What he played
Guitars & gear
Rickenbacker 12-strings, a Telecaster that wasn't a Fender, a Gibson Dove from the Mudcrutch days and a wall of Vox amps. Here is what Tom Petty played and plugged into, as he and the people around him described it, plus the key instruments of Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench.
Rickenbackers
Rickenbacker · 1991–1997 (production run); Petty used his own on stage afterwards
Rickenbacker 660/12TP Tom Petty signature
Rickenbacker introduced a Tom Petty signature version of its 660/12 solid-body 12-string in 1991, built with a wider neck to Petty's specifications plus a gold pickguard carrying his signature. Dealer listings for the instrument describe a limited run of 1,000, mostly in Fireglo with a smaller batch in Jetglo, each with a numbered certificate. Petty told Vintage Guitar that the company kept building the design after the 1,000 were done, just without his name on it.
Known for Petty's signature 12-string and, by his 2006 account, his primary stage guitar
Sources: Tom Petty (Wikipedia) · Tom Petty and Mike Campbell: Guitars at Heart for 30 Years (Vintage Guitar, Nov. 2006) · Rickenbacker 660/12 Tom Petty Limited Edition 1991 (Vintage & Rare listing) · Vintage Rickenbacker 660/12 TP Tom Petty 12-String Fireglo 1992 (Cream City Music listing)
Rickenbacker · c. 1980 onward less certain
1967 Rickenbacker 360/12 (Mapleglo)
Petty told Vintage Guitar that his favorite Rickenbacker was a blond semi-hollow 12-string, bought because Roger McGuinn played one, and that he used it on "The Waiting" and other 12-string tracks. GroundGuitar identifies it as a 1967 360/12 in Mapleglo bought at Norman's Rare Guitars around 1980. A 1967 Rickenbacker 360 12-string owned by Petty was one of five guitars stolen from the band's Culver City rehearsal soundstage in April 2012; police recovered the instruments days later.
Known for Petty called a blond semi-hollow Rick 12 his favorite and named "The Waiting" among its recordings; seen in the "The Waiting" video era; stolen in April 2012 and recovered
Songs The Waiting, A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)
Sources: Tom Petty and Mike Campbell (Vintage Guitar) · Tom Petty's 1967 Rickenbacker 360/12 12-string (GroundGuitar) · Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitars stolen (Ultimate Classic Rock, Apr. 14, 2012)
Rickenbacker · c. 2007–2017 less certain
1964 Rickenbacker Rose Morris Model 1993 12-string
The Model 1993 was the version of the 360/12 that Rickenbacker built for its British distributor Rose Morris, with a traditional f-hole. According to Heritage Auctions, Petty got his rare Rose Morris Rickenbacker from Norman Harris of Norman's Rare Guitars, trading him a 1965 Gibson SG and stage clothing for it. GroundGuitar says Petty played it at the 2008 Super Bowl halftime show.
Known for 2008 Super Bowl halftime show (per GroundGuitar)
Songs American Girl, I Won't Back Down
Sources: Rock Icon Tom Petty's Personally Owned 1965 Gibson Guitar Debuts at Heritage Auctions (Journal of Antiques, July 10, 2018) · Tom Petty's 1964 Rickenbacker Rose Morris 1993 12-string (GroundGuitar)
Telecasters and Strats
Toru Nittono / L.A. Guitar Works · 1980/1981–2017 less certain
"Torucaster" (Toru Nittono Tele-style guitar)
Petty's best-known Telecaster is not a Fender: it was built by Toru Nittono of L.A. Guitar Works in Reseda, California, and Petty bought it at Norman's Rare Guitars. Sources split on whether that was 1980 or 1981. It became one of his main stage electrics for the rest of his career.
Known for Probably his most-played live electric; once displayed at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (per GroundGuitar)
Songs Refugee, Mary Jane's Last Dance, You Don't Know How It Feels, You Wreck Me
Sources: Tom Petty: 1950–2017 (Premier Guitar, Oct. 4, 2017) · Tom Petty's 1980 Torucaster (GroundGuitar)
Fender · 1970s–2017
Fender Telecasters
Beyond the Nittono guitar, Petty played several Fender Telecasters over the years, and Premier Guitar's obituary names Telecasters first among his electrics. He told Vintage Guitar that he used a Telecaster on Highway Companion.
Known for Highway Companion (2006)
Sources: Tom Petty (Wikipedia) · Tom Petty and Mike Campbell (Vintage Guitar) · Tom Petty: 1950–2017 (Premier Guitar)
Fender · 1970s onward
1964 Fender Stratocaster (sunburst, Mike Campbell's)
This sunburst 1964 Strat belongs to Mike Campbell, who bought it in Florida for about $200, but it became a band mainstay. Vintage Guitar reports that Petty played it on "American Girl" and for rhythm parts on several albums. Wikipedia goes further and calls it the main electric Petty played throughout his career.
Known for Petty's part on "American Girl" and rhythm parts on several albums
Songs American Girl
Sources: Tom Petty and Mike Campbell (Vintage Guitar) · Tom Petty (Wikipedia)
Gibson electrics
Gibson · mid-1980s
1965 Gibson SG (cherry)
Petty bought this cherry 1965 SG (serial 275535) from Norman Harris and later traded it back to him, with stage clothing, for a rare Rose Morris Rickenbacker. It is signed "Tom Petty / '88". Harris consigned it to Heritage Auctions in Dallas on July 21, 2018, paired with Petty's Wilburys-era top hat at an estimate above $300,000. The pair failed to sell at auction and was then offered at a fixed price.
Known for Played with the Heartbreakers on Bob Dylan's True Confessions tour; offered by Heritage Auctions in 2018
Gibson · 2012
1963 Gibson SG Junior (white)
Petty owned and signed this white 1963 SG Junior, serial 100636, and played it while rehearsing for the 2012 tour. It was in the same July 2018 Heritage Auctions sale as the cherry SG, estimated at $25,000 or more.
Known for Rehearsals for the 2012 tour; offered at Heritage Auctions in 2018
Gibson · 2012
1965 Gibson SG TV Junior
Ultimate Classic Rock lists a 1965 Gibson SG TV Junior owned by Petty among the five instruments taken in April 2012, while the band rehearsed in Culver City ahead of a tour. A reward was offered, and the guitars were recovered shortly afterwards.
Known for Stolen from the band's Culver City rehearsal soundstage in April 2012 and recovered
Sources: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitars stolen (Ultimate Classic Rock)
Gibson · by 2006
1960 Gibson ES-335 (black, dot neck)
Petty showed Vintage Guitar a black 1960 dot-neck ES-335 and said his might be the only black one made. He also said he talked Mike Campbell into buying a sunburst dot-neck.
Known for A rarity in his collection
Gibson · 1980s–2000s less certain
Gibson Les Paul / SG Custom (white, early 1960s)
Petty told Vintage Guitar he owned a white early-'60s Les Paul Custom, bought from either Norm Harris or Gil Southworth. Gibson's Les Paul of that era had the SG shape. Mixdown shows Petty with a three-pickup SG Custom when performing "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" with Stevie Nicks and suggests it may be a 1963 Les Paul, so these are possibly the same guitar.
Known for Mixdown links a three-humbucker SG Custom to live performances with Stevie Nicks
Songs Stop Draggin' My Heart Around
Sources: Tom Petty and Mike Campbell (Vintage Guitar) · Gear Rundown: Tom Petty (Mixdown, Sept. 22, 2023)
Gibson · 1999 onward less certain
Gibson Firebird (1976 Bicentennial)
A September 1999 Boca Raton News concert review noted that Petty, Mike Campbell and Scott Thurston all played matching Gibson Firebirds, and Premier Guitar counts Firebirds among Petty's regular electrics. GroundGuitar identifies Petty's as a 1976 Bicentennial Firebird and says the pair often came out for "Runnin' Down a Dream" from 1999 on.
Known for Matching Firebirds with Campbell and Scott Thurston on the 1999 tour
Songs Runnin' Down a Dream
Sources: Music: Tom Petty rocks his audience (Boca Raton News, Sept. 24, 1999, via The Petty Archives) · Tom Petty: 1950–2017 (Premier Guitar)
2026
A Tom Petty Flying V
For the Heartbreakers' 50th anniversary, Gibson made 250 Tom Petty Flying Vs based on the band's first logo, in five finishes including Gainesville Gold. They sold out within a day. Read about it in the Journal.
Gibson TV's introduction to the guitar.
Vox, Gretsch and the first guitars
Vox · 2000s
Vox Mark VI "teardrop" (white, three-pickup)
Petty told Vintage Guitar that a white three-pickup Vox teardrop was a rhythm guitar he took on the road, and that he used a teardrop on Highway Companion. Premier Guitar lists Vox guitars among the brands he played.
Known for Road rhythm guitar; used on Highway Companion
Sources: Tom Petty and Mike Campbell (Vintage Guitar) · Tom Petty: 1950–2017 (Premier Guitar)
Vox · 1979–1980 less certain
Vox Phantom
Vintage Guitar's 2006 feature notes that Petty played a Vox Phantom in the "Refugee" video. No source we opened describes it on any recordings.
