Mike Campbell Playing Rickenbacker Mando with the Heartbreakers

[Paul Kotapish]

Stumbled across this video of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers doing a nice version of "Walls" with Mike Campbell playing a cool-looking green Rickenbacker 8-string mandolin. Sounds--and looks--good to me. I really like Mike's playing on just about anything he picks up. It's never flashy and it always sounds just right for the song. (I don't think this has been posted before. If so, sorry for the duplication.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJl0pe-DWy8

[Larry S Sherman]

Cool...thanks for posting.

Here's the video embedded:



Larry

[John Flynn]

'Cept it's not a Rickenbacker. It was built by Tony Revell, who used to specialize in Rickenbacker-guitar-looking mandolins. Rickenbacker makes mandolins, but they look like this:

[Chris Biorkman]

I used to have a Rick. Beautiful guitar, but with a really uncomfortable necks, laminated fretboard, and tiny frets. Not very player friendly, but man than thing was like artwork.

[Paul Kotapish]

'Cept it's not a Rickenbacker. It was built by Tony Revell, who used to specialize in Rickenbacker-guitar-looking mandolins. Rickenbacker makes mandolins, but they look like this:

Thanks for the clarification, John. I guess this was discussed earlier in a thread that I missed at the time: here (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45702).

Very cool ax (or hatchet, I guess) in any case. I haven't been to NAMM in years, so I assumed it was a new line for Rickenbacker.

Can't find a Tony Revell website, but his instruments are around, apparently.

[Steve L]

Not a chops monster, but a guy who always plays the right things at the right time with the right sound for the song. I like Mike Campbell a lot in the way I like Lindsay Buckingham. An under appreciated player...I'm glad other folks feel the same way.

[journeybear]

Some rock guitarists (John Pettibone from Lucinda Williams' band, for instance) use a half-length 12-string to get a mandolin sound. Props to Mike Campbell for going authentic. And for lots of other reasons as well. :mandosmiley: Totally agree with Paul and Steve L on this - he has a great feel for what fits on every song, and adapts to suit it. A real team player, too. Not underappreciated, not around here! :cool:

[jefflester]

Some rock guitarists (John Pettibone from Lucinda Williams' band, for instance) use a half-length 12-string to get a mandolin sound.
Doug Pettibone is no longer with Lucinda.

[Jim MacDaniel]

...Can't find a Tony Revell website, but his instruments are around, apparently.

Here is Tony's entry at emando.com (http://www.emando.com/builders_active/Revell.htm). (It looks like that he does not have a web site, but there is contact info contained therein.)

[journeybear]

Doug Pettibone is no longer with Lucinda.

Geez - not only did he leave Lucinda Williams, he changed his name? :))

OK - Doug Pettibone, formerly of Lucinda Williams' band used a half-length 12-string to get a mandolin sound.

[Spruce]

Some rock guitarists (John Pettibone from Lucinda Williams' band, for instance) use a half-length 12-string to get a mandolin sound. Props to Mike Campbell for going authentic.

Well, Tom and Mike like the Hammertones too... ;)

I put a Hammertone on ebay a few years back, and got an email from Petty asking if I'd deliver it to their concert at the Gorge...

Two front row seats and a crew pass were awaiting me if "yes"...

Duh... :mandosmiley:

Road trip...!

Here's a pic of the one they wound up with....
Love to see a sighting of it onstage if anyone spots it...

[Paul Kotapish]

And, of course, the original old Vox mandolin-guitar (12 strings tuned just below an octave DGCFAD) were pretty great, too.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/44/Brianguitar.jpg

Last time I saw David Lindley and El Rayo-X, they opened the show playing a pair of those. What a sound! And I think that they are the acknowledged prototype for the Hammerheads.

And there is a very cool acoustic/electric "octave" 12 made by Joe Veillette called the Acoustic Gryphon High 12. My review for Acoustic Guitar magazine is here. (http://www.veilletteguitars.com/)

http://new.veilletteguitars.com/guitars/gryphon-acoustic-2.jpg

[jefflester]

There are or have been several different makers: Vox, Hammertone, Phantom, and Teo is what Buddy Miller plays.

http://www.voxshowroom.com/us/guitar/mini12.html
http://www.elderly.com/vintage/items/26U-1427.htm
http://www.phantomguitars.com/mando.html
http://www.teoguitars.com/artist.html

[Spruce]

There are or have been several different makers: Vox, Hammertone, Phantom, and Teo is what Buddy Miller plays.

The octave-12 is one of my favorite instruments...

I had a Vox back in the day, and the thing just would not intonate or play in tune due to poor fret placement, and you really need that with an octave-12...

The Phantoms are pretty cheesy, or at least were the last time I played one...
Made in India?

Haven't played a Teo, but if they are good enough for Buddy... ;)

The Hammertones are great, but no longer being made that I know of.
That one at Elderly didn't last long at 500 bucks--they normally go for 7-800 or so...

As a recording tool, they are deadly effective for getting "that" sound, especially through an old Vox amp...

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2007-4/1253959/ac15.jpg

[Jim MacDaniel]

Gotta love the Jerry Jones Shorty (http://www.jerryjonesguitars.com/JJO_Shorty.htm)...

[SoreFinger]

Can't say as I've ever seen an octave 12. Probably have, just didn't know what it was, or wasn't paying attention. Most likely both. They are unique to say the least. I just learned something new today and it's early.:grin:

[Spruce]

The late great Ted Beringer's take on an acoustic octave-12: