Tom Petty guitars and Byrd tones

Those who flock to The Byrds
markthemd
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Tom Petty guitars and Byrd tones

Post by markthemd »

So as a Byrd fan of long standing and being of the same age as Tom and band I have never really been a tone hound with them .I know that R.McGuinn wondered (half joking ) if American girl was a demo that he had done at some point .

So what gear have they used and has it been the same over the years .
Lets chat on this for awhile.
So you too want yours "ALAPWOB"?!?!
terry
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Post by terry »

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fatrat

Post by fatrat »

On the first 3 albums, both Petty and Campbell used Vox/Thomas organ super Beatle and various Fender amps. They next went to AC-30s in the 1980s (a tan and a black one). Petty was a bass player in Florida in the early 1970s playing with future members of the Heartbreakers and used a Hofner Beatle bass before the group really got together. He then he moved out to California as a solo artist, but didn't like being a one man show, so he called Campbell and some of the other guys still in Florida and tricked them by saying he had a record contract or something like that. They found the drummer in California.

I've seen early photos of Petty with a Vox Phantom XII, Fender Strat with a big headstock and Flying V. He may have had the mapleglo Rickenbacker 360/12 by the time the second album and American Girl was recorded. It may, however, be the Vox 12 string .

Campbell used a 55 GIBSON Les Paul goldtop, with mighty might or Alembic P-90s with clear covers and bobbins. I'm guessing from the sound on the first albums, that he used a Gibson LP SG JR. or something thinner than the goldtop with P-90s. They both used Campbell's, Ampeg Dan Armstrong see-through guitar, at live shows, until Petty ripped the guts out of the wood pickguard at a gig. He ran across the stage and the cord wasn't long enough. Campbell didn't let him use it after that.I think the original bass player used a black FENDER jazzbass and a black 4001. Howie, used a Fender P bass.

Petty and Campbell probably didn't get the Ricks till they moved to CA. Campbell got the 625/12. I would like to know how or where he got it. Perhpas from Norm's Guitars? Petty got the blond 360/12 and later a black double neck Rick in the early 1980s. He also obtained a Gibson 335 blonde and a Tele copy made by some guitar store out in CA. Petty also got a Gibson j-200 around this time.

I don't think I've ever really seen Petty use the 625/12. Campbell probably doesn't trust TOM with it. I've seen them with all kinds of guitars lately. I know they have several Gretches because Petty was a Wilbury. I know I've seen a REAL, Gretsch 1960s orange Nashville double cutaway in a video back in the mid 1980s. Petty has a RICK solid body 360 O.S. Rickenbacker make that for him, it must weigh a ton. I've only seen him use it on the mid 1980s tours. And of course all he has to do is call Rickenbacker and they rush over with whatever he wants now. Rickenbacker made special 4003 Basses for Petty and Campbell, called the REDNECK bass. it was bright red all over with black hardware.

Campbell now uses his rare solid Rick 12 for 12 string stuff. He also has a weird doubleneck 6/12 guitar that I think was made in the 1960s by an ex-RICKENBACKER worker who branched out. I cant remember the guy's name, I think it was BARTH or something like that? I've also seen some kind of weird ugly brown Gretsch/Rickenbacker looking guitar with 2 Rick toaster PUs and a long kauffman vibrato. It must be something someone put together for him. He also uses a 1960s GIBSON SG with Humbuckers and several, assorted Gibson's with p-90 pickups.

FATRAT
330fg

Post by 330fg »

Does anyone know if Petty has "retired" his Fireglo 335 (missing vibrato) and his Mapleglo 360/12 ? Both were 1960s models and I notice I havent seen pics of them since around the time of the Pack Up The Plantation Tour.
FATRAT

Post by FATRAT »

Ive never seen him with a 335...he had a 60s 365WB Fireglo with accent vibrato..it looks like a 330 with body binding and sparkle inlays....
I havent seen him with the blonde 360-12 lately,
I was thinking he used it on the 87 tour and I think he used it on the early 90s Heartbreakers tour after his first solo album came out...the Replacements opened for him, the bass player for the Replacments had a modified lime green 70s Rick 4001 at one time....
Petty has had a ton of guitars its hard to tell what he has at any given time....
330fg

Post by 330fg »

FatRat, You're right it was a 365.
FATRAT

Post by FATRAT »

i thought it was I havent ever seen Petty with a 330....
I know Rickenbacker was suppose to make a solid body version of the 360-6 oswb, I think it might be in a video Ive seen, he doesnt use it too much, I guess its heavy....
FATRAT...
Grant

Post by Grant »

I have the Tom Petty Full Moon Fever big note song book. Inside are a few pics and one of them is with a 360 6 string oswb... it has no F hole. I also heard the story of a solid body 360 they made for him. My guess is that it really is a solid body and weighs more than a Les Paul or it is a hollow body with no F hole ... like the 325 and people just assumed it was solid.

I believe this is the same guitar he is holding on the front of the Full Moon Fever CD.

If it is solid, that has to be one heavy guitar.
FATRAT_II

Post by FATRAT_II »

with that big Rick 360 body its got to be 10-12 pounds....I had a Les Paul that was 10 and it killed my shoulders...Petty mostly uses a Fender Tele copy now, I havent seen him on a live show using a Rickenbacker for a long time, I wonder if he is trying to distance himself from Rickenbacker and the guitars, anyone seen him with a Rick lately ??
FATRAT II
rick12dr
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Post by rick12dr »

The Only Rick Petty was using on the '95 tour,
and not that much, either, was his reissue 1997
with the gold pickguards.Campbell only used that 350 2 PU that I think has 1 toaster and 1 HB PU.
No Rick 12s were used at all, though their extra guitarist Scott Thurston had a 330-12 in back of him.
FATRAT_II

Post by FATRAT_II »

thats a shame...I guess he figures he has sold enough Rickenbackers for a while.... was Campbell using that old 400 series thats been made into a 350 or was it a real 350???
FATRAT II
terry
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Joined: Thu Aug 10, 2000 12:54 pm

Post by terry »

Image
FATRAT_II

Post by FATRAT_II »

cool photo, looks like its from 81-82...

I remember you back in 72, with yo David Bowie hair and those platform shoes.....Tom PETTY

FATRAT II
330fg

Post by 330fg »

I just got the TP & HB Boxed set for my BDay. In the booklet for the boxed set it mentions that Petty's house was burned down by an arsonist in 87'. As I recall, that was around the time that I last saw him using the Mapleglo 360/12 and the Fireglo 365. I'm wondering if maybe they were lost in this fire ??
Grant

Post by Grant »

I think it was the day after the fire that he left to go on tour...including the U.S. part of the Band Aid concerts. I forget where I read it, but it sounded like most of his guitars at the time were packed up and not at the house. The article (can't remember where it was from) said non of his guitars were lost.

Tom Petty and Mike Campbell were on the cover of Guitar Player Magazine in the spring of 1999. He said he loved the Tele that he uses because he can do lead stuff and get that "jangle sound" too. It seems to be his main guitar now. He only uses the 1997 for "Free Fallin" and "Don't Come Around Here No More".

As for Mike Campbell's 350... he said that around 1987 Rickenbacker was making a guitar for Tom (maybe the solid body 360???) and they asked if Mike wanted one. It is based on the 350 but he wanted a wider neck (I am assuming the neck is like the 650 series) and he wanted a hotter pick up so he could use it for more lead guitar. From the times I've seen him play, it looks like it has 2 vintage reissue pickups. It is just that one of them (the bridge?) is a "hotter" pickup.
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