Own a piece of Heartbreakers history as Campbell clears out some super-collectable guitars, amps and effects
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.
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. Why is he selling them? 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.
“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. “I have decided to sell some of the nicer pieces.“
There are some very desirable amps going on sale, including the very first amp Campbell got – a Heathkit TA-16. There is also a vintage National amp, a Gibson Lab Series L5 combo which was a big favorite of B.B. King and was recommended to Campbell by the Cars, plus a variety of Fender combos.
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(Image credit: Reverb.com)
(Image credit: Reverb.com)
As for guitars, perhaps the most noteworthy items are a Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite that has an onboard compressor – a far-out choice that he used while rehearsing with Fleetwood Mac – and a B-Bender-equipped 1970s Gibson Les Paul Standard.
“I used this with The Heartbreakers for a string of dates we did at the Vic in Chicago," Campbell says. "I like this because it has a string bender on it, which is rare on a Gibson. But this is a great-sounding guitar, and a real workhorse. I hate to part with a lot of these [guitars], but something's got to go.“
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.
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“[The Monza] is a nice guitar to have if you don't have an amp handy,“ said Campbell. “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. They're kind of hard to find, but they play really well.“
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?
The Official Mike Campbell Reverb Store is online from Wednesday, July 21. For more details and to sign up for an alert once it's live, head over to Reverb.
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. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.