Known for The "Refugee" music video
Songs Refugee
Gretsch · 1988–1990 (Traveling Wilburys era) less certain
Gretsch Country Gentleman
Mixdown says Petty's Gretsch Country Gentleman shows up in Traveling Wilburys promotional photos. Like that model's other versions, it has closed (painted-on) f-holes to fight feedback and a switchable string mute at the bridge.
Known for Traveling Wilburys promotional photos
Sources: Gear Rundown: Tom Petty (Mixdown)
Kay · mid-1960s
Kay electric (first electric)
A Kay electric replaced the Stella as Petty's first electric guitar. He told Vintage Guitar that "Wooly Bully" was one of the first songs he learned on it.
Known for The guitar he learned his first rock songs on
Acoustics
Gibson · Mudcrutch era (early 1970s) onward less certain
1964 Gibson Dove
Back when Petty was still Mudcrutch's bass player, a Gibson Dove was the one guitar he owned. Wikipedia names a 1964 Dove as his primary acoustic.
Known for His only guitar before the Heartbreakers formed; described by Wikipedia as his primary acoustic
Sources: Tom Petty and Mike Campbell (Vintage Guitar) · Tom Petty (Wikipedia) · Tom Petty's 1964 Gibson Dove (GroundGuitar)
Gibson · c. 1996 (custom original); reissued 2021
Gibson SJ-200 "Wildflower" (custom)
Petty worked with Gibson around 1996 on a custom SJ-200 with a wildflower design and his signature on a double pickguard. In March 2021 Gibson's Acoustic Custom Shop released a re-creation called the Tom Petty SJ-200 Wildflower, limited to 100 guitars, with the family's blessing. Premier Guitar also lists Gibson J-200s among the acoustics he played.
Known for Gibson says Petty played the SJ-200 while writing and recording Wildflowers
Sources: Gibson Honors Tom Petty With 'SJ-200 Wildflower' Guitar (uDiscover Music, Mar. 23, 2021) · Gibson Announces Special Tom Petty SJ-200 Wildflower (American Songwriter, Mar. 25, 2021) · Tom Petty: 1950–2017 (Premier Guitar)
C. F. Martin & Co. · c. 2004 onward
Martin HD-40TP and HD12-40TP Tom Petty Signature Editions
Martin built Petty a matched pair of signature dreadnoughts, one 6-string and one 12-string. They have Italian alpine spruce tops, East Indian rosewood bodies, and fret markers inlaid as moon phases after Full Moon Fever. Petty told Vintage Guitar that every acoustic on Highway Companion was one of these signature Martins.
Known for The only acoustics used on Highway Companion (2006), per Petty
Sources: Martin's Tom Petty HD-40TP and HD12-40TP Acoustics (Barry Rudolph, c. 2004) · Tom Petty and Mike Campbell (Vintage Guitar) · Tom Petty: 1950–2017 (Premier Guitar)
Stella · early 1960s
Stella acoustic (first guitar)
Petty's first guitar was a Stella acoustic he got for Christmas. It was so hard to play and keep in tune that he gave up on it for a while. Premier Guitar's obituary calls it nearly unplayable.
Known for His first guitar
Sources: Tom Petty and Mike Campbell (Vintage Guitar) · Tom Petty: 1950–2017 (Premier Guitar)
Basses
Rickenbacker · 2006 onward
Rickenbacker 6-string bass (1960s)
Petty told Vintage Guitar he found a 1960s Rickenbacker six-string semi-hollow bass at Gil Southworth's shop, a model he had never seen before. He bought it around the time of Highway Companion.
Known for Bought during the Highway Companion era
Danelectro · 1988–1990 (Traveling Wilburys era) less certain
Danelectro Longhorn bass
Petty can be seen with a Danelectro Longhorn bass, with its twin lipstick pickups and deep double cutaways, in Wilburys promotional material and the "End of the Line" video. This is the only Danelectro tied to Petty in the sources we checked.
Known for The Traveling Wilburys "End of the Line" video
Songs End of the Line
Sources: Gear Rundown: Tom Petty (Mixdown)
Höfner · c. 1996–2006
Höfner Club bass
Petty told Vintage Guitar in 2006 that a Höfner Club bass was a favorite they had used on everything for about the last ten years, and that they were still trying to find a second one that matched it. This dates it to the mid-1990s on, not to the original Mudcrutch years.
Known for Petty's favorite studio bass in the decade before Highway Companion
Amps
Vox · late 1970s onward
Vox AC30
Petty told Vintage Guitar that a late-'70s Vox AC30 was his main amp in the studio and on tour. Mixdown describes his stage backline as a wall of vintage-style Vox heads and cabinets.
Known for Primary recording and touring amp (2006 account)
Sources: Tom Petty and Mike Campbell (Vintage Guitar) · Gear Rundown: Tom Petty (Mixdown)
Vox · mid-1970s; used again later
Vox Super Beatle
The band bought Vox Super Beatles with an early record advance, and these became their first stage amps. Petty said they later went back to using them.
Known for The Heartbreakers' original stage amps
Fender · 1970s–2000s
Fender Deluxe, Princeton and Champ (small studio amps)
Petty named Fender Deluxes (blackface included) and Princetons as his favorite recording amps, and said he liked early-'60s Fender piggyback amps in general. For the Highway Companion solos, they recorded a blackface Champ with two microphones.
Known for Solos on Highway Companion were cut through a blackface Champ
Marshall · by 2006 less certain
Marshall 50-watt (red, 1960s)
Vintage Guitar's 2006 feature includes a red-covered 1960s 50-watt Marshall that Petty said he liked. The article doesn't name any songs recorded with it.
Known for A small amp he favored
May 17, 1987
The fire
On May 17, 1987, an arsonist set fire to Petty's Encino home and destroyed most of it. A Gainesville Sun report two days later said firefighters carried out some contents undamaged, including many guitars and other equipment from the basement studio. Ultimate Classic Rock adds that the studio was the only room left unscathed. Wikipedia names the Gibson Dove among the saved items, citing the LA Times and Paul Zollo's book, but neither source could be checked, and no source we opened names a specific guitar that was lost.
Sources: Gainesville Sun, May 19, 1987 (via The Petty Archives) · Tom Petty house fire (Ultimate Classic Rock, May 17, 2014) · Tom Petty (Wikipedia)
Rickenbacker · c. 1977 onward less certain
Rickenbacker 12-string (Damn the Torpedoes cover)
The red Rickenbacker 12-string on the Damn the Torpedoes cover belongs to Mike Campbell, who found it in a classified ad around the second album and haggled the price down. He later learned at the factory that its serial number came right after George Harrison's 12-string. Sources disagree on the model: Far Out and Mixdown call it a 1963 625/12, Premier Guitar a 620/12, and Petty himself, in Vintage Guitar, a 660/12.
Known for Pictured on the cover of Damn the Torpedoes (1979); a regular on early tours
Sources: Why one of Tom Petty's most famous guitars wasn't his own (Far Out, Dec. 6, 2022) · Tom Petty and Mike Campbell (Vintage Guitar) · Tom Petty: 1950–2017 (Premier Guitar) · Gear Rundown: Tom Petty (Mixdown)
Fender · 1975 onward
Fender Broadcaster (c. 1950–51)
Campbell's original Broadcaster, Fender's name for the guitar before it became the Telecaster, carried his solos on the first two albums. Vintage Guitar names "Breakdown," "American Girl" and "I Need to Know" among them. In a 1999 fan Q&A he called it his favorite guitar and said he had brought it back out on tour. Sources date it to 1950 or 1951.
Known for Solos on the first two Heartbreakers albums
Songs Breakdown, American Girl, I Need to Know
Sources: Tom Petty and Mike Campbell (Vintage Guitar) · Mike Campbell Q&A, Sept. 1999 (The Petty Archives)
Fender · late 1970s onward; Fender signature model 2025
"Red Dog" 1972 Fender Telecaster
Campbell bought this modified 1972 Telecaster from a former guitar student in Florida, already fitted with a Bigsby, two humbuckers, and a 'Destruct' boost circuit. After weeks of failing to find a guitar that suited "Refugee," this was the one that worked. Fender released a Stories Collection replica in April 2025.
Known for "Refugee" on Damn the Torpedoes and in its video
Songs Refugee
Sources: Fender Honors Legendary Mike Campbell with Stories Collection 'Red Dog' Telecaster (Vintage Guitar) · Tom Petty and Mike Campbell (Vintage Guitar)
Gretsch · 2013 tour
Gretsch 6186 Clipper
In Premier Guitar's 2013 Rig Rundown, Campbell's tech showed a Gretsch 6186 Clipper kept in open G for "I Won't Back Down." The same rig had a pair of Rickenbacker 12-strings, one of them for "Free Fallin'," plus '50s Telecasters.
