“At this point buying them is kind of pathetic”: Why Mike Campbell stopped collecting vintage guitars
Mike Campbell isn’t a fan of buying vintage guitars – at least, not anymore.
The former guitarist for Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, who’s currently leading his own band Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs, explains that touring with a smaller production has forced him to be a lot more selective with the guitars he keeps with him.
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“Yes. I have a guitar obsession,” the musician admits in a recent conversation with Guitar World. “I sold about 120 of them a couple of years ago because I don’t have room for them anymore.”
Campbell, who’s been a guitar collector for as long as he has been a guitar player, adds that he has since quit buying them “because I kind of have one of every guitar that I ever dreamed of.”
“At this point buying them is kind of pathetic,” he says.
And while he still enjoys exploring his collection of axes during studio sessions, Campbell says his focus is on keeping things simple, bringing only what’s necessary when he’s on the road.
“I play them all in the studio, but I just take a few essentials on the road because you’re right — it is a smaller production,” he explains. “That includes a Rickenbacker 12-string, a ‘56 Tele that Gene Parsons installed a B-bender on, and a white Firebird that I got in a pawn shop for 500 bucks on the Fleetwood Mac tour.”
“Now that I’m leading the band and I’ve got all these things I must concentrate on, the last thing I want to do is try a different guitar just for fun. I just want it to be in tune because I’ve got to think about other stuff now. It’s a different gig!”
Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs’ latest record, Vagabongs, Virgins & Misfits, is now out. Listen to the track Hell Or High Water feat. Lucinda Williams below.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
