wave. They really throw it out nicely onstage. Which guitars, amp rigs and setups did you use on Highway Companion. In the Wilburys, you were with Harrison and Dylan. Michael Campbell (Guitar/Harsh vocals) Hail the Sun - Wake. So, when I have time to listen to a song and digest where the spaces are and what it might need, the guitar solo will get some thought. I think I was 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. She may not be the best cook. His reluctance, and his clearly busy schedule, leads to an obvious question: with the Heartbreakers on such a high after Hypnotic Eye and a successful tour, how long does he think it will go on? Its just too valuable now, and Im afraid itll get damaged. Well, quite a bit. I'm currently building a Mike Campbell inspired . Theyre both difficult in their own way. In Mudcrutch, you were the bass player. Fellow songwriters from Stevie Nicks to Bob Dylan have waxed fervently on what Petty songs mean to them. So I feel pressure to be at my best. Brian Jones was a really good rhythm guitarist, I thought, and rhythm guitar is a lost art, you know? The Beatles were a big deal, and in 1964 everyone wanted a guitar. And on a lot of his solo work its more piecemeal, like bringing a song in and building it. 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. You should pick up a set of Virtuoso Cleaner and Polisher. You pushed it and it just got this great overdrive buzz. Its a really nice, warm, woody-sounding room. Tom said, This isnt bad. So he brought it back, and sure enough it was a mid-60s J-45, which I still use a lot. Decades later, during the recording of Petty and the Heartbreakers' blues-influenced 2010 album, Mojo, another 'Burst became available for Campbell. 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. Rick said, I got this track of Mikes. He then gave it to Tom, and I dont think he remembered it. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). I just dont like the way they look never really wanted one. As things progressed for the Heartbreakers, any time Mike and I would run across something we liked, wed get it. The truth is the new ones just arent as good, are they? Yeah, it was interesting to know what thats like, backing somebody. I buy a lot of stuff from him. Rickenbacker 4003 (love this bass) 8. I wasnt playing guitar yet, but I just loved the sound of it, Scotty Moore stuff, and of course Buddy Hollys guitar playing. I think its better that they get used. Those days are kind of gone now, but still, collecting guitars is about loving the sound and liking instruments, you know? Mike also has another band called The Dirty Knobs, which is his sideband. "[Out of] all these guitars, [the 'Burst] is the only one I put back in the case when I'm done with it.". Adds character. Nobody else wanted to do it (laughs)! But for recording, I like the smaller Fenders Deluxes and Princetons. Mike Campbell: The Guitars" is a fifteen chapter web-documentary series directed by Justin Kreutzmann. We get them because we love them as pieces of art and we use them on our records. You guys are doing Handle With Care on this tour. Its got so much history. His favourite 12-string at the moment is also, of course, a Rickenbacker. They just instinctively picked up on the tones and the feel of it.. There was a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of laughs. Michael Wayne Campbell (born February 1, 1950) is an American guitarist. 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. Its such a good-sounding guitar. What are the differences between making a solo album and a Heartbreakers album? And I said, You gotta get this! I bought it like it looks now, with the three pickups and the John Lennon body. If there was three of us playing, one of us might play that. Whose idea was it? Martin SPOM 16 10. Wed build tracks up, usually with acoustics, and overdub the other instruments to finish it off. The Garden has always been one of my favourite places. Keith Richards, thats my hero. In your eyes, whats the difference between a Tom Petty solo record and a Heartbreakers album? 'Cept it's not a Rickenbacker. 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! Have you thought about where you sit in the pantheon of rock songwriters? Yeah, its about time, you know? 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? Each day, wed bring a new one to check out. We think somebody wanted it to look like John Lennons, so they had somebody carve that top horn. It was kinda different because its a small room, so we had to play a little quieter. With Rick, we wanted to go back to setting up the band live. "The Garden has always been one of my favourite places. . It has two Gibson humbucking pickups and a normal Telecaster pickup in the bridge.". 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. Well, I do see them as works of art. He was in the Air Force, and hed come home from work, take off his uniform, and put on an Elvis record. "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. I liked just the sound of it, and the spirit of what they were doing. Premier Guitar features affiliate links to help support our content. Pick up an astonishing new guitar with this Duesenberg Signature Series Starplayer TV Mike Campbell Guitar at Andertons! And Tom pretty much made you join, as opposed to asking you. There was a whole different viewpoint for me. One guy had a Gibson, one guy had a Fender, so youd learn the differences and how to use them. It reminded me of Jerry Garcia. Mike Campbell [left] and Tom Petty back in 1977. And so yeah, I think the 12-string is always that solidbody Rick. This is where the tornado sequence for The. Or do you just typically react to the emotions and events of a given day? That was a nice feeling, like nobody was carrying the whole load. Mike Campbell is an American guitarist, songwriter, and record producer famous for being in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers band. I got it for $120. A variety of things, Martins mostly, and some Gibsons. And weve gone full circle back to using them again. Yes, they thanked me prolifically and I mean a lot. And I was so happy because he took the heat off me, you know? He was a huge inspiration to me, and fortunately, I got to be a bit of a friend with him. I have a couple Vox teardrops I use on the road; ones a white three-pickup that makes a nice rhythm guitar. Yea she got the sugar, oh yes she does. Ours was the first solidbody one. Ive bought many guitars from him, and a lot from Norm Harris. That soon changed, though. Thats a beautiful-sounding guitar, too, but its so valuable now that I leave it at home.. 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. Its been our mainstay for many years. 