Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

There's a pic of Petty's double neck Rickenbacker hanging on the wall of the exhibition in this story.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20060630/D8IIN5OO0.html

Now all we need is one from Mike Campbell. Would be great to see his 620/12.

Quite possibly my all time favorites! Mike Campbell has to rank with George Harrison as one of the most under-rated or underappreciated guitarists around.

I'm with you on that one, Jeff! FWIW, the late Howie Epstein told me Harrison felt that way about Mike as well, that Campbell was one of his favorite players.

Harrison and Campbell are in my top 5 all time faves and heavy influences of mine.

Now if we could only see a reissue of that double neck!!!

My wife and I made our annual visit to the HOF to see what's new this past Saturday, and the Petty/Heartbreakers display is pretty cool. It's the first display after you go in, so it's impossible to miss.

They do have a FG 620/12 in there too - I believe it's a '65(?). It's in remarkably good shape, considering how much it's been used. Too bad it wasn't shown in that article.

One of the more amazing things was a financial statement from Shelter Records showing royalties and costs for the first Mudcrutch single. They made $8.70 and owed $102,000+(!!!).

Looks like I'm going to have to make my first trip to the RRHOF pretty soon since I think I'll be out of town when the Heartbreakers come through Detroit this summer.

Don, I'd love to hear any more "Howie" stories that you might have, either on the forum or by email. It's too bad that he let that stuff get to him because his harmonies were great. I'm glad they managed to get Ron Blair back.

Sounds like that 620/12 might be Cambell's '63, a prototype.

620 12 strings were not production models in the 60s, and there are only like four said to have been built.

If anyone goes again, I'd love to see a shot of that guitar close up.

I lived a block from where Shelter was in Hollywood, circa '82.

The building had been torn down. With accounting like that, it's a good bet that's what's gotten rock and roll where it is these days.

Jeff - Definitely make the trip whenever you can. Not only for the Petty stuff, but for the whole thing. Especially because you've never been there yet - there's a lot of cool stuff to see. I've no idea how long the Petty exhibit will last but I'm sure it'll be there as/is for a few months.

In fact, we get mailings from the HOF quarterly or so because we're charter members. But I hardly ever read those things. Just so happened that we were going to Cleveland anyway (for other reasons) and my wife wanted to see the new Dylan exhibit. We didn't even know about the Petty section until we got there Friday night - so that was extra incentive to check out what's been added in the last couple years since we'd last been there.

Glenn - I really wish I paid more attention (or maybe had better geezer memory retention) to the identifcation card in the display case that contained that 620/12. So I apologize for that lack of notation. But it sure looked like the one on the "Damn The Torpedoes" cover.

I gave it more than a cursory glance (especially to tell my wife "I want one of these.") But I honestly couldn't attest to its authenticity like the more educated screw counters here could do. For example, the pickup mounting screws were phillips head, so who knows if those are original or not. And who'd really care, anyway?

It was definitely "old" though - some bits of playing wear (couldn't see the back), the nickle tuners were worn/aged as is normal for a vintage guitar. It was cool to see anyway.

As for the accounting paperwork, that's the way it's always been. Band gets signed, band makes record, band spends a LONG time playing out to pay back the lable for those original advances for recording, promotion (if there is any) expenses, etc.

It just cracked me up to see that they'd earned a whole $8.70 and still had to pay back over $102K! And here we are 25-30 years later and it's still the same as it ever was. Luckily for TP, they eventually got to the point to where they could afford to pay that off without too much hardship on their part. But I'm sure it wasn't easy. The Plimsouls went through the same kind of thing, minus the millions in the plus column at the present time.

I'm definitely going to the HOF in September - wouldn't miss it!!

Thanks for the info, Steve. I'm sure there are people here who care about whatever axe is there down to the smallest screw, wood grain, etc.

TP and Co. have played so many Rics, it would be interesting to know if that one is the Torpedoes axe. If so, it's certainly an important guitar in RIC history, not just rock history.

The 3rd 12 string they made, the next serial # down from Harrison's #2. Paul W. is just finishing up the mods on my '80 620/12. I can't wait to have it.

Howard - What date(s) are you going to be in Cleveland? My memory's failing me again... Feel free to e-mail me again as I lost a bunch in an OS upgrade a few months ago.

Anyway, depending on the timing of your trip, the Petty (and Dylan) stuff might still be there. But even if those exhibits have changed by the time you get there, I'm positive you'll see a lot of stuff you'll enjoy.

Glenn - I didn't realize I was looking at the third 12 string they made. Got a confirmation from my wife (who remembers more than I) that the card in the display case said it was a '63 and owned by "some other guy in the band" (her words). So I said "Mike Campbell?" and she says "Yeah, that's the name."

So I'm assuming it's legit. At least the Rock Hall has more legit pieces than, say, any Hard Rock Cafes...

The one thing about the R&R HOF, you're not allowed to take pictures in there. One might be able to sneak a few pics (without a flash to give you away), but it'd be at the risk of getting your camera confiscated. And they do have a LOT of security personnel there. Just saying, I wouldn't chance it.

One thing about that 620/12 though - it's display case is horizontal at waist level, with the guitar angled up a bit. Might be possible to see the serial number on the jackplate, but I didn't even think to look at the time.

Thanks for the info, Steve. Sounds like THE guitar. If so, just one serial # higher than Harri Georgison's first 12.

One of the reasons I'm not so interested in seeing some of these famous for their axes bands is they don't take their classics out on the road anymore.

I guess that's impossible when they're hangin' in the HOF.

I'm in Cleveland September 18th to 21st, Steve. I'd probably go to the HOF on the 19th or 20th.