Known for Open-G tuning for "I Won't Back Down" live
Songs I Won't Back Down, Free Fallin'
Sources: Rig Rundown: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Mike Campbell (Premier Guitar, 2013)
Gretsch · 1988 onward less certain
Gretsch Traveling Wilburys TW500
In 1988 Gretsch released a Traveling Wilburys commemorative line, the first guitars under Fred W. Gretsch's ownership and unlike its earlier designs. Vintage Guitar's 2006 feature pictures a TW500 from Campbell's collection. No source we opened shows Petty playing a Wilburys Gretsch.
Known for Commemorative Traveling Wilburys line
Sources: Gretsch (Wikipedia) · Tom Petty and Mike Campbell (Vintage Guitar)
Duesenberg · 2000s–2010s
Duesenberg Mike Campbell signature model
Duesenberg makes a Mike Campbell model, and Wikipedia mentions his custom Duesenberg. One was among the instruments taken from the Culver City soundstage in April 2012, all of which were recovered.
Known for One of the five guitars stolen in April 2012
Sources: Mike Campbell (musician) (Wikipedia) · Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitars stolen (Ultimate Classic Rock)
Danny Ferrington · 1999
Danny Ferrington 6/12 double-neck
In a 1999 Q&A, Campbell described a Danny Ferrington double-neck modeled on an old Gibson shape associated with Robert Johnson, which he used on that tour for "It's Good to Be King." A Boca Raton review that September also mentions him playing a 6/12 double-neck on the song.
Known for "It's Good to Be King" on the 1999 tour
Songs It's Good to Be King
Sources: Mike Campbell Q&A, Sept. 1999 (The Petty Archives) · Music: Tom Petty rocks his audience (Boca Raton News, via The Petty Archives)
Gibson / Ampeg · 1984–1985
Gibson Les Paul goldtop and Ampeg Rocket amp
Campbell said in 1999 that he played a goldtop Les Paul on "Don't Come Around Here No More," recorded through an Ampeg Rocket with a Rat distortion, a Boss octave pedal, a wah and a slide bottle. This is the only Ampeg tied to the band in the sources we checked.
Known for "Don't Come Around Here No More"
Vox · 1970s–2000s
1961 Vox AC30
Vintage Guitar lists a 1961 Vox AC30 as Campbell's primary studio and road amp. In 1999 he called a vintage AC30 his main stage amp, sometimes paired with a Bassman and a Kustom 200. By 2013 his live rig had moved to small Fenders, a '63 Princeton and a '54 tweed Deluxe.
Known for Main recording and touring amp
Sources: Tom Petty and Mike Campbell (Vintage Guitar) · Mike Campbell Q&A, Sept. 1999 (The Petty Archives) · Rig Rundown: Mike Campbell (Premier Guitar, 2013)
Hammond · late 1970s onward
Hammond C-3 organ
In 1980 Rolling Stone named a Hammond C-3 first among the four keyboards Tench used live and on record, and he cited Booker T. as his organ hero. In a 1999 Q&A he said the B-3 and C-3 are the same instrument inside, with only the cabinet differing.
Known for His core organ on stage and in the studio
Sources: Sounding Good: Key Men (Rolling Stone, July 10, 1980, via The Petty Archives) · Benmont Tench Q&A, July 1999 (The Petty Archives) · Benmont Tench (Wikipedia)
Vox · vintage instrument, still in use in 1999 less certain
Vox Continental organ
Asked in a 1999 fan Q&A whether he still used his vintage Vox Continental, Tench said yes. None of the sources we opened tie it to specific recordings.
Known for His combo organ alongside the Hammond
Wurlitzer · c. 1980
Wurlitzer electric piano
Rolling Stone's 1980 'Key Men' piece names a Wurlitzer electric piano among Tench's four core keyboards. At home he practiced on a Baldwin electric upright played through a Leslie.
Known for Part of his 1980 core setup
Sources: Sounding Good: Key Men (Rolling Stone, July 10, 1980, via The Petty Archives)
Steinway & Sons · c. 1980
Steinway grand piano
Tench trained on classical piano before switching to rock and roll. In 1980 his core rig included a Steinway grand alongside the Hammond, the Wurlitzer and an ARP String Ensemble. He told Rolling Stone he avoided synthesizers because they sounded too cold to him.
Known for Part of his 1980 core setup
Sources: Sounding Good: Key Men (Rolling Stone, July 10, 1980, via The Petty Archives) · Benmont Tench (Wikipedia)
Items marked "less certain" rest on thin sources or sources that disagree. Played one of these, worked on the crew, or know better? Tell us. See signed guitars and gear fans have photographed in the Fan Vault.