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. We recently caught up with Petty and Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, with whom Petty has been working since the earliest days of the band. Later, I took it to Rickenbacker, and they said it was the next guitar off the assembly line after George Harrisons. I dont know if it was an homage to the guitar, but we thought there should be at least a token instrument. Free shipping. Its been rebuilt a few times, but its basically the same. Campbell should be proud. So every lead on those first two records is probably that Broadcaster? You look up after 30 years of being on the road, and youve never done anything else. Also LA, because thats sort of our home town, maybe Chicago and, on this tour, Seattle and Fenway Park in Boston. "The Clipper had one pickup in it; a bass pickup. But I also wont sacrifice [tonal] colour for convenience.. Rickenbacker makes mandolins, but they look like this: Attached Thumbnails. I listened to lots of John Lennon, Keith Richards, Brian Jones. I still use mine in the show. 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. Two other Rickenbacker guitars in his arsenal, however, are never far from reach. We found three of them. It's so haunting and demonic in many ways, both in lyrics and music. SPONSORED. The Alliance Series Mike Campbell Hollow is an all-hollow construction sporting our "Destruct-Knob" circuit - an internal 10db booster. Contact our experts for a recommendation of great alternatives. Plus, I was also below the weight limit, so I got a temporary deferment and never got called back. We used to call it the mystery guitar. Thats how I learned how to bend strings, by hearing him do it, slowing it down and thinking, Oh you have to push this down to get the string to make that sound. I learned a lot of phrasing and scales I just love the way he played on that record. How did that happen? I played that right up until Tom sat on it and broke it off, says Campbell. Its a 67, which I actually bought a couple of tours ago in New Jersey, Campbell says. Guitar World is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Do you think the guitar, more than any other instrument, has propelled your success? Paul Gray was first and foremost an incredible songwriter, who contributed some of the best stuff Slipknot has ever put out. So in my spare time, I would just try to invent them. 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. I still need to update it, because I just bought some things. Thats one of my favourites as well, but the Broadcaster is the one. Its a really good, earthy acoustic sound. 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. 5 ways to get more out of your power chords, Matt Bellamy is working on a new Manson Stratocaster-style guitar and hes already played it live with Muse, Watch Marty Friedman perform with Megadeth for the first time in 23 years, Melbourne Guitar Show 2023: Phil Manning on his five favourite guitars. The tour includes a headlining show at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 28 and at the UK's Isle of Wight . How about the difference from a listeners perspective? Whens the last time you couldnt get a guitar that you wanted because you just didnt have the cash handy? 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. I added a treble pickup and it became a really nice guitar. So I started playing it, and youre right, I played it for years. And the song I gave to Rick and Mick, which was You Wreck Me, was the same one Tom had forgotten about. Im very much in love with the early-60s Fenders. $4.99 shipping. Blair resumed the role soon afterward.). Well, I think that has been exaggerated I think I said that in a very tired moment one day, and its become something thats hounded me all year (laughs)! 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. The 64 Strat. Sold on 03 Oct 2017 Price guide for collectable Vinyl Records, CDs, Cassettes, Reel-to-reel tapes, 8-Track cartridges, MiniDiscs and more! What was the effect of seeing him in that setting? England and Wales company registration number 2008885. 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. For a while, however, Campbells collection grew out of control, and he duly sold off a whole trove of vintage gear on Reverb. Its so easy to play. He is quoted as saying "I have a Fender Telecaster I call Red Dog. I like both of those guys a lot. Its completely different from the 58s and the 60s, different necks, different feel. 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. I use the 67 on [So You Want To Be A] Rock N Roll Star. And it was a coincidence that the Martins all showed up right then, but we were so pleased with them. I think its a Supro, but dont know the model it was just some weird-looking thing (laughs). Clearly, he knows a thing or two about what it takes to make great records. Not as much the brown ones I like the piggyback ones. That album cover sort of put Rickenbacker back on the map. I remember when I was in the studio with Dylan one day, I had this down there and he went crazy and he had his manager go find one. But I did my best, and I didnt really think it was very good. As we begin our nearly two-hour conversation, Mike Campbell admits that even after more than 40 years as the lead guitarist in the venerable Heartbreakers band, the pressure is still on him. 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. $11.15 shipping. I just try to write a good song, which requires enough effort. COOL !!! I think I just played the Telecaster after a few times, and Jeff Lynne had some really nice Stratocasters at his house I think they were 54 to 56; there were three of them we picked up from time to time. I worked at a music store for a while when I was 15 years old, and I gained a pretty good knowledge of instruments. Well, its mostly about the groove, isnt it? I love playing with them theyre the best rock and roll band there is, I think. We were just together around the clock, all the time. Bath 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. For more details and to sign up for an alert once it's live, head over to Reverb (opens in new tab). Michael Campbell has a legendary guitar collection, and he keeps it interesting onstage. Well, they all became my dear friends, you know? This guitar looks like the tail of a 1959 Cadillac. Tom Petty: (laughs) What goes through my mind? 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?' All rights reserved. My dad was stationed in Okinawa, he was in the Air Force, and he picked up a $60 Goya electric and gave it to me. He had a band called Mudcrutch, kind of a country-rock band, that was playing around the university. And Ive always bought one whenever I had the money. Those are our main ones. Absolutely, yeah. As long as weve been doing this, we still draw from the same places and people who inspired us when we were young. Advertisement. But there were others. And then we came across another sunburst one. We've been notified and are looking into it. Petersen Concert guitar model A 6. Mike Campbell Reflects on His Long Career as the Rock Guitarist's Guitarist By Joe Bosso published April 23, 2020 From his 40+ years as Tom Petty's right-hand man to his current roles in Fleetwood Mac and his own group, The Dirty Knobs, Campbell looks back on an incredible career (Image credit: Kevin Scanlon) Nothing matters other than tone. Rock and roll without it would be kinda sad, wouldnt it? 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 I was about 11 years old, and the music was five or six years past its prime, but I started finding old records.